Public Health program reaccredited

The UNC Charlotte Public Health program has received full seven-year reaccreditation from the Council on Education for Public Health (CEPH), a national accrediting agency recognized by the U.S. Department of Education.

The program consists of the bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degree options in the Department of Public Health Sciences.

UNC Charlotte is one of four universities in North Carolina that offer CEPH-accredited public health degrees; UNC Charlotte and UNC Chapel Hill are the only universities in the state that offers a CEPH-accredited programs at the Bachelor of Science, Master of Science and Ph.D. level.

CEPH accreditation is a multi-stage process beginning with a self-study that documents program effectiveness in 27 areas of evaluation.

These areas cover the mission, vision and values of the program; curriculum; explicit student competencies; the training and research productivity of the faculty; and metrics related to program effectiveness.

A three-day site visit follows submission of the self-study. During the site visit, CEPH evaluators review every aspect of the program. They meet with students, staff, administrators, faculty and Department of Public Health community advisory board and examine student files and records. The site visit culminates with a preliminary report on whether the program successfully meets the detailed criteria. This determination is followed up by a final determination when the full council meets approximately 6-8 months later.

“CEPH accreditation is a reliable indicator that a program has met the highest standards of the discipline. It helps the Department of Public Health Sciences attract excellent students and is a measure of the College’s commitment to top quality teaching, research and service,” said Nancy Fey-Yensan, dean of the College of Health and Human Services.

The Public Health Program at UNC Charlotte was first accredited in 2007. The re-accreditation is effective through December 2021.