A college education is an expensive and time-consuming undertaking. Students pursuing a degree in public health will eventually spend a large sum of money, dedicate years of their lives studying, and sacrifice other areas of their lives. With all the money, time, and hard work you put into your education, how can you make sure the college you attend, and your resulting earned degree will be worth anything? Part of the answer to that question, in fact, a huge part, is through accreditation.
What is Accreditation?
Merriam-Webster defines accredit as “to give official authorization to or approval of,” or “to recognize (an educational institution) as maintaining standards that qualify the graduates for admission to higher or more specialized institutions or for professional practice.”
Basically, accredit means checking for quality. It represents that the school or program has gone through a rigorous quality check and intensive peer review by an accrediting body. It ensures that the school or program meets specific standards and is deemed qualified to teach the courses they are offering.
Accreditation standards establish minimum levels of educational quality on which evaluations and accreditation decisions are based. Outcomes or results can provide evidence that standards have been met.
Association of Specialized and Professional Accreditors
What is CEPH?
When reviewing a school’s website or printed material, you will undoubtedly see a reference to accreditation. There are different types of accrediting bodies for different educational programs. Also, a university might have institutional accreditation that applies to the entire university. This is different than the accreditation for a public health school or program.
The applicable accrediting body for colleges, schools, and programs of public health is the Council on Education for Public Health (CEPH or Council). CEPH is an “independent agency recognized by the U.S. Department of Education” as an official accrediting body. Its primary purpose is to accredit schools of public health and public health programs outside the framework of schools of public health.
Therefore, when searching to determine if a public health school or program is accredited, you want to make sure it’s CEPH accreditation. Most of the time, you will find this information on the school or program website. If it’s not clearly evident, simply use the site’s search function and search for “CEPH.”
For example, The University of New England in Portland, Maine, has a graduate program in public health. CEPH accredits the program. On the University’s website, the following information can be found on the “public health programs FAQ” web page:
CEPH’s guiding statements are clear and concise. Its mission is to assure “quality in public health education and training to achieve excellence in practice, research and service, through collaboration with organizational and community partners.” Its vision is “excellence in public health education for a healthier world.”
You can view a list of accredited schools and programs of public health on CEPH’s website. The list contains accredited schools and colleges of public health, public health programs, and standalone baccalaureate programs.
History of Public Health Accreditation
Graduate public health education began in the early 1900s. The need for formal accreditation began in the 1940s when ten schools of public health were recognized by the American Public Health Association (APHA). In those early years, from 1945 to 1973, APHA functioned as the accrediting body for graduate education in public health. CEPH was established as the independent accrediting body the following year in 1974 by its two corporate sponsors: APHA and the Association of Schools and Programs of Public Health (formerly the Association of Schools of Public Health).
CEPH is independent of the schools and programs it accredits. Funding for the Council is derived from “a combination of fees and contributions from the professional and academic community.”
Twelve Reasons CEPH Accreditation is Important
Accreditation by an official accrediting entity provides assurances to students, future employers, and everyone interested in an earned diploma that the school or program attended is legitimate and of high quality. However, accreditation goes well beyond that. As presented by CEPH, accreditation is beneficial to various stakeholders for various reasons. Here, I present CEPH’s list of benefits, with a few comments and illustrations of my own.
1. The Public. Accreditation is essential for the public in general. By assuring competent public health professionals, it promotes the health, safety, and welfare of society.
2. Prospective Students & Their Parents. When deciding on which public health school to apply to, you should include accreditation in your list of factors to think about. It is very important; it should be at the top of your list of items to consider. CEPH accreditation provides consumer protection to students and their parents. It gives assurance that the school or program has gone through a rigorous peer-review and has met accepted standards of the public health profession.
3. Prospective Employers. CEPH accreditation gives prospective employers assurance that the course curriculum a student has studied covers the essential skills and knowledge needed for public health jobs.
4. Graduates. Graduates of public health schools or programs benefit from attending a CEPH accredited school or program because they can claim they have graduated from an accredited institution. Accreditation adds value to their degree and improves their chances of employment in the job market. If you are considering obtaining a fellowship post-graduation, be aware that some fellowships are only available to students attending CEPH-accredited programs. Some also require the school or program to be members of the Association of Schools and Programs of Public Health (ASPPH).
5. Public Health Workers. CEPH accreditation assures that educational requirements are in sync with the current training needs of the public health profession.
6. Profession. CEPH accreditation enhances the public health profession by promoting established accreditation standards, assuring standards of practice, and advocating for rigorous educational preparation.
7. Government and funding agencies. Accreditation is often a required eligibility factor for federal government job positions, federally funded programs, and student financial aid. For example, the U.S. Public Health Service, some federal military public health positions, and some state and local government agencies require applicants to be graduates of CEPH-accredited schools or programs.
8. Foundations and Private Funding Sources. CEPH accreditation is also crucial for foundational and private funding. It demonstrates the school’s quality and adherence to strict standards.
9. University. For universities, CEPH accreditation “provides a reliable basis for inter- and intra-institutional cooperative practices, including admissions and transfer of credit.”
10. Faculty and Administrators. For administrators and faculty of CEPH accredited schools and programs, accreditation promotes “ongoing self-evaluation and continuous improvement.” It also “provides an effective system for accountability.” As a former faculty member of a CEPH-accredited College of Public Health, I can attest to the rigor of the CEPH accreditation process. Gaining and maintaining accreditation status is an ongoing concern of faculty and administrators and warrants much time and consideration.
11. And finally, for the school or program, “accreditation enhances its national reputation and represents peer recognition.” This is why you will always see a reference to “CEPH Accreditation” when visiting an accredited school or program website. It is a huge accomplishment!
What Is the Difference Between a CEPH-Accredited College, School, Program, and Stand-Alone Baccalaureate Program?
Choosing accredited school involves more than affirming that a school or program is accredited. You need to take it a step further to consider the structural or organizational governance makeup of your available options.
To clarify, consider the type of educational unit that is being accredited. CEPH accredits three different types of public health educational units: (1) Schools or colleges of public health (SPH), (2) public health programs (PHPs), and (3) stand-alone baccalaureate programs (SBP).
All three types of programs are subject to the same level of accreditation scrutiny, and the curricula have to address the same educational requirements.
School or College of Public Health
A school or college of public health (which, for our purposes, is the same thing) is one that has both master’s and doctoral-level public health degrees. For CEPH purposes, accreditation covers all the degree choices that are present in that school or college. This includes bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral degrees. It also includes other degrees in non-public health fields, if applicable for that school or college.
The Jiann-Ping Hsu College of Public Health (JPHCOPH) at Georgia Southern University in Statesboro, Georgia, is an excellent example of a college that is accredited as a school or college of public health. JPHCOPH offers both master’s and doctorate (DrPH) degrees in public health, a bachelor of science in public health, and a certificate in public health.
Public Health Program
A public health program is one that includes a master’s-level public health degree. It may also include a bachelor’s, doctoral, or other academic public health master’s degree program as long as those programs have a single governance structure and share the same leadership with the professional master’s degree.
A public health program can be housed in any organizational setting other than one that includes the phrase “School of Public Health” or “College of Public Health.”
For example, the University of Utah has an accredited public health program. The program is housed in the Department of Family and Preventive Medicine, Division of Public Health. The program offers a Master of Public Health, a Master of Science in Public Health, a PhD in public health, an MStat in Biostatistics degree, and several graduate certificates.
Standalone Baccalaureate Program
A standalone baccalaureate program is one that only has a bachelor’s degree in public health. It does not have any graduate-level public health degree program within its organizational unit. Different types of bachelor’s majors and degree programs are eligible for inclusion. Minors in public health, certificates in public health, and associate degrees in public health are not eligible to be included for accreditation in these types of standalone baccalaureate programs.
A good example of a university with an accredited standalone baccalaureate program is the University of Miami. This university has an accredited Bachelor of Science in Public Health program that is housed within its School of Nursing & Health Studies department.
Why Should You Consider the Type of Accreditation Unit
Just as you should consider attending an accredited public health educational entity, you should also carefully review the governance and leadership structure used to gain CEPH accreditation.
For example, let’s assume you want to gain entry into nursing school and need to earn a bachelor’s degree in order to be accepted into a nursing program. In that case, a standalone baccalaureate program would be an excellent choice. However, if you are looking for a more in-depth public health experience and have aspirations of building on a bachelor’s degree to continue with a master’s or doctorate decree, then attending a school or college of public health would be a better choice.
Of course, in the end, it’s a personal choice. You should carefully weigh your personal and professional career needs when choosing the governance structure of the schools on your list of options.
Accreditation Status
Another characteristic to consider is the accreditation status of the schools or programs on your list of choices. A public health educational unit, for accreditation purposes, is categorized as either “CEPH-accredited” or “not CEPH-accredited.”
All schools seeking accreditation have to go through an initial review. During this time, the educational unit is reviewed to determine if it meets CEPH’s eligibility requirements to become accredited. Once it completes that initial review process it is eligible to undertake the full review for accreditation. An educational unit that has completed this initial review process is referred to as an “applicant.”
CEPH provides a current list of applicants for CEPH accreditation that is publicly available on its website. The list is updated four times a year after the Council’s decision-making meetings. The list provides the applicant institution’s name, its category (school or college of public health, program, or standalone baccalaureate program), the date the application was accepted, the date of the scheduled site visit, the anticipated decision, and any pertinent notes.
Educational units seeking initial accreditation have to complete a series of procedural steps dictated by CEPH. If these steps are completed and the unit is deemed eligible, the unit will receive an official decision by the Council that the applicant period can begin. The length of time it takes for a unit to become accredited varies based on several factors. However, this period usually lasts approximately three years.
Once a unit achieves accreditation, a new period begins for a reaccreditation review. It’s not a one and done type of deal. To maintain accreditation, the unit must complete a self-study process and host an accreditation site visit before the end of the initial accreditation term. A self-study requires a school or program to systematically evaluate its “current curricula, operations, resources, etc. against the expectations defined in CEPH criteria.” It has to bring everything into compliance with the CEPH criteria. Finally, it has to prepare and complete a self-study document. The self-study process usually takes 18 to 24 months, followed by the site visit.
In some cases, an educational unit may be placed on “probation.” “Probationary accreditation” is conferred on an educational unit when CEPHS has serious concerns about a unit that is already accredited. The educational unit is allowed to maintain its CEPH accreditation status but it must address the concerns raised by CEPH by the end of the probationary period. If it does not address CEPH’s concerns, its accreditation may be revoked.
How to File A Complaint
Finally, suppose you feel that a school or program has violated a CEPH accreditation standard. In that case, you can file a complaint with CEPH. However, before proceeding, you must exhaust all administrative procedures within the educational institution. This institutional procedure can be a long and arduous process. The processes involved will typically be defined within a student handbook and posted on the university’s website.
Before filing a complaint with CEPH, you will have to show proof that you have completed all institutional level processes. Next, you will need to show that your complaint is relevant to a violation of accreditation standards. You must identify the particular standard alleged to have been violated.
The complaint form and procedures for filing the complaint can be found here.
References
Association of Specialized and Professional Accreditors. (n.d.). Quick Reference. Standards, Outcomes and Quality. https://www.aspa-usa.org//wp-content/uploads/2015/02/ASPA_Standards_Jun12.pdf.
Council on Education for Public Health. (n.d.). About. https://ceph.org/about/org-info/.
Council on Education for Public Health. (June 2017). Accreditation Procedures. Schools of Public Health, Public Health Programs, Standalone Baccalaureate Programs. https://media.ceph.org/wp_assets/Procedures.pdf.
Council on Education for Public Health. (n.d.). Benefits of Accreditation. https://ceph.org/constituents/students/benefits-of-accreditation/.
Council on Education for Public Health. (n.d.). List of Accredited Schools and Programs. https://ceph.org/about/org-info/who-we-accredit/accredited/.
Council on Education for Public Health. (n.d.). List of Applicants. https://ceph.org/about/org-info/who-we-accredit/applicants/.
Council on Education for Public Health. (n.d.). Students’ Frequently Asked Questions. https://ceph.org/constituents/students/faqs/.
Council on Education for Public Health. (n.d.). Understanding Accreditation. https://ceph.org/about/understanding-accreditation/.
Merriam-Webster. (n.d.). Definition of accredit. https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/accredit.
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