Accreditation

In July 2018, the University of Alberta's School of Public Health was reaccredited for seven years by the U.S. Council on Education for Public Health (CEPH). The School became the first accredited school of public health in Canada in 2012, and is the longest standing accredited program in Canada.

The University of Alberta School of Public Health is accredited by the Council on Education for Public Health as a public health program.

CEPH accreditation applies only to the following programs:
Professional Public Health Degrees
  • MPH in Applied Biostatistics
  • MPH in Environmental & Occupational Health
  • MPH in Epidemiology
  • MPH in Food Safety
  • MPH in Global Health
  • MPH in Health Policy & Management
  • MPH in Health Promotion
Academic Public Health Degrees
  • MSc Clinical Epidemiology
  • MSc Environmental Health Sciences
  • MSc Epidemiology
  • MSc General Public Health
  • MSc Global Health
  • MSc Health Policy Research
  • MSc Health Promotion and Socio-behavioural Sciences
  • PhD Epidemiology
  • PhD Health Promotion and Socio-behavioural Sciences
  • PhD Health Services and Policy Research
  • PhD Public Health
Accreditation does not apply to the unit as a whole, and other degrees and areas of study offered by this institution are not included in the unit of accreditation review.
Accreditation means that the School of Public Health has voluntarily held itself to a set of quality standards, and will continue to do so. This positions the School to attract the brightest and best students and researchers.
  • Applicants and students can feel confident knowing that our School has received the stamp of approval from the Council on Education for Public Health.
  • Employers can feel confident knowing that our graduates are well prepared to enter the workplace and take on challenges in a career that is focused on promoting and protecting the health of people.
  • The public can feel confident knowing that graduates from the School are well prepared professionals with the training needed to improve health by identifying, preventing and solving public health problems.
CEPH is sponsored by the American Public Health Association and the Association of Schools of Public Health in the United States.
To learn more about accreditation and what it means for students, the public and others we serve, please see Accreditation FAQs.

Accreditation FAQs

What is accreditation?
Accreditation is a review by experts of the quality of higher education institutions and their programs. It is an important way for students, employers, government and the public to know that an institution offers a quality program to successfully prepare students to work in their chosen field.
What does it mean to be accredited by the Council on Education for Public Health?
It means that the school and institution have met a variety of established standards related to organization; instructional programs; research activities; and faculty, staff and students.
What is the Council on Education for Public Health?

The Council on Education for Public Health (CEPH) is an independent agency recognized by the U.S. Department of Education to accredit schools of public health and public health programs offered in settings other than schools of public health.

These schools and programs prepare students for entry into careers in public health. The primary professional degree is the master of public health (MPH) but other baccalaureate, master's and doctoral degrees are offered as well.

What is the purpose of the Council on Education for Public Health?
The goal of the Council is to enhance health in human populations through organized community effort. The Council's focus is the improvement of health through the assurance of professional personnel who are able to identify, prevent and solve community health problems. This includes accrediting schools of public health and public health programs.
Does CEPH accredit public health schools and programs outside of the U.S.?
CEPH accredits a limited number of units located outside of the US. These units must meet the same standards as US-based universities.
What is the difference between a school and a program?

CEPH accredits three categories of accreditation: schools of public health (SPH), public health programs (PHP) and standalone baccalaureate programs (SBP). Institutions belonging to these categories have the same, full accreditation status.

The major difference visible to prospective students is that schools of public health generally offer many more concentrations or specializations and degree offerings than public health programs.

Schools must offer at least the MPH in the five areas of public health knowledge defined as core areas.

Programs are only required to offer a single MPH degree. Also, schools must offer doctoral programs, while programs are not required to.

Are there any statistics about CEPH accredited schools and programs?
CEPH has compiled data about the number of accredited schools and programs, accredited online degrees and applicants: accreditation statistics.