At its March 1, 2024 meeting, the Council on Education for Public Health (CEPH) adopted a revision of the Accreditation Criteria for Schools of Public Health and Public Health Programs. The revision, part of a process underway since 2020, addresses themes of diversity, equity, and inclusion. Please note: these changes relate to criteria for accredited units in our SPH and PHP categories only—no changes relate to the criteria for Standalone Baccalaureate Programs (SBP).
Each accredited and applicant SPH and PHP received an individual letter via email by April 1, 2024 that explains how the revised criteria will or will not impact upcoming review activities.
CEPH will hosted a webinar on Thursday, May 9, 2024 from 2:00-3:00 pm ET that provided an overview of the revised criteria and included an opportunity to ask questions. Slides and a recording are available on the CEPH website.
| Criterion | Topic(s) | Revisions |
|---|---|---|
| A1 & A3 |
Governance, Student Participation in Policy Making | Units must describe efforts to include diverse voices in decision making |
| B1 | Guiding Statements | Guiding statements must address preparing students to work with diverse populations |
| B3 | Graduation Rates | Added 2 new pathways to compliance for units that do not meet current benchmarks |
| B5 | Alumni Perceptions | Units must collect data on alumni perceptions of their ability to work with diverse communities |
| D1-D3, D9-D10, D16-D18 |
Foundational Learning Objectives & Competencies | Adjusted language in several learning objectives and competency statements |
| E1-E5 | Faculty | Minor adjustments to criteria language & documentation requests |
| F1 | Community Involvement in Evaluation & Assessment | Units must explain how partnerships align with mission, degree programs, and relevant student & community demographics |
| G1 | Diversity | Streamlined documentation requests & clarified expectations for collection of data on perceptions of climate |
| H1-H2 | Advising | Units must explain how they ensure that advisors understand the needs of a diverse student body |
Timing of implementation