Minnesota · Verified September 2026

MPH Programs in Minnesota

Where Can You Earn an MPH in Minnesota?

6 schools in Minnesota offer 17 MPH programs we verified, including Capella University, Minnesota State University-Mankato and Rasmussen University-Minnesota. 10 can be taken online. Published tuition runs from $235 to $1,268 per credit.

Researched and edited by · Updated

Downtown Minneapolis towers at dusk above St. Anthony Falls and the Mississippi River, with an arched bridge on the right
Photo: Josh Hild / Pexels

Who Hires Public Health Graduates in Minnesota

Minnesota built its public health system on a state and local partnership. The Community Health Services Act of 1976, now called the Local Public Health Act, splits responsibility between the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) and city and county governments for planning, funding and delivering services.

The unit that matters for jobs is the community health board. It’s the legal governing authority for local public health, and each one must serve at least 30,000 people. Counties too small to meet that line team up: Southwest Health and Human Services covers six counties, while Horizon Public Health and Countryside Public Health each serve five in western Minnesota. City health departments such as Minneapolis, Bloomington, Edina and Richfield hire separately, and MDH lists tribal nation health departments alongside them. If you want a local public health career outside the metro, a multi-county agency is often where the epidemiology, planning and administration roles sit.

Community health work has its own credential here. To bill Minnesota Health Care Programs, a community health worker needs a certificate from Minnesota State Colleges and Universities for an approved CHW curriculum, and the services must be supervised by a clinician such as a physician, registered nurse or certified public health nurse. That structure creates supervisory and program design roles MPH graduates tend to fill.

Minnesota MPH Schools Compared

6 schools in Minnesota offer an MPH or a related public health master's degree. 2 are on the CEPH accredited list.

SchoolMPH programsFormatsCEPHLowest per creditCredits
University of Minnesota-Twin CitiesMinneapolis · Public10 + 4Campus, Online, HybridAccredited$1,26842–48
Minnesota State University-MankatoMankato · Public3Online43
Capella UniversityMinneapolis · Private for-profit1Online$53060
Rasmussen University-MinnesotaSt. Cloud · Private for-profit1Online$23556
Saint Mary's University of MinnesotaWinona · Private nonprofit1Online$59036
Walden UniversityMinneapolis · Private for-profit1OnlineAccredited$54564

"+" counts related public health master's degrees (MS, MSPH, MHS). Per-credit rates as each school publishes them, reviewed September 2026.

21 programs in Minnesota

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.

What an MPH Costs in Minnesota

13 Minnesota MPH programs publish both a per-credit rate and the credits you need, so you can estimate tuition before fees. Estimates run from $13,160 to $60,864. The median published rate in Minnesota is $1,268 per credit, against $842 for the 213 MPH programs nationwide that publish one.

ProgramPer creditCreditsEstimated tuition
Rasmussen University-Minnesota: Master of Public HealthMaster of Public Health$23556$13,160
Saint Mary's University of Minnesota: Master of Public Health (online)Master of Public Health (online)$59036$21,240
Capella University: Master of Public Health (MPH), General Public HealthMaster of Public Health (MPH), General Public Health$53060$31,800
Walden University: Master of Public HealthMaster of Public Health$54564$34,880
University of Minnesota-Twin Cities: Environmental Health MPHEnvironmental Health MPH$1,26842$53,256
University of Minnesota-Twin Cities: Executive Public Health Administration & Policy MPHExecutive Public Health Administration & Policy MPH$1,26842$53,256
University of Minnesota-Twin Cities: Public Health Nutrition MPHPublic Health Nutrition MPH$1,26842$53,256
University of Minnesota-Twin Cities: Public Health Data Science MPHPublic Health Data Science MPH$1,26843$54,524
University of Minnesota-Twin Cities: Public Health Administration & Policy MPHPublic Health Administration & Policy MPH$1,26844$55,792
University of Minnesota-Twin Cities: Distance Public Health Administration & Policy MPHDistance Public Health Administration & Policy MPH$1,26844$55,792

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 Minnesota

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

SchoolPublic health master's awarded, 2022-23
University of Minnesota-Twin Cities342
Walden University230
Capella University120
Saint Mary's University of Minnesota32
Rasmussen University-Minnesota16
Minnesota State University-Mankato8

Public Health Pay in Minnesota

Among the public health jobs an MPH leads to, medical and health services managers earn the highest median pay in Minnesota, $122,700. Epidemiologists earn a median $104,460 (20% above u.s.), 6th of 43 states with a published figure, across 310 jobs.

JobMedianvs U.S. medianState rankJobs
Epidemiologists$104,46020% above U.S.6th of 43310
Health education specialists$78,40022% above U.S.5th of 531,250
Community health workers$47,5608% below U.S.40th of 521,260
Occupational health and safety specialists$96,9908% above U.S.11th of 532,460
Health information technologists and medical registrars$90,76033% above U.S.2nd of 511,040
Medical and health services managers$122,7001% below U.S.21st of 5411,350

Annual wages in Minnesota, 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 Minnesota Residents

You aren't limited to schools in Minnesota: 248 online MPH programs at schools in other states accept students nationwide. Before you apply, confirm on the school's site that it can enroll Minnesota 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:

ProgramPer creditEstimated 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.

The University of Minnesota: Ten MPHs in One School

The University of Minnesota-Twin Cities dominates the state’s campus options. It offers 10 MPH programs, 4 related master’s degrees and 10 dual degrees, and it awarded 342 public health master’s degrees in 2022-23, more than any other school in Minnesota. Every MPH applies through SOPHAS and none requires the GRE.

Several of its programs have tracks you won’t find elsewhere in the state:

  • The Public Health Nutrition MPH has a Coordinated Program track of 50 to 56 credits leading to RDN eligibility, alongside a 42-credit traditional track.
  • The Epidemiology MPH has a 42-credit accelerated program for people who already hold an MD, DDS, DVM or PhD.
  • The Environmental Health MPH includes concentrations in occupational and environmental health nursing and occupational and environmental medicine.
  • Working professionals can choose the hybrid Executive Public Health Administration and Policy MPH or the online Distance Public Health Administration and Policy MPH.

Residency changes the price. The university charges $1,268 per credit to Minnesota residents and $1,668 to non-residents in fall and spring, while summer credits cost $1,268 for everyone. The Public Health Practice Executive MPH charges $1,268 per credit regardless of residency, which makes it the one route where out-of-state students pay the resident rate all year.

Minnesota’s Online Schools and What Sets Them Apart

Four other Minnesota schools teach their MPH online, and they differ more than their formats suggest. Walden University’s online MPH is the only one of them on CEPH’s accredited list, and it awarded 230 public health master’s degrees in 2022-23. Its MPH runs 64 quarter credits at $545 per quarter credit hour.

Capella University’s MPH charges $530 per quarter credit across 60 quarter credits, including two practicums and a capstone. Rasmussen University has the lowest estimated tuition in the state at $13,160 for 56 credit hours, and Saint Mary’s University of Minnesota’s online MPH runs 36 credits at $590 per credit. None of those three is CEPH accredited. Walden and Capella count quarter credits, so compare total program cost rather than per-credit rates.

If CEPH accreditation matters for the jobs you want, and the CEPH accreditation guide explains when it does, your in-state choices narrow to the University of Minnesota and Walden. For accredited online options based in other states, see the online MPH programs page.

Frequently Asked Questions

Who Runs Local Public Health in Minnesota?

Community health boards. Under the Local Public Health Act, each board is the legal governing authority for local public health and must serve at least 30,000 people, so smaller counties join with neighbors to form one board.

Do Community Health Workers Need a Certificate in Minnesota?

To bill Minnesota Health Care Programs, yes. A CHW provider must hold a certificate from Minnesota State Colleges and Universities showing completion of an approved community health worker curriculum.

How Much More Do Non-Residents Pay for a University of Minnesota MPH?

The University of Minnesota charges $1,268 per credit to residents and $1,668 to non-residents in fall and spring. Summer credits cost $1,268 for everyone, and the Public Health Practice Executive MPH charges $1,268 regardless of residency.

How Many MPH Programs Are in Minnesota?

We verified 17 MPH programs and 4 related public health master's degrees at 6 schools in Minnesota; 2 of those schools are CEPH accredited.

Which Minnesota Schools Have CEPH-Accredited Public Health Programs?

University of Minnesota-Twin Cities and Walden University.

Can Minnesota Residents Earn an MPH Online?

Yes. Beyond Minnesota's own programs, 248 online MPH programs at schools in other states are open to students nationwide; check each program's state authorization for Minnesota residents. Online MPH programs.

How Much Do Epidemiologists and Public Health Workers Earn in Minnesota?

Epidemiologists: median $104,460; Health education specialists: median $78,400; Community health workers: median $47,560 (BLS, May 2025).

Nearby States

Sources

  1. Official program pages of the 6 Minnesota schools listed, reviewed September 2026
  2. Council on Education for Public Health, accredited schools and programs
  3. BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025

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