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Best Public Health Schools in the Great Lakes Region

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2023 Best Public Health Schools in the Great Lakes Region

82 Colleges
$41,919 Avg Salary
$29,308 Avg Student Debt

Finding the Best Public Health School for You

In 2020-2021, 40,596 public health students received a degree or certificate, making the major the #4 most popular in the country.

There are so many healthcare programs in today's world that it can tough to figure out which one is the right one for you. With more and more schools offering online options, you could even register for a great program on the other side of the country. On top of that, there are a considerable number of trade schools that offer fast-track entry to many fields.

To help you arm yourself with the information you need to make your decision, Healthcare Degree Search has developed this Best Public Health Schools in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Our analysis looked at 82 schools in the Great Lakes Region to see which programs offered the best educational experiences for healthcare students.

View our full ranking methodology.

2023 Best Public Health Schools in the Great Lakes Region

The following schools top our list of the Best Public Health Colleges.

Top 15% Best Public Health Schools

#1

Northwestern University

Evanston, IL

Our analysis found Northwestern University to be the best school for public health students who want to pursue a degree in the Great Lakes Region . Located in the small city of Evanston, Northwestern is a private not-for-profit college with a fairly large student population.

After completing their degree, public health graduates from Northwestern carry an average student debtload of $14,000.

Read full report on Public Health at Northwestern University

#2

University of Chicago

Chicago, IL

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Chicago. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Best Public Health Schools in the Great Lakes Region list. UChicago is a fairly large private not-for-profit school located in the large city of Chicago.

Full Public Health at University of Chicago Report

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend Illinois State University. The school came in at #3 on this year’s Best Public Health Schools in the Great Lakes Region list. Illinois State is a fairly large public school located in the suburb of Normal.

The average amount in student loans that public health majors at Illinois State take out is $24,750.

Read More…

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend University of Wisconsin - La Crosse. The school came in at #4 on this year’s Best Public Health Schools in the Great Lakes Region list. UW - La Crosse is a large public school located in the city of La Crosse.

On average, public health graduates from UW - La Crosse take out $26,500 in student loans while working on their degree.

Read More…

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Case Western Reserve University. It ranked #5 on our 2023 Best Public Health Schools in the Great Lakes Region list. Case Western is a fairly large private not-for-profit school located in the city of Cleveland.

Full Public Health at Case Western Reserve University Report

University of Wisconsin - Madison came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Best Public Health Schools in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Located in the city of Madison, UW - Madison is a public school with a very large student population.

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With a ranking of #7, University of Wisconsin - Eau Claire did quite well on this year’s best schools for public health students. Located in the city of Eau Claire, UW - Eau Claire is a public college with a fairly large student population.

Read More…

Indiana University - Bloomington landed the #8 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best public health programs. IU Bloomington is a very large public school located in the small city of Bloomington.

While working on their degree, public health majors at IU Bloomington accumulate an average of around $21,500 in student debt. For students who choose a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly student loan payment is $205.

Full Public Health at Indiana University - Bloomington Report

With a ranking of #9, Ohio Northern University did quite well on this year’s best schools for public health students. Located in the fringe town of Ada, ONU is a private not-for-profit school with a small student population.

Full Public Health at Ohio Northern University Report

University of Michigan - Ann Arbor did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best schools for public health students. It came in at #10 on the list. Located in the city of Ann Arbor, U-M is a public school with a fairly large student population.

While working on their degree, public health majors at U-M accumulate an average of around $20,959 in student debt.

Full Public Health at University of Michigan - Ann Arbor Report

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign ranked #11 on this year’s Best Public Health Schools in the Great Lakes Region list. Located in the city of Champaign, UIUC is a public school with a fairly large student population.

After completing their degree, public health graduates from UIUC carry an average student debtload of $19,823. Assuming that a graduate chooses a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly loan payment is $333.

Full Public Health at University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Report

Ohio State University - Main Campus came in at #12 in this year’s edition of the Best Public Health Schools in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Located in the large city of Columbus, Ohio State is a public college with a fairly large student population.

Public Health majors at Ohio State take out an average of $19,500 in student loans while working on their egree.

Read More…

Additional Noteworthy Schools

These are some additional schools worth mentioning that are also great but just didn't quite make the cut to earn our top Best Public Health Schools in the Great Lakes Region award.

Rank College Location
13 Chamberlain University - Illinois Addison, IL
14 Carroll University Waukesha, WI
15 Baldwin Wallace University Berea, OH
16 Michigan State University East Lansing, MI

Best Public Health Colleges by State

Explore the best public health schools for a specific state in the Great Lakes region.

State Degrees Awarded
Illinois 1,675
Ohio 985
Michigan 992
Indiana 860
Wisconsin 297

One of 30 majors within the healthcare area of study, public health has other similar majors worth exploring.

Public Health Concentrations

Major Annual Graduates
General Public Health 22,778
Public Health Education and Promotion 4,563
Other Public Health 3,432
Health Services Administration 3,119
Community Health and Preventive Medicine 2,272
International Public Health/International Health 1,599
Environmental Health 1,344
Behavioral Aspects of Health 814
Health/Medical Physics 258
Occupational Health and Industrial Hygiene 211
Maternal and Child Health 163
Patient Safety and Healthcare Quality 43

Related Major Annual Graduates
Nursing 322,592
Health & Medical Administrative Services 89,359
Allied Health & Medical Assisting Services 84,492
Practical Nursing & Nursing Assistants 84,274
Allied Health Professions 82,308

Notes and References

*These averages are for the top 25 schools only.

  • Read more about our ranking methodology.
  • The Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), a branch of the U.S. Department of Education (DOE) serves as the core of the rest of our data about colleges.
  • Some other college data, including much of the graduate earnings data, comes from the U.S. Department of Education’s (College Scorecard).
  • Credit for the banner image above goes to Article 25 Flickr.

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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