UH Mānoa Public Health Program Earns Spot on National Rankings

The graduate program in Public Health at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa has earned a spot for the first time in the annual rankings published by U.S. News and World Report. 

The ranking includes not only public health schools but also public health programs, which are smaller than schools. Among accredited programs, the UHM graduate program is ranked No. 36 out of 65.

There are 35 schools and programs in the U.S. that are designated by the U.S. Department of Education as providing service to Asian Americans, Native Americans, Pacific Islanders, Alaska Natives,or Native Hawaiians, and of these, the UHM program is ranked No. 5. 

"We are happy to see our program listed in this ranking," said Kathryn Braun, DrPH, who is the director of the Office of Public Health Studies and is also the chair of the PhD in Public Health graduate program. "This confirms for us that our students are receiving a solid education in public health and that our program is recognized by national leaders in public health education."

In previous years, the U.S. News and World Report rankings included only schools, meaning that all public health programs that are housed within larger schools or departments at their universities were not included. The UHM public health program is housed within the Myron B. Thompson School of Social Work.

Among all ranked public health schools and programs in the U.S., the UHM program is No. 89 among 177. 

Not all public health programs in the U.S. are listed in the rankings. To be ranked, schools and programs needed to be accredited by the Council on Education for Public Health (CEPH). In addition, rankings are only published for schools and programs that earn a score of at least 2.0 out of 5 on average in a nationwide survey of school administrators. The UHM program is the only public health program in Hawaiʻi that was ranked. 

Graduate students in public health at UHM have many options. They can earn a Master of Public Health (MPH) degree, a Master of Science (MS) in Public Health, or a PhD in either epidemiology or public health. In addition, the program also offers an undergraduate (BA) degree in public health. 

Graduates of the program have gone on to work in research, medicine, education, and public policy. They may work at the Hawaiʻi State Department of Health or at the national level. 

"We look forward to continuing to serve the communities of Hawaiʻi by educating the future public health leaders in our state," Braun said.

This is a news item. It was posted and last updated .