MPH Programs in Washington

How the University of Washington Compares With Everyone Else

The University of Washington dominates. It awarded 372 public health master’s degrees in 2022-23, the most in the state, and it runs three MPH paths plus nine related master’s degrees in biostatistics, epidemiology, environmental health, health services, genetic epidemiology and nutritional sciences. If you already know you want to be a biostatistician or a research epidemiologist, the UW MS options may fit better than an MPH; the MPH vs MS guide walks through the choice.

Among UW’s MPH paths, two stand out for different readers:

• The Community-Oriented Public Health Practice MPH is a two-year, full-time Seattle program taught through problem-based learning, with a practicum in year one and a capstone in year two. It suits you if you want to work with communities and local health departments on health disparities.
• The UW online MPH takes 63 credits over two to three years, starting each autumn quarter. At $1,003 per credit, estimated tuition (published per-credit rate times credits, before fees) is $63,189.

The Lower-Cost and Smaller Options

Eastern Washington University is the price leader. Its online MPH is 60 credits, can be finished in as few as 14 months, and charges $345 per credit to everyone, whether you live in Washington or not. That flat rate is unusual for a public university: EWU’s regular graduate tuition for 2026-27 is $427.27 per quarter credit for residents and $940.92 for non-residents. EWU is also the second-largest producer in the state, with 132 public health master’s degrees in 2022-23. The catch is accreditation. EWU says its MPH is on probationary status with CEPH, so confirm the current status before you apply.

University of Puget Sound in Tacoma runs a small, CEPH-accredited campus MPH: 16 units over two years, including a summer applied practice experience after the first year and an integrative learning experience in the final spring. Courses include health disparities and causal inference, and it doesn’t require the GRE. See the Puget Sound MPH.

Central Washington University in Ellensburg offers its MPH online, hybrid or on campus, with concentrations in community health, epidemiology or environmental health. It isn’t on the CEPH list. That matters if you want the US Public Health Service, some military public health jobs, or state and local agencies that fill MPH-level jobs only with graduates of CEPH-accredited programs. The CEPH accreditation guide explains how to check.

Paying for It Without State Loan Repayment

Washington’s main loan repayment option, the Washington Health Corps, pays up to $70,000 for two years of service or up to $75,000 for three. But every eligible provider type is clinical: nurses, physicians, physician assistants, pharmacists, dental professionals and licensed behavioral health providers. An MPH alone won’t qualify you. If you’re a registered nurse or physician adding an MPH, though, you stay eligible through your clinical license.

For everyone else, cost control comes from program choice. Compare the flat EWU rate with the UW online total above, look at the affordable MPH programs nationwide, and read the MPH scholarships guide before you commit. Then check what the work pays locally on the epidemiologist career page.