MPH Programs in West Virginia

Choosing Among West Virginia’s Four Schools

West Virginia is a small market with an unusual mix: three public universities and a large online for-profit school.

• West Virginia University is the only school here with a full CEPH-accredited School of Public Health, and the only one offering both a residential and an online MPH. The campus MPH offers Applied Epidemiology and Biostatistics or Social and Behavioral Sciences. The online MPH uses the Public Health Sciences track, runs fully asynchronous with no campus visits, and lets you finish in one to four years. Both apply through SOPHAS and neither requires the GRE. WVU suits you if you want a research-heavy school or a flexible online path from anywhere in the state.
• Marshall University places its MPH in the College of Health Professions in Huntington, with a stated mission of reducing health disparities in West Virginia and the Appalachian region. It offers Global and Community Health or Research, Evaluation and Policy, over four semesters or on three- and four-year plans. You apply directly to the school, not through SOPHAS. It suits you if you live near Huntington or care most about rural and Appalachian health.
• American Public University System in Charles Town runs a 47-credit online MPH with courses starting every month. It’s accredited by CEPH through December 31, 2029, and it accepts up to 15 transfer credits. It suits working adults and military students who need to start soon rather than wait for a fall term.
• Concord University in Athens offers a 33-credit MA in Health Promotion, online or hybrid, with a one-year fast track. It isn’t an MPH and Concord isn’t on the CEPH list, so it fits health education roles better than jobs that screen for a CEPH-accredited MPH. The CEPH accreditation guide explains why that distinction matters.

What Residency Does to Your Marshall or WVU Bill

At West Virginia’s public universities, residency changes the price sharply. Marshall’s 2026-27 graduate rates put the MPH at $857.75 per credit hour for state residents and $1,780 per credit hour for non-residents, tuition and fees combined. A full-time semester costs $7,715 as a resident against $16,015 as a non-resident.

WVU’s campus MPH shows the same pattern: $943 per credit hour for residents and $2,423 for non-residents. Its online MPH charges a single $686 per credit hour, which makes online the lower-cost WVU route for anyone who isn’t a resident and doesn’t need to be in Morgantown.

APUS charges $470 per credit whatever state you live in, and $250 at its Preferred Military Rate for service members, National Guard, reservists and military families.

Practicum Options for Working Adults

Every CEPH-accredited MPH requires applied practice, and West Virginia’s programs handle it in ways that matter if you already have a job. WVU’s online students complete 180 hours of applied practice, and the school says you can do it at your current place of employment. APUS students complete a 16-week practicum in a public health setting in their own community, followed by an integrative learning experience. If you work for a county health department or hospital system, either format lets you keep that job while you train. Compare other flexible formats on the online MPH programs page or the no-GRE MPH list.