There are two schools of public health available in Arkansas. The University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, Fay W. Boozman College of Public Health in Little Rock, Arkansas is the only choice for students wanting to pursue a master’s or doctoral degree in public health. Students seeking an undergraduate bachelor’s degree should consider the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville.
| University Name | Bachelor’s Degree? | Master’s Degree? | Doctoral Degree? | Certificate Programs? | CEPH Accredited? |
| University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS), Fay W. Boozman College of Public Health | No, but offers 4+1 program | MPH, MS, MHA | PhD, DrPH | Yes | Yes, as a school of public health |
| University of Arkansas | BSPH | No | No | No | Yes as a standalone baccalaureate program |
University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS), Fay W. Boozman College of Public Health
The University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS), Fay W. Boozman College of Public Health is an excellent choice for pursuing a public health degree at all academic levels.
The College is located in Little Rock, Arkansas, the capital city of Arkansas. Little Rock has a diversity of attractions and is an affordable place to live. The College was established in 2001 by the Arkansas tobacco Master Settlement Agreement.
The vision of the College is optimal health for all. The mission “is to improve the health and promote the well-being of individuals, families, and communities in Arkansas through education, research, and service.”
Undergraduate
While the Fay W. Boozman College of Public Health does not offer a traditional bachelor of science or bachelor of arts in public health (BSPH or BAPH), it does provide a unique opportunity for what it calls a 4+1 program.
The College partners with several undergraduate programs in Arkansas “to create an accelerated, coordinated course of study allowing students to enroll in the MPH program as an undergraduate and receive credit for MPH courses towards their undergraduate degree.” When students graduate with their BA or BS degree, they typically finish the MPH components within the next year (thus the “4+1” designation). In this manner, the student can attain an undergraduate degree and a masters in public health in five years, rather than the typical six years it normally takes to complete both degrees.
The College partners with four Arkansas institutions to carry out the program: Hendrix College, Arkansas Baptist College, Philander Smith College, and the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff.
Masters
The Fay W. Boozman College of Public Health offers a masters of public health (MPH) degree. Concentrations available include biostatistics, environmental and occupational health, epidemiology, health behavior and health education, health policy and management, rural and global public health.
Additional masters degrees available include a master of science in healthcare data analytics (MS), and a master of health administration (MHA).
Several combined dual degree options are available to students who wish to gain an interdisciplinary perspective and increase their employment opportunities. A combined degree can save students time and money since some coursework can count towards both degrees. Available dual degree programs include the following:
- Doctor of Medicine (MD)/MPH
- Doctor of Pharmacy (PharmD)/MPH
- Juris Doctorate (JD) (Law)/MPH
- Master of public service (MPS)/MPH
Doctoral Degrees
The College offers a DrPH in public health leadership. It also offers a PhD in three concentration areas: epidemiology; health promotion and prevention research; and health systems and services research.
Certificate Programs
Four certificate programs in public health are offered by the College:
- Environmental and occupational health
- Public health (post-baccalaureate)
- Rural and global public health
- Regulatory science
The College also has two certificate programs in health services and analytics: a certificate in healthcare analytics and an executive healthcare management certificate.
Research Centers
The Fay W. Boozman College of Public Health has four research centers:
- Arkansas Center for Excellence in Birth Defects, Research and Prevention – “The Arkansas Center for Birth Defects Research and Prevention is one of 10 centers across the nation funded by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) with the overall goal to understand the causes of birth defects.”
- Arkansas Center for Health Disparities – research pertaining to health disparities and the influence of health determinants. Funded by the National Institutes of Health on Minority Health and Health Disparities.
- Center for Dietary Supplements Research – research pertaining to the efficacy and safety of dietary supplements
- Center for the Study of Tobacco – the central hub for tobacco-related research in Arkansas.
- Southern Public Health and Criminal Justice Research Center – informs the use of evidence-based public health practices within criminal justice settings.
Accreditation
The Fay W. Boozman College of Public Health is accredited by the Council on Education for Public Health (CEPH) as a public health school.
To become accredited, a public health school, program, or standalone baccalaureate degree program must undergo a rigorous evaluation. CEPH accreditation standards establish minimum levels of educational quality and provide assurances that students will be educated in a manner consistent with the best standards in public health education.
To maintain accreditation, schools must complete the re-accreditation process every seven years. The College was initially accredited in 2004 and receive reaccreditation in 2014. It will undergo its next re-accreditation process in 2021.
For more information about the CEPH accreditation process and to understand the importance of accreditation when choosing a public health program, click here.
University of Arkansas
The University of Arkansas at Fayetteville, Arkansas offers an undergraduate degree leading to a bachelor of science in public health (BSPH). The degree focuses on health promotion, health behavior, and health education.
All students begin the program pre-public health majors. To be admitted into the undergraduate program major, students must complete a total of 16 hours in pre-public health courses and have a University of Arkansas GPA of 2.5 or higher. Transferring students must complete at lease 12 credit hours with a minimum 2.5 GPA.
The BSPH program is accredited by the Council on Education for Public Health (CEPH) as a public health standalone baccalaureate program.
To become accredited, a public health school, program, or standalone baccalaureate degree program must undergo a rigorous evaluation. CEPH accreditation standards establish minimum levels of educational quality and provide assurances that students will be educated in a manner consistent with the best standards in public health education.
To maintain accreditation, schools must complete the re-accreditation process every seven years. The program was initially accredited in 2017 It will undergo its next re-accreditation process in 2024.
For more information about the CEPH accreditation process and to understand the importance of accreditation when choosing a public health program, click here.