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Program Accreditation

The Council of Education for Public Health (CEPH) is the independent agency recognized by the United States Department of Education to accredit graduate schools of public health and public health programs outside schools of public health, at the baccalaureate and graduate degree levels.

CEPH assists schools and programs in evaluating the quality of their instructional, research, and service efforts, and grants accreditation to those schools and programs that meet its published criteria. These schools and programs prepare students for entry into careers in public health. For more information regarding CEPH, please visit their website at https://ceph.org/.

CEPH's accreditation procedures require that the program undertake a self-evaluation, submit a self-study document, and host a team of qualified peer reviewers who validate the self-study during an on-site visit to the campus. The Upstate MPH Program completed its most recent self-study process and submitted a final self-study document in partial fulfillment of the requirements for accreditation on May 2nd, 2019. Subsequently, CEPH conducted their site visit June 2-4, 2019.


Upstate Public Health Self Study

To request a copy of either the Upstate Public Health Program final self-study document or the CEPH final accreditation report, please contact the Upstate Public Health Program Office via email at publichealth@upstate.edu.

Accreditation Decision

On January 2nd, 2020, the Upstate Public Health Program received official notice that our Master of Public Health Program (MPH) had been accredited for a five-year term, extending to December 31, 2024, with an interim report due in Fall 2020.

A copy of the official notification letter can be found by clicking the link below:


Why is Accreditation Important to Upstate Public Health?

The following benefits, taken in part from the CEPH website, are just some of the many benefits of accreditation:

  1. For the public, accreditation promotes the health, safety and welfare of society by assuring competent public health professionals.
  2. For prospective students and their parents, accreditation serves a consumer protection purpose. It provides assurance that the school or program has been evaluated and has met standards established by and with the profession.
  3. For prospective employers, it provides assurance that the curriculum covers essential skills and knowledge needed for today's jobs.
  4. For graduates, it promotes professional mobility and enhances employment opportunities in positions that base eligibility upon graduation from an accredited school or program.
  5. For public health workers, it involves practitioners in the establishment of standards and assures that educational requirements reflect the current training needs of the profession.
  6. For the profession, it advances the field by promoting standards of practice and advocating rigorous preparation.
  7. For foundations and other private funding sources, it represents a highly desirable indicator of a program's quality and viability.
  8. For faculty members and administrators, the accreditation process promotes ongoing self-evaluation and continuous improvement, and provides an effective system for accountability. It also ensures that the Faculty puts into place, and monitors, policies and procedures that enhance teaching and learning, research development and productivity, and community service.
  9. Accreditation will enhance the national and international reputation of the Upstate Public Health program.

For more information on accreditation, please visit the CEPH website or contact Zoreslava Osiv, at osivz@upstate.edu

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