Public Health discipline is the field of study that promotes and protects the health and well-being of communities. As physicians treat ailments and injuries, public health professionals ensure that such health issues do not happen to the public. The discipline also focuses on extensive research to prevent diseases and to improve everyone’s quality of life.
Public health professionals are integral parts of society. Our modern way of existence is possible through the efforts of these health and safety professionals. To carry on these efforts to make the world better, various universities have excelled in creating better health professionals and researching more into the public health discipline. Here, we discuss some of the best public health schools in the world.
Top Public Health Schools in the World
1. Harvard University
Harvard University established itself in 1636. Harvard received its official charter years later, in 1650. As proof of its high regard for excellence, many political leaders and research field giants rose from its halls.
The Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health is one of the best public health schools. It established itself in 1913 as the Harvard-MIT School of Health Officers. The school was the first professional public health training program in America. It was a partnership with the allied public health subjects of MIT until 1922.
Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health made many groundbreaking contributions to the discipline. It spearheaded studies about diseases, environmental public health dangers, and health policies. The school put Stanford University in the running for various awards and honors from around the world.
2. Johns Hopkins University
The Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health started in 1916 as the first independent degree-granting public health school worldwide. Its history shows many contributions to advancing public health as a field of study.
The Johns Hopkins philosophy is of academic excellence, pioneering research, and the translation of knowledge into practice. The Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health consistently provided population-level solutions to urgent global public health problems.
Johns Hopkins created various departments that cater to every possible aspect of international public health. The level of excellence exuded by its graduates and researchers ensured that the university remained at the highest groups of global university rankings.
3. London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine
The London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine was established in 1899. It is an excellent public health institution and currently has two campuses in Bloomsbury, UK, with two other sites in Gambia and Uganda. LSHTM is primarily known for its excellence in the research and post-graduate studies of global public health.
LSHTM focuses on research-led education to train future leaders of public health and health-centered policymakers. Despite lacking an undergraduate course in public health, the university still managed to elevate itself above others.
Its graduate and post-graduate programs remain some of the strongest worldwide. The efforts of its alumni and researchers gifted humanity with lasting contributions to the field of public health.
4. University of Washington
The University of Washington started in 1861 and is still the oldest public university on the West Coast. The university focuses on breaking through challenges in the pursuit of global progress and societal betterment.
The School of Public Health officially established itself in 1970, years after its first departments and components started post-World War 2. These departments raised the entire School of Public Health to the premier learning and research institution known today.
The efforts of its graduates and researchers gave significant contributions that put the university in the receivership of awards and at the top of global public health university rankings.
5. University College London
The University College London started in 1826 in London. UCL is one of the premier multidisciplinary universities in the country. The university prides itself in its progressive approach to teaching its students in the pursuit of excellence.
Being one of the best public health schools in the world, UCL Institute of Epidemiology and Health Care focuses on addressing health challenges in the 21st Century. Using various disciplines, the institute aims to understand all possible health issues while researching possible solutions.
The institute was successful in international public health endeavors due to its effective partnerships with government and non-government organizations. The unrelenting work of their research centers placed the University College London on top of global rankings for public health study excellence.
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6. Imperial College London
The Imperial College London dates its history back to 1845 when English Prince Albert created The Royal College of Science. The royal college merged with various hospitals and teaching institutions. This series of mergers continued until the Imperial College London, as known today, became a separate, independent university by 2006.
The goal of the ICL School of Public Health is to strengthen the public health field while positively affecting global policies. To do so, this top public health school consistently demanded excellence in its graduates and researchers while providing full training support.
The quality of research from the school has influenced policies regarding global public health. The range of awards and honors received by the university shows the efficacy of such methods. The Imperial College London remains one of the best public health universities globally.
7. Karolinska Institutet
Karolinska Institutet or Karolinska Institute is one of the leading medical universities in the world. The KI was started by Karl XIII of Sweden in 1810 as the first Swedish medical school and the only purely medical educational institution today.
The Karolinska Institutet Department of Global Public Health is among the top public health schools because it focuses on finding solutions to public health challenges in local, national, and international settings. It utilizes a multidisciplinary research approach to improve the field.
The Department of Global Public Health, due to its exclusive focus on the discipline, successfully made groundbreaking contributions to public health science. The research results become real-world policy suggestions for world leaders. Rightfully, Karolinska Institutet remains one of the premier universities in the top ranks of public health universities.
8. University of Oxford
The University of Oxford has a robust medical sciences program, and within it is the Nuffield Department of Population Health, which handles public health courses taught at the postgraduate level.
This department is strengthened by the presence of globally recognized units for research, each of which is responsible for research in their specialized fields, resulting in groundbreaking discoveries that help with the medical problems we encounter every day as a people. Not only is the university’s department for studying under but they are headed towards the betterment of human society as a whole. Thus, it is one of the leading Public Health schools in the world.
9. University of Michigan
The University of Michigan houses the School of Public Health, which oversees several graduate degrees, as well as some dual degree and undergraduate programs, spread across eight study areas. If there are a few universities that have a rich public health program, the University of Michigan is definitely one of them.
Another noteworthy detail about the SPH is that they offer the flexibility of taking a master’s degree online for two of their courses, as well as the option of accelerating certain programs in partnership with certain institutions. On top of everything, they also have certificate programs that encourage their students to further their knowledge in their respective fields, as well as partnerships with other schools in the university for their dual degree and health informatics programs.
10. Columbia University
Founded in 1922, Columbia University’s School of Public Health, best known as the Mailman School, has been a leader in its field. Research done in the school is motivated by the urgent need of humanity to improve the health of the general population.
The school is top-ranked both in the city of New York and the entire country and is funded very well due to this status and performance. The school also has six separate departments, each focusing on a more specialized field. The institution aims to produce graduates who are ready to change the world for the better and is doing very well in that area, with more than 15,000 graduates doing their part all over the world.
11. University of North Carolina
- Study Program
- Location: USA | Degree/s Offered: Bachelor’s, Master’s, Ph.D.
From the beginning of a student’s college life to the highest and most prestigious status they could get, the University of North Carolina’s Gillings School of Global Public Health is there to give quality education. For that, the school made it to the list of leading Public Health schools in the world.
On top of undergraduate, master, and doctoral levels of studies, the school also has a few more tricks up its sleeve. Students can take up dual degrees, which may be internal or could be taken with other departments in the university. There is also the alternative method of getting a graduate certificate, which has the option of being taken online. One way or another, this university is an ideal option for those in the field of public health.
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12. University of Toronto
With more than 800 students, the Dalla Lana School of Public Health of the University of Toronto envisions a healthier world and is not shy to make its moves towards the goal.
The school is among the top public health schools in the world, and this is one of the main reasons why the university as a whole is at the top of the Canadian university rankings. They have been known to produce remarkable graduates who contribute to groundbreaking research, in turn securing more external funding. This would mean that the school is in an upward spiral, and studying in it is almost guaranteed to help you grow.
13. University of Cambridge
The approach of the University of Cambridge’s public health school is based on relevance. They find the best methods to teach their students based on what the world is facing today, with social justice being another driving force for the curriculum. Considering that, the university has one of the best Public Health programs in the world.
Should a student wish to pursue a master’s degree in the school, several modules are offered to fit the student’s interests. The post-graduate studies also involve other schools to broaden the student’s learning, all while incorporating other aspects of life to the main focus of the degree, which is better public health for all.
14. Utrecht University
Despite not having several courses on public health, Utrecht University’s Epidemiology program is still a standout among similar programs from different schools and universities. They offer this post-graduate course to enhance a student’s understanding so that diseases will be easier to control in the future.
Since Epidemiology is the science behind public health, the university saw it fit to add a master’s program that teaches its principles. This course focuses on teaching strategies and techniques in disease control, which is based on historical accounts, statistics, as well as geographical patterns, and other factors. This level of teaching is best learned from a top university, and Utrecht University provides it.
15. Yale University
Whenever talking about top universities, it is impossible to leave Yale University out of the conversation. This extends to the Yale School of Public Health, which offers one of the best, if not the best, post-graduate studies on public health.
Being among the best law universities in the world, the School of Public Health takes justice very seriously. They are guided by the principle of making health available for all. Inclusion of all people in public health is a must, and their work reflects these values. Yale serves as the leader by educating the future and pushing for better health for all those who need it.
16. University of British Columbia
Inside the University
