Public Health Schools and MPH Programs in Ohio

Ohio’s residents live in rural areas, suburbs and large cities. Public health professionals across the state take into account the diversity of populations, living conditions of residents and a variety of other factors while developing and carrying out programs.

Unlike many states with only one or two accredited public health programs, Ohio has seven accredited master’s-level programs that prepare individuals for a career in public health. Students who plan to earn an MPH in Ohio may choose from multiple programs, most of which offer a range of specialized concentrations. 

Above is a list of MPH programs and public health schools in Ohio accredited by the Council on Education for Public Health (CEPH).

Public Health Schools and Highlights in Ohio

With six universities and a consortium of five others offering MPH programs in Ohio, students may choose from a large selection of programs and concentrations, including one in veterinary public health. Most of these programs use a traditional on-campus format.

Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine

10900 Euclid Avenue, Cleveland, OH 444106

The School of Medicine at Case Western Reserve University has been a pioneer since it began offering classes in 1843. In addition to training physicians, the School of Medicine has programs in biomedical engineering, clinical research, genetic counseling, nutrition, epidemiology, biostatistics and molecular medicine. Case Western’s MPH program, offered through the Department of Population and Quantitative Health Sciences, was founded in 1999. 

Email: medweb@case.edu

Consortium of Eastern Ohio

4209 State Route 44, PO Box 95, Rootstown, OH 44272-0095 

The Consortium of Eastern Ohio is a partnership between five different Ohio Universities: The University of Akron, Cleveland State University, Northeast Ohio Medical University, Ohio University and Youngstown State University. The programs’ faculty members come from all of the partner organizations. It has been accredited by CEPH since 2003. Community outreach programs include workforce development speakers and social media toolkits with public health topics for every week of the year. 

Email: pubhlth@neomed.edu   

Kent State University College of Public Health

800 East Summit Street, Kent, OH 44242 

The Kent State College of Public Health received CEPH accreditation in 2015. It was created, in part, to address a nationwide shortage of public health workers. The college encourages MPH students to study abroad, and those who take the global health concentration are required to spend time in another country. The university maintains residence halls in Florence, Italy, and Geneva, Switzerland, where students may have the chance to intern with the World Health Organization or another NGO. In addition to the MPH, Kent State offers a Bachelor of Science in Public Health and doctoral degrees in epidemiology, prevention science, and health policy and management.

Email: publichealth@kent.edu 

The University of Toledo College of Health and Human Services

2801 West Bancroft Street, Toledo, OH 43606

The University of Toledo has taken over the MPH program it previously helped manage as part of the Northwest Ohio Consortium for Public Health and is running it independently. This program had been offered by the consortium since 1997. The University of Toledo is part of the Association for Schools & Programs of Public Health (ASPPH), representing schools and programs accredited by CEPH. The College of Health and Human Services is also home to programs related to athletic training, exercise science, respiratory care, occupational therapy, speech and language pathology, counselor education and social justice. 

Email: publichealth@utoledo.edu 

The Ohio State University College of Public Health

250 Cunz Hall, 1841 Neil Avenue, Columbus, OH 43210 

The Ohio State University (OSU) College of Public Health was the first college of public health in the state to receive accreditation. OSU awarded its first MPH in 1992, and the School of Public Health was founded soon after in 1995. It became the College of Public Health in 2007 and offers 26 degree programs, including a Bachelor of Science in Public Health. It’s also home to the Center for Public Health Practice, which is dedicated to workforce and professional development of the people and agencies protecting and promoting the health of U.S. citizens, and the Center for Health Outcomes and Policy Evaluation Studies (HOPES), whose mission is to support health equity and social justice through policy research and evaluation. 

Email: cph@osu.edu

University of Cincinnati College of Medicine

CARE/Crawley Building, Suite E-870 3230 Eden Avenue, Cincinnati, OH 45267

The University of Cincinnati has the oldest medical college west of the Allegheny Mountains, founded in 1819, making it the second oldest medical college in the nation. The UC College of Medicine is known for Dr. Albert Sabin’s development of the live polio vaccine in the late 1960s. The college has more than 20 departments, with the MPH program housed in the Environmental & Public Health Sciences department.

Email: riallad@ucmail.uc.edu (program manager)

Wright State University Boonshoft School of Medicine

3171 Research Boulevard, Suite 234, Kettering, OH 45420

The Boonshoft School of Medicine admitted its first class in 1976, about a decade after Wright State became an independent university. Boonshoft was the first medical school in the nation to implement Team-Based Learning(™) and created one of the first academic emergency medicine departments. The MPH program, housed in the Department of Population and Public Health Sciences, was the first program of its kind in the region. The department has two research centers, one focused on addiction and the other on substance abuse and disability issues. 

Email: lori.metivier@wright.edu 

Online MPH Programs in Ohio

Due to the number of Master of Public Health programs in Ohio, students who want to earn an online MPH degree in the state have several options. The Consortium of Eastern Ohio uses an online format for its generalist MPH, including core and generalist track classes. Students take electives at a partner university.

The Ohio State University has an all-online MPH concentration that focuses on population health leadership and management, with the goal of developing leaders in community and public health. The program is open to early- and mid-career professionals with experience in public or population health. 

Kent State University makes three of its MPH concentrations available online.

Public Health Careers Outlook in Ohio

Salaries for public health specialties may vary widely by location in Ohio.

Medical and health services manager salaries are under the national median of $100,980 in most parts of the state but slightly exceed that amount in Cleveland-Elyria, where the median is $101,390. On the other hand, medical managers in Springfield, Ohio, earn a median salary of $72,940. This table compares the average annual salary and projected job growth for public health careers with the data provided by O*NET OnLine.

Job TitleMedian Salary in OH, 2020 (Yearly)Median Salary in U.S., 2020 (Yearly)Projected Job Growth in OH, 2018–2028Projected Job Growth in U.S., 2019–2029
Biostatisticians
$81,280
$92,270
27%
35%
Health Specialties Professors
n/a*
$99,090
17%
21%
Environmental Health Specialists
$78,360
$73,230
4%
8%
Epidemiologists
$72,420
$74,560
0%
5%
Medical and Health Services Managers/Healthcare Administrators
$94,350
$104,280
14%
32%
Health Educators
$50,070
$56,500
8%
11%
Occupational Health Specialists
$76,090
$76,340
5%
4%
Medical Records and Health Information Technicians
$62,280
$51,840
10%
8%
Dietitians and Nutritionists
$60,310
$63,090
7%
8%
Health Informatics Specialists 
$86,410
$93,730
6%
7%

*Estimate not released/provided by O*NET

Specializations to Consider in Ohio

In most categories, based on the table above, the median salaries for public health jobs in Ohio are below the national average. Some exceptions are environmental health specialists in Ohio, who earn more on average than the median salary for that job throughout the United States.

Projected job growth for public health jobs in Ohio is also lower than the national average for most public health careers based on the table above. The positions with the highest projected job growth in the Buckeye State include biostatisticians and healthcare administrators. Because the demand for those two job categories is high in Ohio, students entering an MPH program may consider a specialization in biostatistics or health services management. Several Ohio universities offer MPH concentrations in those subjects.

Organizations to Work for With a Public Health Degree

If you graduate with an MPH in Ohio, these resources may help you find a job.

State Health Information

Among the state’s population of more than 11 million, 6.7% of Ohio residents did not have any health insurance in 2019, according to the Kaiser Family Foundation (KFF) report on state health facts. That’s less than the national average of 9.2% uninsured in 2019.   

The KFF analysis of 2018 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System data indicated the following: Ohio residents report higher levels of pre-existing health conditions than the national average, with 29% of all non-elderly adults reporting such a condition, compared to the national average of 27%. In residents age 45–54, the gap is even larger: 33% of Ohioans report a pre-existing condition, compared to 29% of all Americans in that age group.

Ohio also has a higher infant mortality rate than the United States as a whole, with nearly 7 infant deaths per 1,000 births, compared to the U.S. rate of 5.7, as of 2018.

This page includes information from O*NET OnLine by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment & Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA.

Last updated June 2021