If you’re looking for a Master’s in Public Health online, you have to be careful. While there has been a crackdown on fraudulent online schools, there’s still plenty of them out there. These schools prey on unsuspecting students who are looking to better their life by charging high prices for substandard education. There’s several things you can do to avoid these schools. One good practice to assess the quality of a school, and its Master’s in Public Health program, is by looking at its accreditation.
A top accreditation in public health is conferred by the Council on Education for Public Health, or CEPH. CEPH is an independent agency that has been recognized by the U.S. Department of Education to accredit schools of public health and other public health programs. CEPH accredits schools based on their plans to advance public health and promote student success. Graduation rates, post-graduation outcomes, alumni reviews of curriculum and many other factors are taken into account when CEPH certifies Public Health programs (mostly Master’s and some doctoral program).
If you’re looking to enter a program that has a concentration related to public health, yet distinct in its own right, you might consider the accreditation that concentration has received. For example, the University of Illinois Springfield offers a general Masters of Public Health in addition to a concentration in Environmental Health. That concentration is accredited by the National Environmental Science and Protection Accreditation Council.
If you’re looking for a top accredited MPH online program, a great resource is our ranking of a href=”https://www.onlinemastersinpublichealth.com/best-online-mph-degree-programs/”>the best online Master’s in public health. Here you’ll find many schools that have received CEPH accreditation, including the University of West Florida, Nova Southeastern University, the University of New England, the University of Southern California, and Des Moines University. Other programs on the ranking like American Public University and Walden University have applied for CEPH accreditation, and are hopefully in the process of receiving it.
Accreditation isn’t the only thing that matters when assessing the authenticity of an online school. It’s a great first step to make sure the education you’re going to receive has met standards and is recognized by employers and professionals in the field as a quality choice. However, many schools have accreditation but might not be a great fit for you. That’s why we ranked our top MPH programs by several metrics. All the schools on our list were ranked based on their Tuition and Opportunity Cost (60%), based on tuition and the estimated average earnings of students as they earn their degree, Prestige (20%), including the program’s requirements, based on average GRE/MCAT scores, and the percentage of applicants the program accepts, and Employment Statistics (20%), based on post-degree outcomes for students. Another great resource for assessing academic quality can be found in student reviews of online MPH programs.
So what are you waiting for? Access to information about accredited online MPH programs is literally at your fingertips. It’s your future, so explore it closely.