Fortune Education ranks Oregon State University’s online Master of Public Health program 5th Nationally in 2025, it is ahead of leading candidates such as Columbia University and Johns Hopkins University. Trustees say OSU’s program, which began in 2018, embodies the university’s land-grant mission to serve communities across Oregon.
“We’re very excited. The faculty have worked very hard and the program has grown tremendously,” said Jill Hochsmeyer, director of the online MPH program within the OSU College of Health. “It’s nice to be recognized.”
Hochsmeyer said the online program is a master’s in public health practice and was designed to prepare students for applied work in a wide range of fields under the umbrella of public health. Its faculty includes lecturers in epidemiology, health behavior and health promotion, biostatistics, environmental and occupational health, global health and health systems and policy.
In the on-campus master’s of public health program, students choose one specialty, but the online program is more blended, Hochsmeyer said.
Students who graduate with a master’s degree in public health can work in a variety of fields, including city, county, and state health departments and nongovernmental organizations. This online program provides flexibility for students who currently have full-time jobs, including OSU Extension students, so they can fit coursework into their schedules.
“We have students who have worked in public health but want to move on to a different skill set or to a higher level within their organization. We have students who are in health care in the workforce, and they recognize the benefits of having a public health perspective in their work,” Hochsmeyer said.
She said it’s more important than ever to train students who are passionate about public health.
“There are so many opportunities, especially in our country, where we’re seeing some challenges around worsening inequalities and support for public health at the federal level,” she said. “We absolutely need skilled people to do this job.”
This year, 31 students enrolled in the online program.
“As a land-grant university, being able to reach communities across the state was extremely important and unique for the Master of Public Health program. Having an online MPH especially helps people who are unwilling or unable to relocate. “Corvallis,” said Jonathan Garcia, director of the on-campus MPH program and associate professor of global health.
OSU’s connection with Extension also provides internship and job opportunities for MPH students and graduates, he said. Tonya Johnson, the program’s internship coordinator, brings the experience and connections she gained from her previous work at Extension to help students get involved in communities across the state.
Overall, while Fortune uses an algorithm to determine program scores, OSU directors attribute their rankings to Ecampus’ years of online education expertise and how online programs reach students around the world. We believe this is due to the flexibility we offer and the program’s intentional focus on practical public health applications.
Garcia said OSU faculty members have research interests in areas such as gender-affirming care, researching ways to support cancer survivors in Latinx communities, and addressing clean water and sanitation in rural communities. He said students are also flocking to Oregon.
“Oregon as a state has something special in terms of its focus on health equity, and it draws people from other states,” he says. “The fact that with an online degree you can access that group of faculty while living in an available environment also makes it special.”
