Pennsylvania is home to a variety of options for Public Health degree programs. With elite private schools like the University of Pennsylvania, and top-notch public schools that offer great tuition rates for in-state students like Pennsylvania State University and the University of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania has many top Public Health schools for students to choose from. While there are a variety of metrics to rank Public Health schools, our methodology places an emphasis on graduation and retention rate to ensure that schools offer their students interesting coursework and attentive professors that keep their students engaged and working towards the completion of their degree. For our comprehensive list of the top Public Health schools in the state of Pennsylvania, check out our ranking of the Best Public Health Degrees in Pennsylvania. Let’s take a closer look at what a few of Pennsylvania’s top Public Health schools have to offer.
Pennsylvania State University
Pennsylvania State University (also known as PSU or Penn State) is a public doctoral university that was founded in 1855, and has campuses throughout the state of Pennsylvania. Penn State’s College of Medicine offers a 42-credit MPH degree that allows students to specialize in one of four concentrations: Community and Behavioral Health, Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Global Health, or Health Systems Organization and Policy. In addition to completing 42 credits, students will participate in a fieldwork internship as well as a capstone experience to prepare them to take their knowledge into the workplace. Students who want to take their MPH into their medical practice can enroll in Penn State’s five-year MD/MPH program. In addition to the traditional MPH program, Master’s students can also major in Public Health Sciences, or Homeland Security – Public Health Preparedness. Penn State also has options for students who are seeking a public health doctoral degree, including a Doctor of Public Health (DrPH), a Biostatistics PhD, or a Health Policy and Administration (HPA) PhD. In addition, Penn State offers Public Health Certificate Programs in Clinical Research, Public Health, Public Health Preparedness, Hospital & Health System Preparedness, and Translational Science. Tuition for Penn State students differs depending on which campus they attend, though in-state students receive considerably better rates than out-of-state students. If you are looking for a break on tuition for your public health degree, be sure to check out our article that goes into detail about how to find a Public Health Scholarship.
The University of Pittsburgh
The University of Pittsburgh is a public research university that was founded shortly after the American Revolutionary War in 1787. The university’s School of Public Health offers a wide variety of Public Health degrees for students to choose from. Students pursuing their MPH degree can choose from concentrations in Behavioral and Community Health Sciences; Environmental and Occupational Health; Epidemiology; Health Policy and Management; Human Genetics; Infectious Disease Pathogenesis, Eradication, and Laboratory Practice; or Infectious Disease Management, Intervention, and Community Practice. Students can also pick and choose courses from any of the MPH concentrations to create their own Multidisciplinary MPH. With a variety of other professional degrees and certificates within the field of Public Health, the University of Pittsburgh has cemented its reputation as one of the top Public Health schools in the state of Pennsylvania.
