Where Can I Get a CEPH Accredited Online MPH Degree?

Not all online MPH degree programs are the same.

You’ve probably already come to this realization if you’ve spent any time exploring the different online Master of Public Health (MPH) degree programs that are currently available. The costs of different programs can vary significantly, for example. Some schools require more credits to graduate than others. Different programs often have different areas of focus. Some programs require occasional short visits to the campus while others are offered entirely online. And some online MPH degree programs are offered by schools that are more prestigious than others.

How then does a person narrow the choices down to find the programs that offer the best return on investment? Are there some MPH programs that employers prefer to see on resumes? Are there some online MPH programs that are generally considered better choices than others in the academic world?

There is a very simple way to address all of these questions.

Perhaps the best way to narrow your choices to find the programs that are consider the best of the best is to consider the accreditation of both the school and the MPH program it offers. It can be a bit tricky though since there are two different types of accreditation you should consider. The first is the accreditation of the college or university that offers the program. In the United States this type of accreditation is known as regional accreditation. The second type of accreditation is program accreditation, a type of accreditation for the MPH degree program itself. The agency that accredits or oversees MPH programs is the Council on Education for Public Health (CEPH).

Let’s take a look at both types of accreditation.

Accreditation for Schools and Online MPH Degree Programs

Regional Accreditation for Schools

The type of accreditation that most colleges and universities in the United States hold is known as regional accreditation. It is known as “regional accreditation” because there are actually six of these agencies that separately accredit the schools that fall within their specific geographic regions. It is only necessary for a school to have accreditation from one of these agencies to be considered accredited. The six regional accrediting agencies are:

The Middle States Commission on Higher Education

The New England Association of Schools and Colleges

The Higher Learning Commission

The Northwestern Accreditation Commission

The Southern Association of Colleges and Schools

The Western Association of Schools and Colleges

It’s very easy to determine if the school you are considering has regional accreditation. From the school’s website, simply type in “accreditation” in the search box. This will take you to the web page that talks about the school’s accreditation. You should first look to see if one of the previously mentioned agencies is listed. You can double-check a school’s regional accreditation by going directly to the website of the regional agency the school claims accreditation from and making sure the school is listed.

The second type of accreditation you should look for is program accreditation. Specifically, accreditation from the CEPH

Online MPH Program Accreditation

Program accreditation is different from regional accreditation. Whereas regional accreditation covers an entire school, program accreditation only covers a specific school within a university, or in some cases specific degree programs. Law schools, for example, hold program accreditation from the American Bar Association (ABA). Psychology programs are accredited by the American Psychological Association (APA). And engineering programs are accredited by the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET).

The Council on Education for Public Health (CEPH) is the premiere agency for accrediting MPH programs.

It’s important to note that there is technically no requirement that any MPH program hold CEPH accreditation. Accreditation is considered voluntary. Some MPH programs are accredited by this agency, while others are not.

Why would you want to narrow your choices to CEPH accredited online MPH programs? Because having this accreditation increases the value of the degree in employer’s eyes. Having CEPH accreditation means a particular MPH program has either met or exceeded certain academic standards established by the agency.

Since achieving CEPH accreditation requires a school to place its MPH program under the accrediting agency’s microscope, and also because acquiring this accreditation is both expensive and time-consuming, only the best schools tend to have this accreditation. An example of such a school is The George Washington University (GWU).

The George Washington University’s Online MPH Program

George Washington University is an excellent example of a school that holds both regional accreditation and CEPH accreditation for its online MPH degree program. The prestigious university, which is located in the Foggy Bottom neighborhood of Washington, D.C., holds regional accreditation from the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools. In addition, the school’s MPH degree program is also fully accredited by the CEPH.

GWU’s online MPH degree program requires the completion of 45 credit hours to graduate. Available areas of focus include Health Communication, Health Policy, Program Planning and Evaluation, and Global Health. The innovative program was designed to offer its online students the exact same learning outcomes as students pursuing the degree on-campus.

Several options are available for completing GWU’s online MPH program for both full-time and part-time students. An accelerated one-year option is also available.

The Accreditation Makes All the Difference

CEPH accreditation adds significant value to online MPH degree programs. Many employers know how rigorous and expensive it is for a school to acquire this accreditation. Because of this, many employers do prefer to hire graduates of these programs over graduates of other MPH programs.

The George Washington University is a great example of a school that has an online MPH program with CEPH accreditation, but it’s certainly not the only option. A few additional examples of schools with online MPH programs that are CEPH accredited include Emory University, Johns Hopkins University, University of Arizona, University of Florida, and others.

The CEPH has made it very easy to find online MPH degree programs they accredit. If you go to the organization’s website (ceph.org), there is a search function that gives you the ability to narrow your search by degree (MPH) and also by mode of delivery (online).

If you are looking for a way to narrow your choices of online MPH degree programs to the best of the best, be sure to look for those programs that are accredited by the CEPH. It will increase your chances in the job market, and you will know with certainty that you graduated from a program with high academic standards.