Ohio · Verified September 2026

MPH Programs in Ohio

Where Can You Earn an MPH in Ohio?

10 schools in Ohio offer 13 MPH programs we verified, including Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland State University and Kent State University at Kent. 8 can be taken online.

Researched and edited by · Updated

Downtown Columbus skyline and the LeVeque Tower rising behind a bridge over the Scioto River, with a riverside park path in the foreground
Photo: Chris F / Pexels

Who Hires Public Health Graduates in Ohio

Ohio’s public health work is split between the Ohio Department of Health in Columbus and a dense network of local health districts. The department’s directory lists every city and county district, and the mix is unusual: alongside county departments such as Adams County, some cities run their own, such as the Alliance City and Ashtabula City health departments, and some counties share one with their largest city, such as the Ashland County-City Health Department. For you, that means epidemiology, inspection and health education jobs are spread across many small employers, not concentrated in one state office.

The universities are employers too. Ohio State and Kent State each run a full College of Public Health, and Kent State awarded 248 public health master’s degrees in 2022-23, the most in the state. Cleveland adds two programs of its own: Case Western Reserve, the only private option, and Cleveland State.

An Online-First State With No Accreditation Gaps

Every one of Ohio’s 19 public health master’s programs sits at a CEPH-accredited school, so you don’t need to screen out unaccredited options here the way you might in other states. Seven programs are online only. That includes the Northeast Ohio Medical University MPH in Rootstown, which runs 42 semester credit hours over one to six years, and Youngstown State’s generalist track. Both carry the CEOMPH name in their program titles.

Ohio MPH Schools Compared

10 schools in Ohio offer an MPH or a related public health master's degree. 10 are on the CEPH accredited list.

SchoolMPH programsFormatsCEPHLowest per creditCredits
Kent State University at KentKent · Public2 + 1Campus, Hybrid, OnlineAccredited$695
Ohio State University-Main CampusColumbus · Public2 + 1Campus, OnlineAccredited42
University of ToledoToledo · Public2 + 1OnlineAccredited45
Case Western Reserve UniversityCleveland · Private nonprofit1 + 1CampusAccredited42
Cleveland State UniversityCleveland · Public1OnlineAccredited42
Northeast Ohio Medical UniversityRootstown · Public1OnlineAccredited42
Ohio University-Main CampusAthens · Public1OnlineAccredited$70042
University of Cincinnati-Main CampusCincinnati · Public1 + 2Accredited42
Wright State University-Main CampusDayton · Public1Online, Hybrid, CampusAccredited
Youngstown State UniversityYoungstown · Public1OnlineAccredited42

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

19 programs in Ohio

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 Ohio

One Ohio MPH publishes both a per-credit rate and its credits: estimated tuition at Ohio University-Main Campus is $29,400 before fees. The median published rate in Ohio is $695 per credit, against $842 for the 213 MPH programs nationwide that publish one.

ProgramPer creditCreditsEstimated tuition
Ohio University-Main Campus: Online Master of Public HealthOnline Master of Public Health$70042$29,400

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 Ohio

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

SchoolPublic health master's awarded, 2022-23
Kent State University at Kent248
Ohio State University-Main Campus152
Ohio University-Main Campus96
Case Western Reserve University86
University of Cincinnati-Main Campus58
Wright State University-Main Campus50
Youngstown State University26
University of Toledo14

Public Health Pay in Ohio

Among the public health jobs an MPH leads to, medical and health services managers earn the highest median pay in Ohio, $106,140. Epidemiologists earn a median $76,480 (12% below u.s.), 31st of 43 states with a published figure, across 300 jobs.

JobMedianvs U.S. medianState rankJobs
Epidemiologists$76,48012% below U.S.31st of 43300
Statisticians (including biostatisticians)$98,1907% below U.S.24th of 46580
Health education specialists$64,8601% above U.S.20th of 531,970
Community health workers$50,6502% below U.S.26th of 521,910
Occupational health and safety specialists$91,4601% above U.S.20th of 536,820
Health information technologists and medical registrars$71,3305% above U.S.21st of 512,500
Medical and health services managers$106,14014% below U.S.38th of 5424,390

Annual wages in Ohio, 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 Ohio Residents

You aren't limited to schools in Ohio: 250 online MPH programs at schools in other states accept students nationwide. Before you apply, confirm on the school's site that it can enroll Ohio 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.

What Residents and Non-Residents Pay

Ohio’s two published online rates are close to each other. Kent State charges $695 per credit hour to Ohio residents and $705 to out-of-state students, plus a $15 per credit distance learning fee, so living outside Ohio barely changes the price of its online MPH. Ohio University lists $700 per credit and $29,400 in total resident tuition for its 42-credit online MPH in Community Health, which runs seven semesters.

Admission is lighter than many applicants expect. Five Ohio programs say the GRE isn’t required, three make it optional and two let you waive it. Seven programs take applications through SOPHAS and four take them directly, so check the route before you pay a SOPHAS fee. The SOPHAS guide explains how the centralized application works, and the no-GRE MPH list covers options beyond Ohio.

Matching an Ohio Program to Your Goal

  • Largest cohort and most concentrations: Kent State. Its in-person and hybrid MPH offers Biostatistics, Epidemiology, Health Policy and Management, and Social and Behavioral Sciences, and the online version starts in fall, spring or summer.
  • Working professionals: Ohio State’s online Program for Experienced Professionals is part time, needs no GRE and admits in autumn, winter or summer.
  • Fastest finish: Wright State’s MPH in Dayton runs online, hybrid or on campus, and a one-year accelerated completion is possible. Compare it with other accelerated MPH programs.
  • A private university in about a year and a half: Case Western’s campus MPH takes 16 to 21 months, needs no GRE and offers Global Health and Population Health Research.
  • Workplace and industrial health: Cincinnati’s MPH includes an Occupational Public Health concentration, and the university also offers a 48-credit MS in Environmental and Industrial Hygiene. Toledo adds a 40-hour MS in Occupational Health.

Community Health Worker Certification in Ohio

Ohio certifies community health workers through the Ohio Board of Nursing, not the health department. To qualify, you need to be at least 18 with a high school diploma or equivalent. You also need to finish an Ohio-approved training program with 100 hours of classroom instruction and at least 130 hours of clinical experience. The program sends its completion form straight to the Board, you complete BCI and FBI background checks, and the first certificate costs $35.

This matters to MPH students in two ways. Health departments and hospital systems that hire certified CHWs need supervisors and program managers who know the rules. And if you’re already a certified CHW, an MPH is the usual next step into those roles. See what the job pays on the community health worker career page.

Frequently Asked Questions

How Do You Become a Certified Community Health Worker in Ohio?

The Ohio Board of Nursing issues the certificate. You must be at least 18, hold a high school diploma or equivalent, and finish an Ohio-approved training program with 100 hours of classroom instruction and at least 130 hours of clinical experience. The initial certificate fee is $35.

Does Kent State Charge Out-of-State Students More for Its Online MPH?

Only slightly. Kent State lists $695 per credit hour for Ohio residents and $705 for out-of-state students, plus a $15 per credit distance learning fee, across a 42-credit minimum.

Which Ohio MPH Offers Veterinary Public Health?

The Ohio State University's campus MPH in Columbus lists Veterinary Public Health among its concentrations, alongside Biomedical Informatics, Biostatistics, Environmental Health Sciences, Epidemiology, and Health Behavior and Health Promotion.

How Many MPH Programs Are in Ohio?

We verified 13 MPH programs and 6 related public health master's degrees at 10 schools in Ohio; 10 of those schools are CEPH accredited.

Which Ohio Schools Have CEPH-Accredited Public Health Programs?

Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland State University, Kent State University at Kent, Northeast Ohio Medical University, Ohio State University-Main Campus, Ohio University-Main Campus, University of Cincinnati-Main Campus and University of Toledo and 2 more.

Can Ohio Residents Earn an MPH Online?

Yes. Beyond Ohio's own programs, 250 online MPH programs at schools in other states are open to students nationwide; check each program's state authorization for Ohio residents. Online MPH programs.

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

Epidemiologists: median $76,480; Statisticians (including biostatisticians): median $98,190; Health education specialists: median $64,860 (BLS, May 2025).

Nearby States

Sources

  1. Official program pages of the 10 Ohio 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