MPH Programs · Verified September 2026

On-Campus MPH Programs

238verified programs

220at CEPH-accredited schools

64offered online

$1,268median tuition per credit

Which On-Campus MPH Programs Should You Consider?

On-campus MPH programs are the traditional two-year route, and they're still where the largest schools of public health train most of their students. This site lists 238 on-campus MPH programs at 156 schools in 43 states, and 220 of them are at CEPH-accredited schools. Estimated tuition runs from $11,275 at the University of Puerto Rico Medical Sciences to $118,608 at Baylor University, so where you study, and whether you pay resident rates, shapes the cost more than anything else.

Researched and edited by Taylor Rupe · Updated September 28, 2026

A bearded professor points toward students seated at long wooden desks with laptops in a university lecture hall — Photo: Yan Krukau / Pexels

An on-campus MPH is the version of the degree most schools of public health were built around: a cohort that starts together, classes on a fixed timetable, and a practicum drawn from the health departments, hospitals and research centers near campus. This site lists 238 on-campus MPH programs at 156 schools in 43 states.

The campus format leans public. 163 of the 238 programs are at public universities, 74 at private nonprofits and one at a for-profit school. New York has the most on-campus MPH programs (36), followed by California (22), Pennsylvania (16), Illinois (11) and Texas (10). And 64 of the on-campus programs also run online, so you can often start on campus and know an online version exists if your plans change.

The Largest Schools of Public Health

Size isn’t quality, but it does tell you how many people a school sends into the public health workforce each year. These are the schools with on-campus MPH programs that awarded the most public health master’s degrees in 2022-23, according to IPEDS. The counts are institution-wide awards in all formats, not graduates of one program.

School	State	Public health master’s degrees awarded (2022-23)
George Washington University	District of Columbia	1,100
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill	North Carolina	1,028
Johns Hopkins University	Maryland	954
Columbia University	New York	858
Emory University	Georgia	848
Harvard University	Massachusetts	800
Boston University	Massachusetts	674
University of California-Berkeley	California	590
University of Alabama at Birmingham	Alabama	554
University of Southern California	California	524

What an On-Campus MPH Costs

On-campus MPH programs cost more per credit than the MPH field as a whole. Across the 79 campus programs that publish a per-credit rate, the median is $1,268, and the middle half charge between $695 and $1,705. Across every MPH program on this site that publishes a rate, the median is $841.50. The campus figure is pulled up by private research universities: Baylor charges $2,824 per credit and NYU $2,507.

Estimated tuition (published per-credit rate times credits, before fees) has a median of $53,340 across 77 campus programs. The lowest:

Program	Rate	Credits	Estimated tuition
UPR Medical Sciences MPH, General Program	$205 per credit	55 quarter credits	$11,275
UPR Medical Sciences MPH, Environmental Health	$205 per credit	58 quarter credits	$11,890
UTHealth Houston MPH	$287 per credit (Texas resident)	45	$12,915
University of Nevada, Reno MPH	$383.25 per credit (base rate)	42	$16,097
University of Nevada, Reno MPH in Epidemiology	$383.25 per credit (base rate)	42	$16,097

All five are CEPH-accredited, and every one is at a public university. The UPR programs are also day-or-evening programs, and the environmental health track takes a year and a summer in the day format.

Flat Semester Pricing and Residency

Many campus programs charge by the semester, not the credit, so you can’t compare them with a per-credit rate. San Diego State lists $5,745 per semester for full-time California residents, including campus fees, with nonresidents paying an extra $471 per unit. Cal State Fullerton lists $8,548 in tuition for the 2026-27 year plus $1,678 in campus fees for full-time residents. Berkeley lists $18,677.75 per semester for a new California resident and $24,800.25 for a nonresident. Tuskegee lists $11,655 per semester for full-time graduate study.

Residency is the biggest lever. UTHealth’s $287 resident rate becomes $1,124 for non-residents. Colorado’s MPH is $995 per credit for residents and $1,566 for non-residents. If you live in the West, look at the Western Regional Graduate Program run by WICHE: participating public universities let students from its 16 member states and territories pay up to 150 percent of resident tuition instead of full nonresident rates in selected graduate programs.

Credits, Quarter Units and How Long It Takes

CEPH sets the floor: an MPH needs at least 42 semester credits or 56 quarter credits. On-campus programs here run a little longer than that floor, with a median of 45 credits and the middle half between 42 and 47. Quarter-system schools look bigger on paper. UCLA’s MPH in Community Health Sciences needs 68 quarter units over six quarters, and its MPH in Health Management needs 78.

Most campus MPH programs take two years full time. A handful compress it. UC Davis runs an accelerated, in-person 56-unit MPH designed to be finished in 10 to 12 months, practicum included. Berkeley’s Interdisciplinary MPH runs 11 months from July to May. For the full set of short programs, see accelerated MPH programs, and for a plain timeline of every route, read how long an MPH takes.

What You Get on Campus That’s Harder to Get Online

The practicum is the clearest difference. CEPH lets a practice experience come from a summer or term-long internship, from course-based projects done for a real health organization, from service learning, or from co-curricular work such as projects run by a student association. On campus, all four are within walking distance. The University of Arizona’s campus MPH, for instance, schedules the internship in the second year, after a full first year of core courses.

Campus programs also make the capstone easier to anchor. CEPH requires every MPH to end with an integrative learning experience that produces a substantial written product, such as a program evaluation report or legislative testimony, ideally useful to an outside partner. Faculty who already work with local agencies can connect you to one.

The second difference is range. Big campus programs offer concentrations you rarely find online. Berkeley’s campus MPH lists Infectious Diseases and Vaccinology and Global Health and Environment. Arizona’s campus MPH offers One Health, and Yale’s Advanced Professional MPH includes Occupational and Environmental Medicine. Epidemiology is the most common concentration name among on-campus programs (69 programs), followed by Biostatistics (28) and Global Health (23).

The third is schedule flexibility you might not expect. Northern Arizona University’s Flagstaff MPH runs most courses from 4 to 9 pm, and the University of Puerto Rico Medical Sciences offers its MPH in day and evening formats.

Admissions for On-Campus MPH Programs

Most campus programs have dropped the GRE. Among the 238 here, 105 say it isn’t required, 38 make it optional and 9 let you waive it. Only two list it as required. Browse the no-GRE MPH programs if you’d rather not sit the test.

SOPHAS dominates on campus: 158 programs use it, against 66 that take a direct application. The SOPHAS guide covers fees and timing, and MPH admission requirements walks through transcripts, statements and letters.

Who an On-Campus MPH Suits

A campus MPH suits you if you can study full time and you want a job in government public health. The BLS says epidemiologists typically need a master’s degree, and state governments (33%) and local governments (22%) are their largest employers. Those agencies are also the employers most likely to require a degree from a CEPH-accredited school or program, and 220 of the 238 campus programs here are at CEPH-accredited schools. Epidemiologists earned a median of $87,220 in May 2025, and the BLS projects their employment to grow 19 percent from 2025 to 2035, much faster than average.

It suits you less if you can’t give up a salary for two years. Compare online MPH programs and hybrid and executive programs before you commit.

How to Choose an On-Campus MPH

Price the residency you’ll actually have. Use the non-resident rate unless you already qualify, and check WRGP if you’re in the West.
Convert semester pricing. For flat-rate schools, multiply the per-semester figure by the number of semesters the program lists.
Match the concentration to the job. Epidemiology and biostatistics lead to analytical roles; health policy and management lead toward administration.
Look at where students do their practicum. A school next to a large health department or hospital system gives you more options.
Check the schedule. Day-only cohorts rule out a job; evening formats like NAU’s 4 to 9 pm classes don’t.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is an On-Campus MPH Better Than an Online MPH?

Not by accreditation. CEPH holds online and campus MPH degrees to the same criteria. The campus format suits you if you want a full-time cohort, a practicum near a large health department or hospital system, and in-person access to faculty.

Can I Work While Doing an On-Campus MPH?

Some campus programs are built for it. Northern Arizona University's Flagstaff MPH runs most courses from 4 to 9 pm, and the University of Puerto Rico Medical Sciences offers day and evening versions of its MPH. Full-time day programs like UC Davis's 10 to 12 month MPH are much harder to combine with a job.

How Can I Avoid Out-of-State Tuition for an On-Campus MPH?

In the West, the Western Regional Graduate Program lets students from WICHE's 16 member states and territories attend participating public universities' graduate programs out of state and pay up to 150 percent of resident tuition instead of full nonresident rates. Check whether the specific MPH participates.

Do On-Campus MPH Programs Use SOPHAS?

Most do. Of the 238 on-campus MPH programs on this site, 158 take applications through SOPHAS and 66 use the school's own application. UC Davis, for example, is CEPH-accredited but doesn't use SOPHAS.

Keep Comparing

Sources

Official program pages of each school listed, reviewed September 2026
Council on Education for Public Health, accredited schools and programs
CEPH: Accreditation Criteria for Schools and Programs (2024)
CEPH: Student FAQs
WICHE: Western Regional Graduate Program
UC Davis: MPH program
BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook: Epidemiologists