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# Top Public Health Programs in California by Earnings (2026)

Updated September 30, 2026

Part of [Best Health Professions Colleges in California](/rankings/best-health-professions-colleges-in-california/)

This page ranks the 12 Public Health programs in California by median earnings of Public Health graduates four years after completing, highest first. [University of Southern California](/school/university-of-southern-california/majors/) leads the list at $89,522, followed by [California Baptist University](/school/california-baptist-university/majors/) at $77,329 and [University of California-Berkeley](/school/university-of-california-berkeley/majors/) at $76,572.

Across the list, the median is $63,432, with figures ranging from $89,522 to $35,594.

Public institutions account for 8 of the 12 programs, and private nonprofits for 4. University of California-San Diego ranks 1st on Azimuth's composite ranking among nonprofit four-year institutions, while California State University-Los Angeles posts the lowest average net price at $3,967.

## The ranked list

12 schools in list order

| Rank | School | Program Earnings | Average net price | Net price, families under $30K | Admission rate |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | University of Southern California · Los Angeles, CA | $89,522 | $32,740 | $13,516 | 9.8% |
|  | [University of Southern California](/school/university-of-southern-california/majors/) ranks 1st on this list, with [median earnings of $89,522](/school/university-of-southern-california/outcomes/) for its Public Health graduates four years after completing. |
| 2 | California Baptist University · Riverside, CA | $77,329 | $26,285 | $22,298 | 84.9% |
|  | [California Baptist University](/school/california-baptist-university/majors/) reports an [admission rate of 85%](/school/california-baptist-university/admissions/) and median earnings of $77,329 for its Public Health graduates four years after completing. |
| 3 | University of California-Berkeley · Berkeley, CA | $76,572 | $13,481 | $5,311 | 11.0% |
|  | Public Health completers at [University of California-Berkeley](/school/university-of-california-berkeley/majors/) who borrowed left with a [median of $11,708](/school/university-of-california-berkeley/outcomes/) in federal loans, alongside median earnings of $76,572 four years after completing. |
| 4 | Chapman University · Orange, CA | $72,529 | $46,555 | $33,559 | 65.4% |
|  | [Chapman University](/school/chapman-university/majors/), a private nonprofit university in Orange, posts an [average net price of $46,555](/school/chapman-university/cost/) and median earnings of $72,529 for its Public Health graduates four years after completing. |
| 5 | University of California-San Diego · La Jolla, CA | $66,110 | $12,470 | $7,525 | 26.7% |
|  | [University of California-San Diego](/school/university-of-california-san-diego/majors/) is 1st on Azimuth's composite ranking among nonprofit four-year institutions and reports [median earnings of $66,110](/school/university-of-california-san-diego/outcomes/) for its Public Health graduates four years after completing. |
| 6 | California State University-San Bernardino · San Bernardino, CA | $65,961 | $4,564 | $2,681 | 93.7% |
|  | With an [average net price of $4,564,](/school/california-state-university-san-bernardino/cost/) [California State University-San Bernardino](/school/california-state-university-san-bernardino/majors/) also reports median earnings of $65,961 for its Public Health graduates four years after completing. |
| 7 | San Diego State University · San Diego, CA | $60,904 | $15,364 | $9,910 | 36.2% |
|  | [San Diego State University](/school/san-diego-state-university/majors/) [admits 36% of applicants](/school/san-diego-state-university/admissions/) and shows median earnings of $60,904 for its Public Health graduates four years after completing. |
| 8 | University of California-Irvine · Irvine, CA | $60,430 | $14,251 | $8,123 | 28.6% |
|  | [University of California-Irvine](/school/university-of-california-irvine/majors/) reports 473 graduates in the earnings cohort and [median earnings of $60,430](/school/university-of-california-irvine/outcomes/) for its Public Health graduates four years after completing. |
| 9 | California State University-Los Angeles · Los Angeles, CA | $56,466 | $3,967 | $2,877 | 91.3% |
|  | [California State University-Los Angeles](/school/california-state-university-los-angeles/majors/) posts an [average net price of $3,967](/school/california-state-university-los-angeles/cost/) and median earnings of $56,466 for its Public Health graduates four years after completing. |
| 10 | University of California-Merced · Merced, CA | $56,393 | $11,983 | $7,945 | 90.5% |
|  | [University of California-Merced](/school/university-of-california-merced/majors/) reports [median federal debt of $15,250](/school/university-of-california-merced/cost/) among Public Health completers who borrowed, alongside median earnings of $56,393 four years after completing. |
| 11 | California State University-Northridge · Northridge, CA | $55,989 | $7,021 | $4,905 | 93.5% |
|  | [California State University-Northridge](/school/california-state-university-northridge/majors/) holds an [Azimuth composite rank of 7th](/school/california-state-university-northridge/) among nonprofit four-year institutions and reports median earnings of $55,989 for its Public Health graduates four years after completing. |
| 12 | Santa Clara University · Santa Clara, CA | $35,594 | $50,062 | $22,985 | 48.0% |
|  | [Santa Clara University](/school/santa-clara-university/majors/) reports an [average net price of $50,062](/school/santa-clara-university/cost/) and median earnings of $35,594 for its Public Health graduates four years after completing. |

## How this list is ordered

Programs are ordered by the median earnings of their Public Health graduates four years after completing, highest first. Only programs with a reported earnings cohort in California appear. The figure covers federally aided completers who were working and not enrolled four years after finishing. For 1 of the 12 listed programs the figure is the two-year completion median rather than the four-year one. The metric does not adjust for graduate school enrollment, cost, or who enrolls, and it is not a measure of teaching quality. The gap between first-ranked University of Southern California and second-ranked California Baptist University is $12,193, and the spread from the top of the list to the bottom reaches $53,928.

## Related rankings

-   [Best Public Health Programs in the United States](/rankings/best-public-health-programs/)
-   [Best Colleges in California](/rankings/best-colleges-in-california/)
-   [Best Public Health Programs in Texas](/rankings/best-public-health-programs-in-texas/)
-   [Best Public Health Programs in North Carolina](/rankings/best-public-health-programs-in-north-carolina/)
-   [Best Public Health Programs in New Jersey](/rankings/best-public-health-programs-in-new-jersey/)
-   [Best Public Health Programs in Georgia](/rankings/best-public-health-programs-in-georgia/)
-   [Best Health Professions Colleges in California](/rankings/best-health-professions-colleges-in-california/)
-   [Best Nursing Colleges in California](/rankings/best-nursing-colleges-in-california/)
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