MPH Programs in Hawaii

What an MPH Costs in Hawaii

3 Hawaii MPH programs publish both a per-credit rate and the credits you need, so you can estimate tuition before fees. Estimates run from $27,300 to $62,286. The median published rate in Hawaii is $650 per credit, against $842 for the 213 MPH programs nationwide that publish one.

Program	Per credit	Credits	Estimated tuition
University of Hawaii at Manoa: Master of Public HealthMaster of Public Health	$650	42	$27,300
University of Hawaii at Manoa: Master of Public Health - Distance EducationMaster of Public Health - Distance Education	$650	42	$27,300
Hawaii Pacific University: Master of Public HealthMaster of Public Health	$1,483	42	$62,286

Estimated tuition is the published per-credit rate times the published credits, before fees. Public schools usually charge non-residents more. Turn any program into a full cost and loan estimate with the MPH cost and loan calculator.

Largest Public Health Programs in Hawaii

By public health master's degrees awarded in 2022-23 (U.S. Department of Education, IPEDS), University of Hawaii at Manoa has Hawaii's largest program, followed by Hawaii Pacific University. Size tells you how many classmates, electives and alumni to expect, not how good a program is.

School	Public health master's awarded, 2022-23
University of Hawaii at Manoa	60
Hawaii Pacific University	44

Public Health Pay in Hawaii

Among the public health jobs an MPH leads to, medical and health services managers earn the highest median pay in Hawaii, $147,630. Epidemiologists earn a median $76,780 (12% below u.s.), 30th of 43 states with a published figure, across 70 jobs.

Job	Median	vs U.S. median	State rank	Jobs
Epidemiologists	$76,780	12% below U.S.	30th of 43	70
Statisticians (including biostatisticians)	$76,780	27% below U.S.	39th of 46	90
Health education specialists	$63,740	1% below U.S.	23rd of 53	190
Community health workers	$58,450	13% above U.S.	5th of 52	240
Occupational health and safety specialists	$94,840	5% above U.S.	15th of 53	640
Health information technologists and medical registrars	$51,930	24% below U.S.	41st of 51	150
Medical and health services managers	$147,630	19% above U.S.	3rd of 54	2,650

Annual wages in Hawaii, BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025. A high median on few jobs describes a small market, so read pay beside the job count.

Online MPH Options for Hawaii Residents

You aren't limited to schools in Hawaii: 256 online MPH programs at schools in other states accept students nationwide. Before you apply, confirm on the school's site that it can enroll Hawaii residents online. These CEPH-accredited online programs have the lowest estimated tuition of any online MPH that publishes a per-credit rate and its credits:

Program	Per credit	Estimated tuition
The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston: Master of Public HealthTexas	$287	$12,915
University of West Florida: Master of Public Health (online)Florida	$386	$16,206
University of Nevada-Las Vegas: Master of Public HealthNevada	$383	$18,013
Georgia State University: Master of Public HealthGeorgia	$464	$19,488
SUNY Downstate Health Sciences University: Master of Public HealthNew York	$471	$19,782

Compare every option on the online MPH programs page, or let the program matcher rank them for you.

UH Manoa or Hawaii Pacific: Two Very Different Degrees

Both of Hawaii’s MPH programs are in Honolulu and both hold CEPH accreditation, but they suit different people.

University of Hawaii at Manoa

The UH Manoa MPH sits in the Department of Public Health Sciences, part of the Thompson School of Social Work and Public Health. You choose from epidemiology, health policy and management, social and behavioral health sciences, or Native Hawaiian and Indigenous health. The degree is 42 credits and ends with three capstone pieces: a supervised practicum with a community organization, a final paper and a final oral exam. It awarded 60 public health master’s degrees in 2022-23.

If research is your goal, the MS in public health in epidemiology needs at least 32 credits including a thesis, and the department also offers a PhD.

Hawaii Pacific University

HPU’s MPH is built for speed and working adults. It’s 42 credits, runs online asynchronous or hybrid, and you take 2 to 3 courses per 8-week term. Start in fall and you can finish in 12 months full time; a spring start takes 16 months. HPU’s own page says the program is CEPH accredited and currently under probationary accreditation, so check its status before you enroll. It awarded 44 public health master’s degrees in 2022-23.

What It Costs to Study Public Health in Hawaii

At UH Manoa, where you live makes a big difference on campus. For 2026-27, Hawaii residents pay $650 per credit, or $7,800 per semester at 12 or more credits. Non-residents pay $1,402 per credit, or $16,824 per semester.

The distance education MPH flattens that gap: $650 per credit whether or not you live in Hawaii. It’s asynchronous, takes 21 months, focuses on health policy and management, and was designed for students across the U.S. and the U.S.-Affiliated Pacific islands. The catch is that it accepts no tuition waivers of any kind.

That matters because UH Manoa’s best funding comes through waivers. Graduate assistants taking 6 to 9 degree credits get tuition covered plus a monthly stipend, and Graduate Division Achievement Scholarships go to students with a GPA of 3.5 or higher. The assistantship tuition waiver doesn’t apply to the online MPH, so the best-funded route is the campus program.

HPU charges $1,483 per credit, so estimated tuition for its 42 credits is $62,286 before fees, against $27,300 for the UH Manoa MPH at the resident rate. You pay for HPU’s 12-month pace. For more ways to fund either one, see the MPH scholarships guide, or compare accredited online MPH programs from the mainland.