Best Online Public Health Programs in Kansas City, MO (2026)

Kansas City, Missouri has 5 accredited schools offering public health programs. Kansas City has a population of about 508,233. Median household income is $67,449 (Census ACS 2023, 5-year). About 37.8% of adults 25+ hold a bachelor’s degree or higher. In the Kansas City, MO-KS metro area, the top-earning public health-related role is Medical and Health Services Manager at a median $124,990 annually (BLS OEWS, May 2025).


Closest Public Health Schools to Kansas City

The accredited institutions listed below are the closest in our directory that offer public health programs near Kansas City, ranked by BOC Score and straight-line distance from Kansas City city center. The list is rebuilt from federal IPEDS data on every site update.

How We Rank Schools

Every school list on this site is ordered by the BOC Score, computed from the most recent school-level data published by the U.S. Department of Education (College Scorecard and IPEDS). To qualify, a school must be currently operating and accredited by an agency recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. Each eligible school is then scored on five measures, percentile-ranked against schools at the same credential level:

  • Graduation rate 30%
  • Median earnings, 10 years after entry 25%
  • Average net price (lower is better) 20%
  • Retention rate 15%
  • Fully online availability 10%

Schools without enough outcome data appear after ranked schools, without a score. On this page, schools are ordered by distance from Kansas City. Advertising never affects these rankings. Read the full methodology.

#1

Kansas City University

Kansas City, MO 1.2 miles from Kansas City
  • 4 year
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Programs offered: 3

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#2

City Vision University

Kansas City, MO 1.8 miles from Kansas City BOC Score 42.0
  • 4 year
  • Campus + Online
Graduation rate 35%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $21,123
Avg net price $6,353/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 80%
  • Programs offered: 3

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#3

Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary

Kansas City, MO 4.4 miles from Kansas City BOC Score 37.7
  • 4 year
  • Campus + Online
Graduation rate 34%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $50,535
Avg net price $23,006/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 75%
  • Programs offered: 4

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#4

Kansas City Art Institute

Kansas City, MO 5.5 miles from Kansas City BOC Score 30.9
  • 4 year
Graduation rate 60%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $37,032
Avg net price $27,650/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 77%
  • Programs offered: 5

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#5

University of Missouri-Kansas City

Kansas City, MO 5.9 miles from Kansas City BOC Score 64.9
  • 4 year
  • Campus + Online
Graduation rate 58%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $59,637
Avg net price $13,310/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 76%
  • Programs offered: 31

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#6

Rockhurst University

Kansas City, MO 6.5 miles from Kansas City BOC Score 71.0
  • 4 year
  • Campus + Online
Graduation rate 77%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $67,102
Avg net price $25,884/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 81%
  • Programs offered: 27

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#7

Nazarene Theological Seminary

Kansas City, MO 8.0 miles from Kansas City
  • 4 year
  • Campus + Online
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#8

Research College of Nursing

Kansas City, MO 8.1 miles from Kansas City BOC Score 59.5
  • 4 year
  • Campus + Online
Graduation rate 40%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $85,910
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

Source: IPEDS / College Scorecard (2023 cohort). Browse all Missouri schools on the Missouri public health page.


Public Health Wages Near Kansas City

Kansas City is part of the Kansas City, MO-KS metro area (BLS area code 28140). Where MSA-level wages are published, the table below shows MSA medians; otherwise it falls back to Missouri statewide.

OccupationMedian WageSourceCOL-Adjusted (US=100)
Epidemiologist$79,620Kansas City, MO-KS$86,076
Health Education Specialist$62,990Kansas City, MO-KS$68,097
Medical and Health Services Manager$124,990Kansas City, MO-KS$135,124
Community Health Worker$49,650Kansas City, MO-KS$53,676

Source: BLS, May 2025 Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics publishes wage data at the metro (MSA) and state level – not by individual city.


Kansas City at a Glance

MetricValueSource
Population508,233Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B01003)
Median household income$67,449Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B19013)
Adults 25+ with bachelor’s+37.8%Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B15003)
Regional Price Parity (US=100)92.5 (below U.S. average)BEA RPP 2024

Other Kansas City-Area Cities With Public Health Programs


Frequently Asked Questions

How many accredited public health schools are near Kansas City, MO?

Our directory has 5 accredited schools offering public health programs near Kansas City. The closest is University of Missouri-Kansas City in Kansas City, MO (5.9 miles), and the farthest of the schools shown is Baker University (41.5 miles). 4 of the highlighted schools are flagged as offering distance education.

What are the highest-paying public health roles near Kansas City?

Based on BLS OEWS May 2025 wage data, the top-paying public health-related roles near Kansas City are: Medical and Health Services Manager ($124,990), Epidemiologist ($79,620), Health Education Specialist ($62,990). These reflect MSA-level medians where published, with Missouri statewide fallback for occupations not reported at the metro level.

Should I look at programs in Gladstone instead of Kansas City?

Gladstone, MO is 6.2 miles from Kansas City and has its own set of local public health programs – see the city’s page. For online programs, distance matters less; for hybrid or in-person formats, comparing both can help.

Is Kansas City an affordable place to study public health?

Kansas City’s median household income of $67,449 (Census ACS 2023) is one input. Online programs let students stay in Kansas City while attending lower-cost out-of-state schools, and Missouri public universities often offer reduced in-state online tuition.

How do I verify a program is accredited?

Confirm institutional accreditation via the U.S. Department of Education database (U.S. Dept. of Education database), and check for any program-specific accreditation listed by the school.


Learn More About Public Health Programs

Other Programs Available in Kansas City

Compare every accredited online degree program with city-level data for Kansas City:

Data verified: July 30, 2026. Salary, employment, and tuition figures on this page are sourced from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (OEWS May 2025; Employment Projections 2024โ€“2034) and the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard (2023 cohort). The source agency and data year are cited inline with every statistic.