Our MPH program has been continuously accredited by the Council on Education for Public Health since 1974. CEPH is the private nonprofit organization, with the American Public Health Association and the Associated Schools of Public Health as its two corporate members, that accredits all Schools and Programs of Public Health. CEPH’s mission “assures quality in public health education and training to achieve excellence in practice, research and service, through collaboration with organizational and community partners.” Accreditation requires vigilant adherence to CEPH’s guidelines and establishes a continuous cycle of program development, self-study, and evaluation. The CEPH objectives and accreditation criteria are publicly available at the CEPH website: www.ceph.org.

The CEPH criteria guide faculty stewardship and development of the program, and assist us in ensuring that our program is secure, contemporary, grounded in public health values and commitments, and a vital part of the university. The current accreditation criteria are grouped under four major categories: The Public Health Program; Instructional Program; Creation, Application and Advancement of Knowledge; and Faculty, Staff and Students. The most recent Accreditation Report and Appendix are available to view upon request in the HSR Department Office.  

Community Health Education is the specialty area of the MPH degree offered by SJSU. Our curriculum in this area is guided by advanced health education competencies prescribed by our profession. Graduates of our program are expected to develop advanced competencies within each of these broad areas of responsibility:

• Assess needs, assets, and capacity for health education
• Plan health education
• Implement health education
• Conduct evaluation and research related to health education
• Administer and manage health education
• Serve as a health education resource person
• Communicate and advocate for health and health education

A detailed list of advanced competencies and sub-competencies under each area of health education responsibility is available from the National Center for Health Education Credentialing: www.nchec.org/credentialing/responsibilities/.