Accredited vs. Not

[Adcadet]

could a few of ya public health folks help clue me in as to the importance of accredited vs. non-accredited (thinking ASPH here) schools? I occasionally get asked, and I honestly don't know. For me it was never an issue

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[sgilani]

i'm wondering the same... what are the benefits of going to an accredited school?

 

[Gregory Gulick]

I was recently thinking about the same thing. I've been looking at the different schools and I noticed on the ASPH website that there are actually very few schools listed as members. Schools like the University of Florida aren't there, among other well-known state universities. So I'm guessing that a lot of programs don't feel they need ASPH accreditation.

 

[exmike]

I'm not sure whats the deal with accreditation, but at Cal, they made a really big deal about being accredited. Our review was coming up when I was at school there and everyone was franticly making sure everything was perfect. I don't know what difference it makes though..

 

[lola]

i'm not really sure either. i mean, i know what a school needs to have to get accredited, but i'm not sure it necessarily matters if you go to an accredited school. if you want to get a great job or become a professor of public health or something it might come into play?? i think in general it's a good idea to go to an accredited school b/c it means they have a lot of depth when it comes to the various fields in public health (and likely have attracted good faculty). however, it doesn't necessarily mean you will not get a good education at a non-accredited school.

 

[edfig99]

this is taken right from the ASPH website. i guess overall it's just a matter of "quality assurance". there may be some employers that require you attended an accredited school as a term of employment. accreditation is usually a very good thing to have in a school. any school can create any training program, but having an accredited program takes a lot more work and commitment, and ensures that standards are met.

The Value of Accreditation


It has been estimated that there are well over three hundred academic institutions that offer a graduate degree in selected specialty areas within public health. Many of these are programs in community health education and programs in community health/preventive medicine.

However, ASPH represents the CEPH accredited schools of public health in the United States. The Council on Education for Public Health (CEPH) is the nationally recognized accrediting body for schools of public health.

What benefits to students does accreditation provide?

* Assurance that the educational activities of an accredited institution or program have been found to be satisfactory, and therefore meet the needs of students;

* Assurance of receiving a well-rounded graduate education.

* Accredited schools of public health must provide degree programs in each of the five core public health areas: Epidemiology, Biostatistics, Environmental Health, Behavorial Sciences/Health Education, and Health Services Administration.

* Advanced degree opportunities. Accredited schools of public health must offer at least one doctoral degree, in addition to master's level degrees.

* Assistance in the transfer of credits between institutions, or in the admission of students to advanced degrees, through the general acceptance of credits among accredited institutions when the performance of the student has been satisfactory and the credits to be transferred are appropriate to the receiving institution;

* Assurance that the degree earned will qualify the graduate for many jobs which specify graduation from an accredited school as a condition of employment; and

* Eligibility for public health internships and fellowships sponsored by various federal agencies, as well as student assistance resources that are available only through accredited schools.

 

[Gregory Gulick]

* Advanced degree opportunities. Accredited schools of public health must offer at least one doctoral degree, in addition to master's level degrees.

Ah ha. This is where most of the nation's programs fall down then. Many institutions offer only the MPH, and not a doctoral degree.

* Accredited schools of public health must provide degree programs in each of the five core public health areas: Epidemiology, Biostatistics, Environmental Health, Behavorial Sciences/Health Education, and Health Services Administration.

This is another area where programs fall down. The program I'm looking at offers only a MPH with a Health Services Administration focus.

 

[LetGo of TheEgo]

I think most public health programs are accredited. However, there are 2 types of accreditations; ASPH and CEPH.

Please correct me if I'm wrong, I'm only familiar with this by browsing the web but CEPH generally accredits 1 year programs or programs without an actual "School of Public Health". ASPH seems to accredit extensive, 2 year programs of public health within established Schools of Public Health.

www.ceph.org

www.asph.org


Any other thoughts?

 

[lola]

hmm... i had never heard of CEPH until now. interesting.

 

[Supadupafly]

List of CEPH schools. If they're good enough for APHA, they're good enough for me.

http://www.apha.org/public_health/ceph.pdf

 

[edfig99]

if a school is accredited by CEPH, it is a member of ASPH. CEPH is the actual accrediting body, and ASPH represents the accredited schools.

it's sort of like the AAMC and LCME for medical schools. AAMC represents all accredited medical schools, but the LCME is the actual accrediting body.

 

[gilbertfletcher]

Would you join a health plan that performed poorly on HEDIS measures? Would you buy a car that did not pass a safety test?

I have been at two schools of public health: University of Michigan School of Public Health and the University of North Carolina School of Public Health. Both of these programs are accredited. Both of these schools are leaders in the field of public health. I strongly recommend their programs.
I have met people who have gone to non accredited programs in public health and to be frank, their training is poor. Basic public health philosophy and theories are not understood or taught. There is a lack of awareness of key public health practice and research.

If you are intersted in being a leader in public health, I recommend you go to an accredited program.

Someone explain why you would not go to an accredited program? I have worked in public health for 6 years and I am not sure I understand why someone would not attend an accredited program. My training has been invaluable.

I guess if you are limited geographically to certian progams, you don't have much choice.

 

[flaming_gypsy]

I was talking to a recruiter from the Iowa School of Public Health and she told me that if you have a degree from an accredited school, you're eligible for a two or three year internship with the CDC. Apparently they have a couple different internship programs, but the one that sounded really cool was the international/global health program, where you work at the CDC for a year, then go into the field in a developing country to conduct research or work on a health outreach program for a few years.
I would imagine this kind of internship would be a logical stepping stool to a career at the CDC.

 

[Gregory Gulick]

I did some research into the CEPH accreditation issue. I've spoken with the program directors at Mercer, Saint Xavier, Benedictine University, and others -- all of these programs lack CEPH accreditation. The response I have received has been that CEPH accreditation is usually sought at large research universities that often have colleges of public health.

I was told that if someone was seeking to work solely in the field of public health (e.g., non-physicians) and would like to work with the CDC, then they should attend a large research-based, CEPH accredited university. I think this is reasonable. But for people who are going to be practicing medicine and serving as administrators then a non CEPH program like Mercer or Kirksville (or any of the countless other programs) should be sufficient.

From the numbers, it appears that approximately 30 to 40% of MPH programs are not CEPH accredited. A trend I noticed is that many of the medical schools that offer the dual degree (MD/MPH or DO/MPH) don't carry CEPH accreditation (Mercer and Kirksville are two examples). Many of these programs would not qualify for accreditation because they don't offer PhDs in public health. Furthermore, they don't have colleges of public health; the degree is given by the medical school itself or by a college of allied health. In addition, some of them may offer only one specialization in public health (e.g., Kirksville's program emphasizes Health Services Administration).

Keep in mind that not carrying CEPH accreditation is not the same as being "unaccredited." This discussion assumes all of the programs are regionally accredited by the same bodies that accredit all universities. Lack of CEPH accreditation does not equal "diploma mill."

In sum, I think the gist of what everyone was telling me is this: If you want to be employed in the CDC (possessing only an MPH, this does not apply to physicians) or want join the faculty of a research university, you should consider a CEPH program. However, if you are going to be using the MPH as a supplement to your medical degree, then CEPH accreditation is less important.