CEPH Accreditation
The Program in Public Health is proud to have been granted full accreditation by the Council on Education for Public Health (CEPH) through 2025.
The final Accreditation Self-Study was developed with active participation from a collaborative group of faculty, staff, students, alumni and other stakeholders.
Read CEPH's final report and visit the council website to learn more.
Thank you to all who took part in this process that is so important to the success of our program.
Program in Public Health (PPH) Competencies
D1. Graduate-Level Professional Foundational Public Health Knowledge (MPH, MSB, MSE)
D1.1. Explain public health history, philosophy and values
D1.2. Identify the core functions of public health and the 10 Essential Services
D1.3. Explain the role of quantitative and qualitative methods and sciences in describing and assessing a population’s health
D1.4. List major causes and trends of morbidity and mortality in the US or other community relevant to the school or program, with attention to disparities among populations, e.g., socioeconomic, ethnic, gender, racial, etc.
D1.5. Discuss the science of primary, secondary & tertiary prevention in population health, including health promotion, screening, etc
D1.6. Explain the critical importance of evidence in advancing public health knowledge
D1.7. Explain effects of environmental factors on a population’s health
D1.8. Explain biological and genetic factors that affect a population’s health
D1.9. Explain behavioral and psychological factors that affect a population’s health
D1.10. Explain the cultural, social, political and economic determinants of health and how the determinants relate to population health and health inequities
D1.11. Explain how globalization affects global burdens of disease
D1.12. Explain an ecological perspective on the connections among human health, animal health and ecosystem health (eg, One Health)
D2. MPH Foundational Competencies
D2.1. Apply epidemiological methods to the breadth of settings and situations in public health practice
D2.2. Select quantitative and qualitative data collection methods appropriate for a given public health context
D2.3. Analyze quantitative and qualitative data using biostatistics, informatics, computer-based programming and software, as appropriate
D2.4. Interpret results of data analysis for public health research, policy or practice
D2.5. Compare the organization, structure and function of health care, public health and regulatory systems across national and international settings
D2.6. Discuss the means by which structural bias, social inequities and racism undermine health and create challenges to achieving health equity at organizational, community and societal levels
D2.7. Assess population needs, assets and capacities that affect communities’ health
D2.8. Apply awareness of cultural values and practices to the design, implementation, or critique of public health policies or programs
D2.9. Design a population-based policy, program, project or intervention
D2.10. Explain basic principles and tools of budget and resource management
D2.11. Select methods to evaluate public health programs
D2.12. Discuss the policy-making process, including the roles of ethics and evidence
D2.13. Propose strategies to identify relevant communities and individuals and coalitions and partnerships for influencing public health outcomes
D2.14. Advocate for political, social or economic policies and programs that will improve health in diverse populations
D2.15. Evaluate policies for their impact on public health and health equity
D2.16. Apply leadership and/or management principles to address a relevant issue
D2.17. Apply negotiation and mediation skills to address organizational or community challenges
D2.18. Select communication strategies for different audiences and sectors
D2.19. Communicate audience-appropriate public health content, both in writing and through oral presentation to a non-academic, non-peer audience with attention to factors such as literacy and health literacy.
D2.20. Describe the importance of cultural humility in communicating public health content
D2.21. Integrate perspectives from other sectors and/or professions to promote and advance population health
D2.22. Apply a systems thinking tool to visually represent a public health issue in a format other than standard narrative
MPH Concentration Competencies
Community Health Research & Evaluation Concentration
CHRE1. Describe the factors that influence the health and wellbeing of communities.
CHRE2. Engage communities as partners in health research, intervention, and evaluation.
CHRE3. Apply relevant theories and methods to conduct community health research.
CHRE4. Design, implement, and evaluate evidence-based community health interventions.
CHRE5. Translate and disseminate research findings in collaboration with communities.
CHRE6. Optimize health equity across communities through centering minoritized voices.
Data Science Concentration
DS1. Critically Evaluate quantitative data and methodology in public health communications.
DS2. Achieve proficiency in the use of a software package that promotes sharing of data, analysis, and methods.
DS3. Use data to create and test hypotheses relevant to public health.
DS4. Formulate tests of health disparities in data related to public health.
DS5. Explain ethical challenges in the interpretation of data related to public health.
Epidemiology Concentration
EPI1. Critique the feasibility of study design as it pertains to sampling, data collection, and resource requirements
EPI2. Assess biological mechanisms of disease by applying knowledge of behavioral sciences and human and environmental biology
EPI3. Critique the validity of epidemiologic data, findings, and publications by applying knowledge of epidemiologic principles and methods.
EPI4. Describe molecular techniques commonly used in epidemiologic studies
EPI5. Formulate and apply plans for data cleaning and management using statistical analysis software
Global Health Concentration
GLO1. Critique major global public health priorities and the reasons for their prioritization
GLO 2. Apply demographic, epidemiologic and anthropologic methods to assess health disparities at local and global levels.
GLO 3. Develop systems to monitor progress toward targets, objectives, and goals and evaluate programs and their operational components.
GLO 4. Operate in partnership with local, national and international organizations engaged in the health and social sectors.
GLO 5. Apply systems thinking to promote integrative global health across different disciplinary domains and organizational levels.
Generalist Concentration (Students in this concentration choose 5 competencies from this list)
CHRE1. Describe the factors that influence the health and wellbeing of communities.
CHRE2. Engage communities as partners in health research, intervention, and evaluation.
CHRE3. Apply relevant theories and methods to conduct community health research.
CHRE4. Design, implement, and evaluate evidence-based community health interventions.
CHRE5. Translate and disseminate research findings in collaboration with communities.
CHRE6. Optimize health equity across communities through centering minoritized voices.
DS1. Critically Evaluate quantitative data and methodology in public health communications.
DS2. Achieve proficiency in the use of a software package that promotes sharing of data, analysis, and methods.
DS3. Use data to create and test hypotheses relevant to public health.
DS4. Formulate tests of health disparities in data related to public health.
DS5. Explain ethical challenges in the interpretation of data related to public health.
EPI1. Describe molecular techniques and laboratory resources commonly used in epidemiologic studies
EPI2. Evaluate current knowledge of causes of disease to guide epidemiologic practice
EPI3. Assess biological mechanisms of disease by applying knowledge of behavioral sciences and human and environmental biology.
EPI4. Critique the validity of epidemiologic data, findings, and publications by applying knowledge of epidemiologic principles and methods
EPI5. Formulate and apply plans for data cleaning and management using statistical analysis software
GLO1. Critique major global public health priorities and the reasons for their prioritization
GLO2. Apply demographic, epidemiologic and anthropologic methods to assess health disparities at local and global levels.
GLO 3. Develop systems to monitor progress toward targets, objectives, and goals and evaluate programs and their operational components.
GLO4. Operate in partnership with local, national and international organizations engaged in the health and social sectors.
GLO5. Apply systems thinking to promote integrative global health across different disciplinary domains and organizational levels.
MSB2. Use computer-based statistical analysis package(s) to manage data;
MSB3. Develop visualized data using computer-based statistical analysis package(s);
MSB4. Analyze data employing computer-based statistical analysis package(s);
MSB5. Implement sample size and power calculations for a range of experimental designs;
MSB8. Calculate epidemiological measures of association between risk factors and disease;
MSB11. Apply ethical and regulatory standards to human subjects research.
MPH Joint Degree Concentration Competencies
MD/MPH Joint Degree Concentration
MD1. Demonstrate knowledge about behavioral, environmental, socioeconomic, organizational and cultural dynamics that can affect individual, community, public or global health.
MD2. Demonstrate knowledge of epidemiology, biostatistics and the principles of primary, secondary, and tertiary prevention of disease to make medical decisions
MD3. Describe healthcare finance and delivery in various healthcare systems, and demonstrate the ability to effectively call on system resources to provide care that is of optimal value.
MD4. Construct clinical and research questions and apply information to solve them. Retrieve, analyze and critically appraise literature
MD5. Facilitate difficult health care conversations with patients and colleagues. Display awareness of barriers including language, health literacy and psychosocial needs