An SBP unit of accreditation only includes public health degree(s) at the bachelor’s degree level.
Refer to the 2018 Standalone Baccalaureate Program Criteria for more information.
Based on currently accredited SBP, the process (from initial application submission [IAS] to accreditation decision) takes approximately three years, barring any extensions. If you have questions about the criteria, the timeline, the IAS, or anything else, contact CEPH staff. We are always happy to talk with you. In fact, we encourage you to call or email to let us know if you are thinking about applying. Our goal is to help every applicant be successful, and we are committed to working with programs to make that happen.
If you are interested in applying for CEPH accreditation, you will need to submit the SBP Initial Application Submission (IAS) template.
Data templates for the SBP self-study can be found on the CEPH website on the Data Templates page.
Absolutely not. There are necessarily different criteria for baccalaureate and graduate public health degrees, but no levels, classes, or tiers.
All schools and programs accredited by CEPH have met the criteria specified for their unique organizational settings and degree levels. All appear on our list of accredited schools and programs.
CEPH cannot provide a side-by-side comparison of the SBP and PHP/SPH accreditation criteria because some components do not translate to an undergraduate-only context. For example, certain PHP and SPH criteria (e.g., professional development needs of the community or research) are absent from the SBP criteria because we believe that they are not appropriate for all baccalaureate-only programs. Since undergraduate programs accredited in conjunction with graduate-level programs are integrated into schools or departments, CEPH looks at the whole unit of accreditation and addresses many criteria within that context.
The SBP criteria are specific to baccalaureate-only programs, but they are not less rigorous—they are simply different. If you want to read the criteria for PHP and SPH, they are easily accessible on our website under Criteria and Procedures. Keep in mind that SPH and PHP must address their baccalaureate programs throughout the entire self-study—as well as in the specific criteria relevant to curriculum.
Yes! The SBP criteria includes a glossary of terms. A “public health discipline” is defined as
“a degree entitled “public health” or a degree in a public health concentration or specialty area. These areas may include, but are not limited to, fields of study such as health education/promotion, global health, health services research, maternal and child health, health economics, epidemiology, or public health nutrition. This set of examples is not intended to be exhaustive.”
Again, CEPH views health education as an integral component of public health. We have a long history of considering health education as a public health discipline.
The designated program leader must dedicate at least 0.5 FTE to the program. The program must also demonstrate that it has, at a minimum, an additional 2.0 FTE per semester, trimester, or quarter. This means that there could be multiple faculty members who dedicate time to the program. For example, four qualified faculty members could allocate 0.5 FTE each to the program for a total of 2.0 FTE.
Adding an MPH to an SBP unit requires either a 1) formal change in accreditation category (from SBP to PHP) or 2) voluntary withdrawal from accreditation. To change your accreditation category to PHP, you must take the following steps:
1) Complete a notice of intent to transition from the SBP to PHP category. If you have already enrolled MPH students, this step is not applicable, and you must move to step 2 (below) immediately.
2) Complete an initial application submission (IAS). This process involves writing a self-study that responds to PHP criteria and conducting a full site visit. Your program would move out of the SBP category of accreditation and become a PHP with two degree levels (bachelor’s and master’s).
More information about transitions from SBP to PHP
Contact CEPH staff to discuss specific timing considerations for this type of transition.
Any program, regardless of prior SABPAC approval, that wishes to pursue CEPH accreditation must follow all policies and procedures related to the CEPH accreditation process.
Your university can seek to accredit multiple independent units at the same time if the units meet specific requirements. For example, if your university is seeking to accredit an SBP and a PHP or SPH, the reporting lines (i.e., units housed in different schools/colleges) must be distinct from each other and there must be independent faculty resources to meet the minimum requirements, as detailed in the criteria.
The fee schedule is updated annually and is always available on the CEPH website.
We are very excited and encouraged by the high level of interest from potential SBP site visitors. However, at this time we are not actively recruiting SBP site visitors. We will send out announcements to our SBP stakeholders when this opportunity becomes available.
If you do not see your question answered here, or would like to suggest a question for this page, please email [email protected] for further assistance.