At a Glance
For students exploring public health degrees in Maine, there are two CEPH-accredited Master of Public Health programs to consider, at the University of Southern Maine and the University of New England. Most programs take two years full-time and cover five core areas: biostatistics, epidemiology, environmental health, health policy, and social and behavioral sciences. The University of New England also offers the state’s only fully online accredited MPH.
Maine is frequently ranked among the healthier U.S. states, but that standing doesn’t happen on its own. Behind every immunization campaign, disease surveillance system, and rural health initiative is a workforce of trained public health professionals, many of whom hold a Master of Public Health (MPH). Whether you’re drawn to cancer prevention, opioid response, or food safety policy, a graduate degree in public health is the credential that gets you to the table where decisions get made.
CEPH-Accredited MPH Programs in Maine
Maine has two universities offering Master of Public Health degrees accredited by the Council on Education for Public Health (CEPH), the primary accrediting body for public health schools and programs in the United States. CEPH accreditation is one of the primary pathways to eligibility for the Certified in Public Health (CPH) exam and signals to employers that your degree meets national standards.
University of Southern Maine — Muskie School of Public Service
USM’s MPH is a hybrid program at the Muskie School of Public Service in Portland. Students can complete the degree full-time in two years or part-time in three to four years. The program is particularly interested in applicants with a GPA of 3.2 or higher and those with experience in public health or healthcare delivery. Faculty maintain active research and practice ties with state and local health departments, nonprofits, and the Maine Rural Health Research Center, which focuses on rural health, aging, and health care access. These are the issues that define much of the state’s public health landscape.
University of New England — Online MPH
UNE’s 46-credit MPH is currently Maine’s only fully online CEPH-accredited program, making it the strongest choice if you’re working full-time or can’t relocate to Portland. Courses are asynchronous, so you set your schedule. The program takes a generalist approach, preparing graduates for a broad range of public health careers. UNE also offers a Graduate Certificate in Public Health, an 18-credit online program whose credits fully transfer to the MPH if you decide to continue.
MPH Admission Requirements
Both Maine MPH programs require a bachelor’s degree from an accredited institution. Most applicants have backgrounds in healthcare, public administration, or the social sciences, but neither program limits enrollment to specific undergraduate majors. What they do look for:
- Official transcripts from all colleges or universities attended
- GRE scores, if required (policies vary by program and change frequently; confirm directly with each school)
- Two letters of recommendation from academic or professional contacts
- A personal statement explaining your public health goals (typically 500 words)
- A resume or CV demonstrating relevant experience
Executive MPH tracks, aimed at professionals already working in public health leadership, may require a minimum number of years of work experience in addition to these standard requirements.
Program Options and Formats
Both accredited Maine programs offer flexibility, but they’re designed for different students. USM’s hybrid format works well if you want face-to-face faculty interaction and the network that comes with being embedded in Maine’s public health community. UNE’s fully online program is built for working professionals who need schedule flexibility above all else.
Beyond format, most MPH programs let you tailor your coursework through concentration areas. Common focus tracks nationally across accredited programs include:
- Health Communication: Applying communication strategy and social marketing to behavior change and health promotion campaigns, such as Maine’s Let’s Go! childhood obesity prevention initiative.
- Health Policy: Developing and evaluating policy at the state, national, and global levels. Maine’s Community Health Promotion Program is one example of the applied policy work graduates step into.
- Program Planning and Evaluation: Designing and assessing health programs. Graduates often work with initiatives such as Maine’s Obesity Policy Committee, which has led nutrition and physical activity policy efforts for over a decade.
- Global Health: Addressing health equity and disease prevention in international contexts, often working with agencies like the WHO, Global Health Council, and major foundations.
What You’ll Learn: MPH Core Competencies
All CEPH-accredited MPH programs follow the ASPPH’s MPH Core Competency Model, which organizes the curriculum around five traditional public health disciplines and seven cross-cutting areas.
The five core disciplines are environmental health sciences, social and behavioral sciences, biostatistics, health policy and management, and epidemiology. Cross-cutting competencies include diversity and culture, program planning, leadership, professionalism, public health biology, systems thinking, and communications and informatics. Together, these prepare graduates to work across sectors: government agencies, nonprofits, healthcare systems, and research institutions.
Public Health Careers and Salaries in Maine
Maine’s public health workforce spans the Maine Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS), the Maine CDC, two city health departments, eight public health districts, and dozens of nonprofit and academic partners. The DHHS alone employs more than 3,400 people and serves nearly a third of the state’s population. For master’s-prepared professionals, the clearest paths are in program management, epidemiology, biostatistics, and policy. These roles require both technical skills and the ability to translate data into decisions. If you’re still exploring options, our guide on what you can do with a public health degree covers the full range of career directions.
A few trends are shaping demand right now. Maine has one of the oldest populations in the country, driving the need for professionals focused on aging, chronic disease, and healthcare access. The state’s opioid crisis requires ongoing surveillance and community response infrastructure. And cannabis regulation, following adult-use legalization, has created an emerging niche for food and consumer safety specialists who work with state testing labs.
State-specific salary data for many public health occupations in Maine are limited, so national BLS medians are shown below. The table reflects May 2024 Bureau of Labor Statistics data.
| Occupation |
Median Annual Wage |
Projected Growth (2024–2034) |
| Social and Community Service Managers |
$78,240 |
6% |
| Epidemiologists |
$83,980 |
16% |
| Microbiologists |
$87,330 |
4% |
| Biological Scientists (All Other) |
$100,440 |
— |
| Statisticians |
$103,300 |
8% |
| Rehabilitation Counselors |
$46,110 |
1% |
Epidemiology stands out: 16 percent projected growth over the next decade is well above average, driven by sustained investment in pandemic preparedness and disease surveillance at the state and federal levels. Learn more about careers in epidemiology and what the role involves day-to-day. Statisticians and biological scientists round out the higher end of the salary range, occupations increasingly in demand as Maine’s public health sector deepens its use of data-driven policy.
Maine’s Public Health Infrastructure
Understanding where public health professionals work in Maine helps you plan your career path. The state doesn’t operate a traditional hub-and-spoke health department model. Instead, the Maine DHHS coordinates with eight regional public health districts and two city health departments, Portland and Bangor, that operate their own programs. This distributed structure means public health jobs are spread across the state, not concentrated in Augusta.
The Maine Public Health Association (MPHA) advocates for evidence-based policy across this network, prioritizing initiatives that are data-driven, grounded in organizational capacity, supported by available funding, and politically feasible. Recent MPHA-connected initiatives have included the Smoke-Free Housing Coalition of Maine, the Maine Newborn Hearing Program, and the Diversion Alert Program for opioid prevention. These are the kinds of programs that employ community health workers, program managers, and policy analysts with graduate training in public health.
For professionals interested in research, the Muskie School’s Maine Rural Health Research Center studies health policy, disability, aging, and family well-being, and regularly employs graduate students and research staff. The New England Public Health Training Center, a partnership involving USM and other regional institutions, also provides continuing education and workforce development for public health practitioners across Maine and New England.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many CEPH-accredited MPH programs are in Maine?
Maine has two CEPH-accredited MPH programs: the University of Southern Maine’s Muskie School of Public Service and the University of New England. Both carry accreditation from the Council on Education for Public Health, which is the standard that employers and licensing boards recognize.
Is there an online MPH program in Maine?
Yes. The University of New England offers the only fully online accredited MPH in Maine. The program is 46 credits, uses asynchronous coursework, and requires no campus visits. UNE also offers a Graduate Certificate in Public Health whose credits transfer into the MPH program.
What can I do with a public health degree in Maine?
A master’s in public health prepares you for roles across Maine’s DHHS, the Maine CDC, regional health districts, nonprofits, academic research centers, and private healthcare systems. Common positions include program manager, epidemiologist, health policy analyst, biostatistician, and community health coordinator. Senior roles typically require a graduate degree.
How long does it take to complete an MPH in Maine?
Full-time students typically complete an MPH in two years. Part-time tracks at USM take three to four years. UNE’s online program also offers flexible pacing for working professionals. Both programs are 40 to 46 credits, consistent with CEPH accreditation standards.
Do I need work experience to apply to an MPH program in Maine?
Standard MPH tracks don’t require prior public health experience, though both Maine programs value applicants who have some exposure to healthcare, community health, or public service. Executive MPH programs, designed for mid-career professionals, do typically require several years of relevant work experience as part of admission.
Key Takeaways
- Maine has two CEPH-accredited MPH programs, at the University of Southern Maine (hybrid) and the University of New England (fully online). CEPH accreditation is the standard credential employers and licensing boards recognize.
- The MPH typically takes two years full-time and covers five core disciplines: biostatistics, epidemiology, environmental health, health policy, and social and behavioral sciences.
- Epidemiologists face the strongest job growth outlook, with 16 percent growth projected through 2034, driven by pandemic preparedness investments and expanded disease surveillance.
- Maine’s distributed public health structure (DHHS, eight regional districts, two city health departments) creates employment opportunities statewide, not just in Augusta.
- UNE’s Graduate Certificate in Public Health offers a lower-commitment entry point whose credits fully transfer to the MPH if you decide to continue.
Ready to explore accredited public health programs? Browse MPH options by format, concentration, and location to find a fit for your goals.
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Laura Bennett, MPH is a public health professional with over 12 years of experience in community health education and program coordination. She specializes in helping aspiring professionals explore flexible education pathways, including online and hybrid public health degree programs. Laura is passionate about making public health careers more accessible through practical, accredited training
2024 US Bureau of Labor Statistics salary and job market figures for Social and Community Service Managers, Epidemiologists, Microbiologists, Statisticians, and Rehabilitation Counselors represent national data, not school-specific information. Conditions in your area may vary. Data accessed May 2026.
