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CIP 51.2201 Health Professions

Public Health, General

IPEDS Completions, US Department of Education · 2025

中文

Total graduates

23,261

2025 · 472 schools

International share

4.8%

1,109 international students

Bachelor's degrees

11,321

1.5% international

Master's degrees

10,616

7.9% international

Overview

Public Health, General is a multidisciplinary field focused on protecting and improving the health of populations through education, research, policy-making, and community engagement. The primary goal of public health is to prevent disease and promote health at the community and population levels, rather than focusing solely on individual patient care.

Students pursuing a degree in General Public Health study various aspects of health, including epidemiology, biostatistics, health policy, environmental health, and social and behavioral sciences. These areas equip future public health professionals with the skills to analyze health data, understand health trends, and develop effective interventions to address public health challenges.

One of the key components of public health is the concept of health equity, which aims to eliminate disparities in health outcomes among different population groups. Public health professionals work on issues such as vaccination programs, disease prevention, health education, and crisis management during health emergencies, such as pandemics or natural disasters.

Graduates of General Public Health programs can pursue diverse career paths, including roles in government agencies, non-profit organizations, healthcare systems, and academia. Common job titles include epidemiologist, public health educator, health policy analyst, and community health worker.

Overall, a degree in General Public Health prepares individuals to make a meaningful impact on community health, promote healthy behaviors, and develop policies that foster a healthier society. As global health challenges continue to evolve, the demand for skilled public health professionals remains high, making this field both relevant and essential.

Graduates by year

Graduates by degree level (first and second majors)

AssociateBachelor'sMaster'sDoctoral

From 2002 to 2025, graduates grew 551% and the international share went from 8.9% to 4.8%.

International share (%)
Graduates by group, 2025
White
35.2%
Asian
13.7%
Hispanic
17.8%
Black
17.6%
Other
11.0%
Intl.
4.8%

Colleges that award this degree

In 2025, 472 schools awarded this degree as a first major. The table lists those in the 2027 U.S. News National or Liberal Arts rankings, plus the unranked schools with the most graduates.

RankSchoolStateGraduatesInternational
#3 Harvard University Massachusetts 343 116
#4 Yale University Connecticut 143 91
#5 Stanford University California 7 2
#9 Northwestern University Illinois 63 4
#9 Johns Hopkins University Maryland 201 14
#12 Dartmouth College New Hampshire 74 8
#12 Columbia University in the City of New York New York 299 42
#16 Washington University in St Louis Missouri 7 2
#20 University of California-Berkeley California 309 21
#26 University of Virginia-Main Campus Virginia 49 0
#27 University of Southern California California 241 7
#27 University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill North Carolina 431 18
#29 University of California-San Diego California 54 1
#31 Boston College Massachusetts 12 0
#31 New York University New York 49 1
#34 University of California-Davis California 28 0
#34 University of California-Irvine California 25 1
#34 University of Florida Florida 180 4
#34 University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Illinois 14 1
#34 Boston University Massachusetts 24 3
#34 The University of Texas at Austin Texas 221 1
#34 University of Wisconsin-Madison Wisconsin 50 1
#42 Northeastern University Massachusetts 95 3
#44 Rutgers University-New Brunswick New Jersey 452 39
#44 Case Western Reserve University Ohio 27 1
#44 Ohio State University-Main Campus Ohio 120 6
#49 University of Maryland-College Park Maryland 113 2
#49 University of Rochester New York 20 2
#49 University of Washington-Seattle Campus Washington 361 8
#52 University of Georgia Georgia 95 5
#52 Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University Virginia 155 4
#55 Santa Clara University California 60 1
#55 University of Miami Florida 34 0
#55 The Pennsylvania State University Pennsylvania 28 1
#55 Purdue University-Main Campus Indiana 124 11
#59 George Washington University D.C. 29 1
#59 Florida State University Florida 332 5
#59 Tulane University of Louisiana Louisiana 24 0
#59 University of Massachusetts-Amherst Massachusetts 243 4
#59 University of Minnesota-Twin Cities Minnesota 55 1
#59 Stony Brook University New York 28 1
#59 Texas A & M University-College Station Texas 257 2
#69 Michigan State University Michigan 63 1
#69 University of California-Merced California 111 2
#72 Syracuse University New York 69 6
#73 University of Connecticut Connecticut 45 0
#73 Howard University D.C. 5 0
#73 Binghamton University New York 8 2
#80 Drexel University Pennsylvania 35 3
#80 Clemson University South Carolina 1 0
#85 University of Delaware Delaware 2 1
#85 University at Buffalo New York 206 7
#90 Baylor University Texas 34 1
#95 American University D.C. 56 0
#95 University of Illinois at Chicago Illinois 210 16
#95 University of Missouri-Columbia Missouri 78 2
#100 Auburn University Alabama 1 0
#100 Florida International University Florida 76 8
#100 University of South Florida-Main Campus Florida 329 30
#100 University of Iowa Iowa 83 2
#100 Saint Louis University Missouri 71 7
#100 Creighton University Nebraska 6 0
#109 Fairfield University Connecticut 14 0
#109 University of New Hampshire-Main Campus New Hampshire 6 0
#109 The University of Tennessee-Knoxville Tennessee 79 3
#116 University of San Francisco California 40 3
#116 University of Oklahoma-Norman Campus Oklahoma 66 2
#116 Brigham Young University-Provo Utah 94 6
#121 Arizona State University-Tempe Arizona 14 0
#121 University of Arizona Arizona 289 15
#121 Loyola University Chicago Illinois 54 0
#121 SUNY at Albany New York 164 15
#121 University of South Carolina-Columbia South Carolina 530 5
#121 The University of Texas at Dallas Texas 2 0
#121 George Mason University Virginia 53 5
#133 Miami University-Oxford Ohio 57 1
#133 Thomas Jefferson University Pennsylvania 33 3
#133 University of Vermont Vermont 58 0
#137 University of Alabama at Birmingham Alabama 303 38
#137 California State University--Long Beach California 35 2
#137 San Diego State University California 277 3
#137 San Jose State University California 199 3
#137 St John's University (NY) New York 1 0
#148 California State University-Los Angeles California 168 2
#148 Mercer University Georgia 63 2
#148 University of Kansas Kansas 18 0
#148 University of Kentucky Kentucky 103 0
#148 University of Massachusetts-Lowell Massachusetts 65 3
#156 The University of Alabama Alabama 214 0
#156 California State University-Fullerton California 333 1
#156 Florida A&M University Florida 25 0
#156 Kansas State University Kansas 19 2
#156 University of St Thomas (MN) Minnesota 11 3
#156 Montclair State University New Jersey 98 0
#156 Oregon State University Oregon 157 10
#156 Duquesne University Pennsylvania 4 0
#156 Virginia Commonwealth University Virginia 15 2
#169 DePaul University Illinois 17 1
#169 Butler University Indiana 5 0
#169 Simmons University Massachusetts 14 0
#169 University of North Carolina at Charlotte North Carolina 105 8
#179 University of Louisville Kentucky 89 2
#179 University of Mississippi Mississippi 18 2
#179 University of Cincinnati-Main Campus Ohio 72 4
#179 University of Utah Utah 30 2
#186 University of Hawaii at Manoa Hawaii 102 5
#186 Wayne State University Michigan 263 5
#191 Samford University Alabama 30 0
#191 University of Arkansas Arkansas 156 1
#191 Georgia State University Georgia 232 18
#191 Adelphi University New York 9 4
#191 Hofstra University New York 11 3
#191 Oklahoma State University-Main Campus Oklahoma 33 6
#202 East Carolina University North Carolina 47 0
#202 Ohio University-Main Campus Ohio 24 2
#208 California State University--Fresno California 16 0
#208 California State University-Sacramento California 121 3
#208 Ohio Northern University Ohio 2 0
#208 Willamette University Oregon 14 0
#208 Belmont University Tennessee 13 1
#208 University of North Texas Texas 103 3
#219 Illinois State University Illinois 9 0
#219 Indiana University-Purdue University-Indianapolis Indiana 106 0
#219 University of Nevada-Reno Nevada 288 5
#219 New York Institute of Technology New York 2 0
#219 University of North Carolina--Wilmington North Carolina 95 0
#219 Gannon University Pennsylvania 1 0
#227 San Francisco State University California 149 1
#227 Russell Sage College New York 8 0
#227 University of North Dakota North Dakota 9 1
#227 West Chester University of Pennsylvania Pennsylvania 66 5
#227 University of Texas-San Antonio Texas 188 2
#227 West Virginia University West Virginia 51 4
#236 University of Colorado Denver Colorado 185 6
#236 University of North Florida Florida 25 4
#236 University of Nevada--Las Vegas Nevada 28 1
#236 University of New Mexico-Main Campus New Mexico 10 0
#236 North Dakota State University-Main Campus North Dakota 3 0
#236 Kent State University at Kent Ohio 207 11
#236 Pacific University Oregon 13 0
#236 Portland State University Oregon 1 0
#236 Slippery Rock University of Pennsylvania Pennsylvania 49 0
#236 University of Texas-Arlington Texas 212 5
#250 Nova Southeastern University Florida 118 5
#250 University of Missouri--Kansas City Missouri 2 0
#250 La Salle University Pennsylvania 16 0
#250 South Dakota State University South Dakota 3 0
#262 University of New England Maine 67 0
#262 Andrews University Michigan 5 1
#262 Central Michigan University Michigan 30 7
#262 University of Texas--El Paso Texas 33 2
#276 Northern Arizona University Arizona 170 1
#276 Marian University (IN) Indiana 3 0
#276 Western Michigan University Michigan 18 1
#276 Bowling Green State University-Main Campus Ohio 19 0
#288 University of Indianapolis Indiana 10 0
#288 Arcadia University Pennsylvania 25 0
#288 University of Memphis Tennessee 11 0
#288 Texas State University Texas 39 0
#288 Utah State University Utah 56 1
#288 Shenandoah University Virginia 9 0
#288 University of Wisconsin--Milwaukee Wisconsin 57 4
#299 Azusa Pacific University California 14 0
#299 Southern Connecticut State University Connecticut 14 0
#299 Boise State University Idaho 58 2
#299 Saint Mary's University of Minnesota Minnesota 7 0
#299 University of Nebraska--Omaha Nebraska 18 0
#299 University of Toledo Ohio 3 1
#299 Concordia University Wisconsin Wisconsin 3 0
#308 Northern Illinois University Illinois 23 6
#308 Oakland University Michigan 16 3
#308 University of Southern Mississippi Mississippi 57 0
#308 University of the Incarnate Word Texas 5 0
#317 Xavier University of Louisiana Louisiana 81 1
#317 Morgan State University Maryland 26 7
#317 Ferris State University Michigan 5 0
#317 Indiana University of Pennsylvania-Main Campus Pennsylvania 9 0
#317 Prairie View A&M University Texas 2 0
#317 Marshall University West Virginia 5 0
#317 Augusta University Georgia 34 0
#328 Georgia Southern University Georgia 154 16
#328 East Tennessee State University Tennessee 92 18
#328 Old Dominion University Virginia 35 0
#328 University of North Texas at Dallas Texas 21 0
#332 Texas Woman's University Texas 6 3
#332 University of Lynchburg Virginia 15 0
#342 Concordia University -- Irvine California 9 0
#342 Campbell University North Carolina 22 0
#342 Cleveland State University Ohio 2 0
#342 University of Texas--Tyler Texas 7 0
#353 Arkansas State University Arkansas 3 0
#353 University of Michigan--Flint Michigan 21 6
#353 Plymouth State University New Hampshire 9 0
#353 Youngstown State University Ohio 25 0
#365 Jackson State University Mississippi 18 4
#365 The University of Montana Montana 24 0
#365 Liberty University Virginia 159 17
#365 Eastern Washington University Washington 174 4
#376 University of Bridgeport Connecticut 60 0
#376 Barry University Florida 1 0
#376 Tennessee State University Tennessee 24 1
#382 University of Alaska Fairbanks Alaska 1 0
#382 Grand Canyon University Arizona 160 1
#382 National University California 124 0
#382 Columbus State University Georgia 2 0
#382 Idaho State University Idaho 6 2
#382 Chicago State University Illinois 4 2
#382 University of Southern Maine Maine 26 0
#382 Wright State University-Main Campus Ohio 41 4
#382 Northeastern State University Oklahoma 1 0
#382 Angelo State University Texas 4 0
#382 East Texas A&M University Texas 36 3
#382 Lamar University Texas 67 0
#382 Tarleton State University Texas 4 0
#382 Universidad Ana G. Mendez-Gurabo Campus Puerto Rico 13 0
#382 Chamberlain University-Illinois Illinois 133 0
LAC #16 Carleton College Minnesota 1 0
LAC #34 Franklin and Marshall College Pennsylvania 18 1
LAC #49 St. Lawrence University New York 1 0
LAC #62 Agnes Scott College Georgia 13 0
LAC #62 Muhlenberg College Pennsylvania 12 1
LAC #72 Saint Anselm College New Hampshire 8 0
LAC #74 Rollins College Florida 7 2
LAC #81 Wheaton College (MA) Massachusetts 2 0
LAC #91 Augustana College Illinois 12 4
LAC #91 Juniata College Pennsylvania 1 0
LAC #97 Austin College Texas 10 0
LAC #100 University of Puget Sound Washington 5 0
LAC #116 Ohio Wesleyan University Ohio 2 0
LAC #116 Saint Michael's College Vermont 8 0
LAC #116 Roanoke College Virginia 6 0
LAC #119 Meredith College North Carolina 9 1
LAC #125 Goucher College Maryland 1 0
LAC #146 Gordon College Massachusetts 1 0
LAC #150 Dillard University Louisiana 11 0
LAC #154 SUNY Old Westbury New York 45 1
LAC #154 University of North Carolina Asheville North Carolina 13 1
LAC #160 Salem College North Carolina 3 0
LAC #160 Albright College Pennsylvania 1 0
LAC #172 Guilford College North Carolina 2 0
LAC #184 Fort Lewis College Colorado 17 0
LAC #184 Utah Tech University Utah 11 0
— University of the People California 751 0
— Southern New Hampshire University New Hampshire 403 0
— California State University-Northridge California 297 4
— CUNY Graduate School and University Center New York 238 23
— Walden University Minnesota 219 3
— American Public University System West Virginia 180 5
— Benedictine University Illinois 141 0
— SUNY Downstate Health Sciences University New York 136 9
— Capella University Minnesota 136 0
— Western Governors University Utah 110 0
— The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston Texas 105 1
— Towson University Maryland 95 0
— A T Still University of Health Sciences Missouri 93 1
— University of Nebraska Medical Center Nebraska 89 14
— Purdue University Global Indiana 89 0
— California State University-Chico California 84 1
— California State University--San Bernardino California 80 5
— California State University--East Bay California 79 2
— American InterContinental University System Arizona 75 0
— Columbia Southern University Alabama 68 0
— University of West Florida Florida 66 2
— Appalachian State University North Carolina 66 0
— Utah Valley University Utah 63 0
— The College of New Jersey New Jersey 61 0
— Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center-New Orleans Louisiana 59 2
— Touro University California California 59 0
— California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo California 55 0
— Worcester State University Massachusetts 54 0
— California State University-San Marcos California 53 2
— Sam Houston State University Texas 52 3

Purple: international students are 25% or more of the school's graduates.

Related jobs and pay

OccupationUS employmentMean hourly wageMean annual wage
Medical and Health Services Managers 597,080 $67.77 $140,970
Health Specialties Teachers, Postsecondary 221,270 — $147,570
Health Education Specialists 65,690 $35.23 $73,280
Community Health Workers 61,660 $27.01 $56,180

Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025.

Graduate counts: IPEDS Completions, US Department of Education, 2002–2025. Rankings: 2027 U.S. News.