The bachelor of science degree in public health program offered at Syracuse University’s Falk College was recently accredited by the Council on Education for Public Health.

The David B. Falk College of Sport and Human Dynamics became one of the first colleges in New York state to receive accreditation from the council.

Maureen Thompson, an associate professor who was part of the public health faculty that led the CEPH accreditation team, said she believes the accreditation process overall was a new and eye-opening experience for the faculty members involved.

Faculty members participated in a two-year long critical review of the public health curriculum, Thompson said. This included evaluating program resources and program effectiveness overall.

CEPH accreditation is based on the quality of an institution’s program that prepares its students to enter the public health field through different careers, Thompson said. In terms of earning and maintaining accreditation, the institution has to meet certain standards concerning leadership, management and governance, resources and more, she added.

“It’s important that students know they are studying at an accredited program because it opens up more opportunities for them in the field,” said Dessa Bergen-Cico, an associate public health professor and certified health education specialist.

There are very few accredited public health programs in the country, so the CEPH accreditation is beneficial for all public health majors, she added.

The primary goals and objectives of the council, according to the CEPH website, are: to promote quality public health education through self-evaluation by accredited programs, to assure the public that colleges offering degrees in public health meet certain standards and to push for improvements in education about public health.

The accreditation process, Thompson said, is a way to assure the public that Falk’s bachelor’s program in public health meets academic and societal needs consistent with SU’s mission to prepare students and leaders in a changing health care environment.

“At the conclusion, the faculty were more knowledgeable of the curriculum — its parts and the whole — more aware of the importance of academic assessment and assured that our program met national professional standards,” she said.

Published on November 2, 2016 at 12:35 am

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