Concentration · Verified September 2026

Global Health MPH and Master's Programs

93verified programs
79at CEPH-accredited schools
38offered online
$895median tuition per credit

What Is a Master's in Global Health, and Which Program Fits Your Plans?

A master's in global health prepares you to design, run and evaluate health programs across countries and cultures, most often through an MPH with a global health concentration. This site lists 93 global health master's programs at 73 schools: 71 MPH degrees and 22 MS, MSPH, MA or MHS degrees. Choose an MPH for program and practice careers, or an MS such as Georgetown's for field research, and compare formats in the online MPH list.

Researched and edited by · Updated

A health worker in a white uniform measures an infant held by its mother at a rural clinic in Laos while children watch
Photo: Ian Taylor / Pexels

Global health is public health practiced across borders: infectious disease control, maternal and child health, humanitarian response, and the health systems that deliver care in low-resource settings. Every accredited MPH touches it. CEPH requires all MPH students to learn how globalization affects the global burden of disease and to compare health systems across national and international settings. A global health concentration builds a career on that base.

This page covers 93 programs at 73 schools in 36 states. 79 are at CEPH-accredited schools or programs, and the programs split almost evenly between public (47) and private nonprofit (45) universities.

What a Master’s in Global Health Teaches

Global health programs mix methods with context. At George Washington University, the residential MPH offers four separate global tracks: Global Health Program Design, Monitoring, and Evaluation; Global Health Epidemiology and Disease Control; Global Health Policy and Systems; and Humanitarian Health and Disaster Response.

Emory lists the skills its 12-month MPH in Global Health builds: qualitative and quantitative research methods, program design, program management, program monitoring and evaluation, knowledge translation, advocacy and scientific writing. That list is a fair picture of the field: less lab science, more program work.

Other global tracks on this page include Global Epidemiology, Global Environmental Health, Global Infectious Diseases and One Health. If disease control is your main interest, compare these with the epidemiology programs.

MPH or MS in Global Health: Two Different Models

The MPH (71 programs) is the practice route. It includes an applied practice experience and a culminating project, and it’s what most program officer and technical advisor jobs expect.

The MS (16 programs), along with a few MSPH, MA and MHS degrees, leans toward research. Three examples show the range:

Program Length Structure Research component
Georgetown MS in Global Health 13 months minimum 32 credits: 15 core, 9 focus area, 8 field research Field Research Module and Scholarly Project Abroad
UCSF MS in Global Health One year full time or two years part time 50 units on the one-year track Mentored capstone in the US or with an international partner
UAB MS in Global Health Varies 38 credits with thesis or 36 without Thesis option

Georgetown’s full-time students pick one of five focus areas: Disease Prevention and Control; Health and Development in Africa; Refugees, Migration, and Humanitarian Emergencies; Climate Change, Urban Health and Cross-Sector Collaboration; or Health and Development: Management, Economics and Partnerships.

Georgetown and UCSF are listed on this site without CEPH accreditation for these degrees. That matters because, according to CEPH, the US Public Health Service, some US military public health jobs and some state and local agencies fill MPH-level jobs only with graduates of CEPH-accredited schools and programs. Read the CEPH accreditation guide before you commit.

93 programs

Program facts come from each school's own program pages, reviewed September 2026. Tuition is the school's published figure with its basis; per-credit sorting uses programs that publish a per-credit rate. CEPH status comes from the CEPH accredited list.

Northwestern’s Global Health MPH

Northwestern’s program comes up often when people compare global health degrees, so here’s how it works. The Northwestern MPH is a single degree with seven concentrations, one of which is Global Health. Northwestern describes it as interdisciplinary coursework taught by faculty who do global health research and practice around the world, with field and culminating experiences built in.

  • Schedule: full time in one year, or part time in the evening over about two years. Global Health students can start in summer (full or part time) or fall (part time).
  • Practice: the Applied Practice Experience is a two-course sequence plus 160 hours of practice work at an approved site.
  • Finish: a thesis- or capstone-style culminating project.
  • Admissions: SOPHAS application, GRE optional.

Northwestern’s program is CEPH accredited. It suits working professionals who want an evening schedule in Chicago, or students who want a fast one-year degree.

Best Global Health Master’s Programs, by What You Need

No single program is best for everyone. Based on published program facts, here is who each option suits:

Program Best for Key fact
George Washington University MPH (residential) The widest choice of global tracks Four separate global health concentrations plus Global Environmental Health
Emory 12-month MPH in Global Health Experienced professionals who want speed Three semesters, the last one online
Georgetown MS in Global Health Field research abroad 8 credits of field research and a scholarly paper
University of South Florida MPH Infectious disease focus at a public price Global Infectious Diseases and Global Health Practice tracks, $430.43 per credit
University of West Florida online MPH Lowest-cost accredited online option $385.85 per credit in state, estimated $16,206
Loma Linda University Global Health MPH A dedicated global health MPH 52 quarter units over about 2 years

Masters in Global Health Online

38 programs offer an online option and 26 are fully online. Emory’s 12-month MPH also moves its final semester online so working professionals can finish from home. Fully online options with published rates:

What Global Health Programs Cost

Among 40 programs with a published per-credit rate, tuition runs from $244.90 to $2,507 per credit, with a median of $895. Estimated tuition (published per-credit rate times credits, before fees) is available for 37 programs, with a median of $39,900.

The spread is wide. The lowest estimate, $7,837, is Oklahoma State’s MS in Global Health at the resident rate. At the top, GWU’s online MPH comes to an estimated $90,000 and NYU’s MPH in Global Health to $115,322. The affordable MPH programs page lists the lowest-cost accredited options in every field.

Global Health Careers and Pay

Emory lists the jobs its graduates go into: grants manager, policy fellow, population health fellow, public health analyst or advisor, senior technical advisor, WASH (water, sanitation and hygiene) program officer, and assistant director of research.

Pay depends on which of those jobs you hold. For roles built on disease surveillance and research, the closest BLS occupation is epidemiologist: a median of $87,220 in May 2025, with the BLS listing infectious disease and maternal and child health among its specialties. For program management roles in US health organizations, see the health services manager guide. The epidemiologist career guide covers pay by state.

What Global Health Admissions Look for

Global health programs weigh your experience and motives more than test scores. Emory’s MPH in Global Health, applied for through SOPHAS, asks for a personal statement of up to 1,500 words, a resume, two letters of recommendation and college transcripts. The statement must cover your cultural and lived experiences, your commitment to global health, what you hope to achieve with the degree and why you chose Emory’s department. Emory says it looks for applicants who have shown commitment through careers, service or training, such as work with underserved communities. The MPH admission requirements guide covers what other programs ask for.

How to Choose a Global Health Program

  1. Decide between practice and research. An MPH for program jobs, an MS for research or a PhD path.
  2. Check accreditation. 79 of 93 programs are at CEPH-accredited schools and 3 at CEPH applicants. Several well-known MS programs sit outside CEPH, which can matter for US government jobs.
  3. Look at the field component. Georgetown requires field research abroad; UCSF allows a US or international capstone; Northwestern requires 160 practice hours. Pick the one your life can accommodate.
  4. Match the tracks to your interest. Humanitarian response, infectious disease, environment and policy are separate tracks at many schools.
  5. Price it honestly. Compare estimated tuition, then add travel costs for any field placement abroad.
  6. Plan the application. 54 programs use SOPHAS and 28 use the school’s own form; see the SOPHAS guide and the health policy programs if policy is part of your plan.

Frequently Asked Questions

How Long Does a Master's in Global Health Take?

One to two years full time. Emory's MPH in Global Health has a 12-month, three-semester version, Georgetown's MS in Global Health takes at least 13 months, and Northwestern's full-time MPH runs one year. 15 programs on this page are listed as accelerated.

Do You Have to Study Abroad for a Global Health Degree?

Not always. Georgetown's MS includes a Field Research Module and Scholarly Project Abroad worth 8 credits, but UCSF's MS lets you do your capstone research either with an international partner or with an underserved population in the United States. Many online MPH programs have no travel requirement.

Do Global Health Programs Require the GRE?

Most don't. 37 programs say it isn't required and 15 make it optional. Emory's Hubert Department of Global Health states the GRE is not required and won't be considered.

Is Northwestern's Global Health MPH Offered Part Time?

Yes. Northwestern's Global Health concentration is open to full-time students who start in summer and to part-time evening students who start in summer or fall. The part-time evening path takes about two years.

Keep Comparing

Sources

  1. Official program pages of each school listed, reviewed September 2026
  2. Council on Education for Public Health, accredited schools and programs
  3. CEPH: Accreditation Criteria, 2024
  4. Northwestern University: MPH Program
  5. Northwestern University: MPH Curriculum and Concentrations
  6. Emory Rollins School of Public Health: 12-Month MPH in Global Health
  7. Georgetown University: MS in Global Health, Full-Time Track
  8. UCSF Global Health Sciences: Master's Program
  9. BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook: Epidemiologists

Every program here was checked against the school's own website. Accreditation comes from the Council on Education for Public Health (CEPH) list, and graduate counts from the U.S. Department of Education (IPEDS). Sponsored listings are labeled and never change which programs we list. How we verify programs