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An accel­er­at­ed Pub­lic Health Bach­e­lor’s degree pro­gram basi­cal­ly speeds up the edu­ca­tion process and allows you to earn your degree much faster. You spend less time in the class­room and more time devel­op­ing your career. The ulti­mate goal of enrolling in an Accel­er­at­ed Pub­lic Health Bach­e­lor’s degree pro­gram is to ensure you are able to move for­ward in your career at a faster pace. You will be able to take on more respon­si­bil­i­ty and accept new chal­lenges much soon­er than if you had enrolled in a tra­di­tion­al pub­lic health degree program.

An accel­er­at­ed Pub­lic Health Bach­e­lor’s degree pro­gram takes every­thing you would learn in a tra­di­tion­al degree pro­gram and con­dens­es it down into few­er lessons. This can take a 24-month degree pro­gram and reduce it to 18-months or a 36-month pro­gram down to a 24-month pro­gram. Con­dens­ing les­son plans makes it eas­i­er to learn since many sim­i­lar lessons are pre­sent­ed togeth­er. With an accel­er­at­ed degree pro­gram, you are able to focus on larg­er con­cepts at one time instead of hav­ing them bro­ken down into sev­er­al parts.

Methodology: Ranking the Best Accelerated Public Health Degree Programs

Bachelor’s Degree Cen­ter believes in high­er edu­ca­tion to make an impact on the lives of work­ing adults, and accred­it­ed accel­er­at­ed online pro­grams are a great tool to do it. The pro­gram rank­ing here is based on fac­tors includ­ing tuition cost, rep­u­ta­tion, and poten­tial salary, using data from IPEDS and Niche.

1. American Public University

Amer­i­can Pub­lic Uni­ver­si­ty has an accel­er­at­ed pub­lic health degree that stu­dents can com­plete online. The pro­gram cul­mi­nates in a BS in pub­lic health degree and stu­dents can trans­fer up to 82% of cred­its to this pro­gram. This bac­calau­re­ate degree is topped by expe­ri­enced fac­ul­ty mem­bers, includ­ing pub­lic health offi­cials and first respon­ders. Stu­dents inter­est­ed in com­mu­ni­ty edu­ca­tion, com­mu­ni­ty health, occu­pa­tion­al health and safe­ty, and nutri­tion may enjoy this program.

APUS is a small insti­tu­tion with 2,400 under­grad­u­ate stu­dents. This for-prof­it uni­ver­si­ty accepts all stu­dents who apply. There are many majors to choose from includ­ing home­land secu­ri­ty and dis­as­ter man­age­ment, and business.

What We Like: Amer­i­can Pub­lic Uni­ver­si­ty is ranked fourth among West Vir­gini­a’s best val­ue colleges.

Degree: BS in Pub­lic Health

Amer­i­can Pub­lic Uni­ver­si­ty BS in Pub­lic Health

2. University of Missouri

The accel­er­at­ed pub­lic health degree at the Uni­ver­si­ty of Michi­gan enables stu­dents to trans­fer up to 60 cred­its. Grad­u­ates receive a BS in pub­lic health degree, and this pro­gram helps stu­dents pur­sue career objec­tives in health care. Grad­u­ates can also enter the work­force for the first time in fields such as epi­demi­ol­o­gy, health edu­ca­tion and envi­ron­men­tal health. Learn­ers inter­est­ed in pro­tect­ing the rights of patience and becom­ing com­mu­ni­ty advo­cates may find this degree fulfilling.

As a well-ranked pub­lic uni­ver­si­ty, Miz­zou attracts a diverse stu­dent body. The school is locat­ed in Colum­bia, Mis­souri and has 21,000 under­grad­u­ate stu­dents. It accepts more than four out of five stu­dents who apply and grad­u­ates a respectable 71% of stu­dents. Majors include health ser­vice prepara­to­ry studies.

What We Like: The Uni­ver­si­ty of Mis­souri is the top pub­lic school in the state and ranks high­ly in areas such as val­ue and diversity.

Degree: BS Pub­lic Health

Uni­ver­si­ty of Michi­gan BS Pub­lic Health

3. National University

The accel­er­at­ed pub­lic health degree at Nation­al Uni­ver­si­ty is offered ful­ly online and designed to help stu­dents fin­ish their degree quick­ly. Grad­u­ates become entry-lev­el pub­lic health work­ers and pur­sue careers in gov­ern­ment agen­cies, com­mu­ni­ty-based pro­grams and edu­ca­tion­al orga­ni­za­tions. Upon grad­u­a­tion, stu­dents qual­i­fied to take the Cer­ti­fied Health Edu­ca­tion Spe­cial­ists (CHES) exam. Some stu­dents go on to pur­sue a master’s degree in pub­lic health or a relat­ed field.

Nation­al Uni­ver­si­ty is a well-respect­ed school based in San Diego, CA. It has just 2,900 under­grad­u­ate stu­dents and accepts most stu­dents who apply. Stu­dents can choose from a wide array of majors that suit their inter­ests and some of the most pop­u­lar majors are nurs­ing and lib­er­al arts and humanities.

What We Like: The school accepts 80% of those who apply and 82% of sur­veyed stu­dents report high class availability.

Degree: BS Pub­lic Health

Nation­al Uni­ver­si­ty BS Pub­lic Health

4. Allen College

Allen Col­lege offers an online accel­er­at­ed pub­lic health degree that results in a pub­lic health lead­er­ship bac­calau­re­ate degree. This pub­lic health pro­gram aims to pro­duce lead­ers who per­form well in health care set­tings. Stu­dents can go on to advanced stud­ies in occu­pa­tion­al ther­a­py, pub­lic health and health sci­ence. The online for­mat of the pro­gram gives stu­dents the flex­i­bil­i­ty to choose their learn­ing envi­ron­ment and timing.

Allen Col­lege is sit­u­at­ed in Water­loo, Iowa. This bou­tique pri­vate col­lege and rules just over 300 under­grad­u­ate stu­dents. Despite its small size, the school has a com­pet­i­tive admis­sions process and admits just half of those who apply. It offers ter­mi­nal degrees such as med­ical lab­o­ra­to­ry tech­ni­cian, nurs­ing and radi­o­log­ic tech­ni­cian. The school grad­u­ates an extra­or­di­nary 100% of students.

What We Like: Every stu­dent at Allen Col­lege receives some form of finan­cial assistance.

Degree: BS in Pub­lic Health Leadership

Allen Col­lege BS in Pub­lic Health Leadership

5. Excelsior College

Excel­sior Col­lege allows stu­dents to trans­fer 113 cred­its to its online accel­er­at­ed pub­lic health degree. This gen­er­ous trans­fer pol­i­cy gives stu­dents an oppor­tu­ni­ty to trans­fer late in their col­lege careers if they don’t like their cur­rent school. The ful­ly online nature of this bachelor’s in pub­lic health pro­vides extreme flex­i­bil­i­ty for stu­dents who work and have fam­i­ly oblig­a­tions. Stu­dents learn how to become suc­cess­ful employ­ees at hos­pi­tals, pub­lic health agen­cies, med­ical ser­vice agen­cies and long-term care facil­i­ties, among oth­er organizations.

Excel­sior has a gen­er­ous accep­tance rate of 100%. This means that every stu­dent who wants to try their hand at high­er edu­ca­tion has the oppor­tu­ni­ty to do so. Pop­u­lar majors include nurs­ing, lib­er­al arts and human­i­ties and business.

What We Like: Of those sur­vey, 82% of stu­dents are able to find class­es they need and want.

Degree: BS Pub­lic Health

Excel­sior Col­lege BS Pub­lic Health

6. University of West Florida

Stu­dents look­ing for a gen­er­ous trans­fer pol­i­cy can con­sid­er the Uni­ver­si­ty of West Flori­da’s accel­er­at­ed pub­lic health degree. The school accepts up to 90 trans­fer cred­its and its cur­ricu­lum Cov­ers the fun­da­men­tals of pub­lic health prac­tice and pol­i­cy. Stu­dents also learn about the his­to­ry of pub­lic health and receive a well-round­ed education.

The Uni­ver­si­ty of West Flori­da aims to pro­duce grad­u­ates who are able to obtain entry-lev­el jobs in their fields or advance in their cur­rent careers. Some stu­dents go on to pur­sue master’s‑level degrees in pub­lic health. UWF is ranked sec­ond on Best Col­leges’ list of health sci­ence programs.

What We Like: West Flori­da is among Florida’s top pub­lic schools. The online nature of the pro­gram allows stu­dents to pur­sue their careers while fin­ish­ing their edu­ca­tion. This is great news for stu­dents with fam­i­ly and finan­cial oblig­a­tions that pre­vent them from attend­ing on-cam­pus courses.

Degree: BS Health Sci­ences-Pub­lic Health

Uni­ver­si­ty of West Flori­da BS Health Sci­ences-Pub­lic Health

7. California Baptist University

Stu­dents can com­plete Cal­i­for­nia Bap­tist Uni­ver­si­ty’s online BS in Pub­lic Health in 16 months with this accel­er­at­ed pub­lic health degree. This bac­calau­re­ate degree in pub­lic health pre­pares stu­dents to begin their pub­lic health careers and focus­es on inno­v­a­tive and eth­i­cal lead­er­ship devel­op­ment. The cur­ricu­lum cov­ers a broad spec­trum of pub­lic health prac­tice top­ics includ­ing bio­sta­tis­tics, epi­demi­ol­o­gy, envi­ron­men­tal and occu­pa­tion­al health, behav­ioral sci­ence and relat­ed coursework.

Cal­i­for­nia Bap­tist Uni­ver­si­ty is a Chris­t­ian school with a cur­ricu­lum that reflects tra­di­tion­al val­ues. Stu­dents who want to attend a school with a Christ-based cur­ricu­lum may like this uni­ver­si­ty. The school aims to pro­duce grad­u­ates who take their Chris­t­ian val­ues into the work­place and serve others.

What We Like: Cal­i­for­nia Bap­tist Uni­ver­si­ty has a great rep­u­ta­tion and ranks #15 among the coun­tries best online schools.

Degree: BS Pub­lic Health

Cal­i­for­nia Bap­tist Uni­ver­si­ty BS in Pub­lic Health

8. Walden University

Walden Uni­ver­si­ty has an accel­er­at­ed pub­lic health degree that accepts up to 135 trans­fer cred­its. This gen­er­ous trans­fer cred­it pol­i­cy may attract stu­dents who want to fin­ish their degree but no longer wish to attend their cur­rent school. Grad­u­ates receive a BS in pub­lic health and emerge with the skills they need to help cre­ate a health­i­er world. This degree helps stu­dents devel­op the skills they need to suc­ceed in com­mu­ni­ty well­ness and health equi­ty careers. The cur­ricu­lum aligns with what hir­ing pro­fes­sion­als are look­ing for in health­care work­ers. Stu­dents who wish to take their CHES exam emerge from this pro­gram ready to do so.

Walden Uni­ver­si­ty offers ful­ly online pro­grams to 800 under­grad­u­ate stu­dents. It accepts every­one who applies, giv­ing many stu­dents an oppor­tu­ni­ty to pur­sue high­er edu­ca­tion, even if they did­n’t do well on stan­dard­ized tests. Majors include busi­ness, nurs­ing and psychology.

What We Like: Every stu­dent who comes to Walden Uni­ver­si­ty qual­i­fies for some kind of finan­cial aid. This may make the school more appeal­ing for stu­dents who rely on finan­cial aid to pay for their education.

Degree: BS Pub­lic Health

Walden Uni­ver­si­ty BS Pub­lic Health

9. Southern New Hampshire University

South­ern New Hamp­shire Uni­ver­si­ty has an accel­er­at­ed pub­lic health degree that accepts up to 90 trans­fer cred­its. This ful­ly online pro­gram cul­mi­nates in a bachelor’s of sci­ence in pub­lic health. Stu­dents learn to devel­op well­ness pro­grams for pub­lic agen­cies and study how to cre­ate pub­lic pol­i­cy for out­breaks of disease.

South­ern New Hamp­shire Uni­ver­si­ty has 3,000 stu­dents in its on-cam­pus pro­gram. How­ev­er, its online pro­gram has near­ly 80,000 online stu­dents. SNHU is one of the fastest-grow­ing schools in the coun­try and offers myr­i­ad agrees to its stu­dent body. This well-respect­ed school ranks high­ly on sev­er­al col­lege rank­ing scales.

What We Like: South­ern New Hamp­shire Uni­ver­si­ty ranks fifth among the state’s best col­leges. This rank­ing pro­vides stu­dents with clout and name recog­ni­tion when they apply for grad­u­ate schools or look for entry-lev­el jobs.

Degree: BS Pub­lic Health

South­ern New Hamp­shire Uni­ver­si­ty BS Pub­lic Health

10. Trident International University

Tri­dent Inter­na­tion­al Uni­ver­si­ty has an accel­er­at­ed pub­lic health degree that stu­dents can com­plete online. The school also has a gen­er­ous trans­fer pol­i­cy for stu­dents who have earned cred­its at anoth­er school. Stu­dents who attend this pro­gram devel­op foun­da­tion­al knowl­edge in health sci­ences. The degree cul­mi­nates in a bachelor’s of sci­ence in pub­lic health. Learn­ers who attend this pro­gram gain valu­able expe­ri­ence in pub­lic health pol­i­cy’s that impact pop­u­la­tions, com­mu­ni­ties and individuals.

Tri­dent Inter­na­tion­al Uni­ver­si­ty is a small school with just 1,500 under­grad­u­ate stu­dents. This for-prof­it uni­ver­si­ty allows stu­dents to com­plete their degrees 100% online. Less than half of stu­dents who apply receive an accep­tance let­ter from the school. Among many avail­able majors, stu­dents can study Health Ser­vice Prepara­to­ry Studies.

What We Like: Of stu­dents sur­veyed, 95% found it easy to get desired class­es and 90% of stu­dents say they have a man­age­able workload.

Degree: BS Pub­lic Health

Tri­dent Inter­na­tion­al Uni­ver­si­ty BS Pub­lic Health

What Are the Advantages of an Accelerated Public Health Bachelor’s?

An accel­er­at­ed Pub­lic Health Bach­e­lor’s degree pro­gram gives you an oppor­tu­ni­ty to begin to advance your career while you are still attend­ing class. By speed­ing up the learn­ing process, you are ready to take on more respon­si­bil­i­ties much soon­er. Accel­er­at­ed cours­es are made up of lessons that con­tain larg­er amounts of infor­ma­tion. Bulk amounts of infor­ma­tion means more skills and abil­i­ties are avail­able much soon­er allow­ing you to begin using them at work long before you grad­u­ate. The more you know at work, the more effi­cient you become. This increas­es your oppor­tu­ni­ty for advancement.

What Can I Do With a Bachelor’s in Public Health?

Earn­ing a Bach­e­lor’s in Pub­lic Health allows you to work with the pub­lic in a vari­ety of ways. You can work as an edu­ca­tor asso­ci­at­ed with your local health depart­ment. A Bach­e­lor’s in Pub­lic Health also allows you to work with­in the Emer­gency Man­age­ment Sys­tem as a pub­lic health advi­sor, EMT/Paramedic super­vi­sor, or as the head of a local health agency. There are many posi­tions avail­able at the local, coun­ty, and state lev­el that will allow you to advance your career. Pub­lic health work­ers that have a med­ical back­ground can often find work as instruc­tors for basic first aid and life sup­port skills.

A Bach­e­lor’s in Pub­lic Health can also be ben­e­fi­cial for indi­vid­u­als who deal with pub­lic health and safe­ty issues. Groups like OSHA, the Occu­pa­tion­al Safe­ty and Health Admin­is­tra­tion, and the CDC, Cen­ters for Dis­ease Con­trol, work togeth­er to main­tain safe work envi­ron­ments for employ­ees and guests. OSHA, for exam­ple, con­tin­u­al­ly inspects work areas to ensure they are free of any type of haz­ard that could result in an injury. The CDC works to ensure that health and safe­ty pro­to­cols are in place and mon­i­tored with­in all pub­lic areas.

Earn­ing a Bach­e­lor’s in Pub­lic Health is also a great idea for indi­vid­u­als who work as home health aides. Home health aides require a basic knowl­edge of patient care. Earn­ing a Bach­e­lor’s in Pub­lic Health is a great way to start a career in the health­care field. As they begin to earn expe­ri­ence, they may choose to move past pub­lic health and on to a nurs­ing degree. Already hav­ing a basic knowl­edge of nurs­ing and health­care gives them a foot in the door to future career moves.

What If I Don’t Need a Bachelor’s in Public Health?

There are times when you don’t need a Bach­e­lor’s in Pub­lic Health. Instead, you may only need a cer­tifi­cate to accom­plish your goals. Cer­ti­fi­ca­tions are not as exten­sive as a degree pro­gram, but they will pro­vide you with the most up-to-date infor­ma­tion pos­si­ble. If the stu­dent has been work­ing in their cho­sen field for many years, a cer­ti­fi­ca­tion will give them every­thing they need to sub­stan­ti­ate or val­i­date the expe­ri­ence they have earned over the years.

Cer­tifi­cates are also a good way to get your foot in the door if you want to move up the lad­der. A cer­ti­fi­ca­tion will give you addi­tion­al skills that you can rely on until you are ready to return to school to earn your Bach­e­lor’s in Pub­lic Health degree. If you are work­ing in a posi­tion where you are required to be licensed or cer­ti­fied, a Pub­lic Health Cer­ti­fi­ca­tion can be earned as a way of remain­ing in com­pli­ance with your state’s require­ments. Every license and cer­ti­fi­ca­tion requires a spe­cif­ic num­ber of con­tin­u­ing edu­ca­tion hours. This ensures that you always have the lat­est, most accu­rate infor­ma­tion possible.

Cer­ti­fi­ca­tions can also be used to broad­en your hori­zons, espe­cial­ly if you want to choose a spe­cial­iza­tion but are unsure of what direc­tion you want to go. If you have an Asso­ci­ate’s degree, your Cer­ti­fi­ca­tion in Pub­lic Health is a great way to learn more about the field and get the infor­ma­tion you need to make an informed decision.

Relat­ed Rankings: 

25 Best Bach­e­lor’s in Pub­lic Health

15 Best Online Bach­e­lor’s in Pub­lic Health

10 Most Afford­able Bach­e­lor’s in Pub­lic Health

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