The Public Health program at Fairfield University’s Marion Peckham Egan School of Nursing and Health Studies has successfully transitioned to an accredited public health program by the Council on Education for Public Health (CEPH).
A benchmark of quality for public health education, the national accreditation signifies that Fairfield’s programs meet the highest professional standards for degrees in public health. The accreditation term extends until 2030.
“CEPH’s recognition not only reinforces our reputation for delivering high-quality education across our bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral public health programs but also affirms that our offerings meet rigorous, nationally defined standards of excellence," said Professor Anthony Santella, DrPH, MPH, MCHES, CPH, director of the Doctor of Public Health (DrPH) program.
Fairfield’s undergraduate degree in public health has been CEPH-accredited since 2019. The most recent decision extends the scope of that accreditation. Specifically, it denotes the school’s successful transition from an accredited standalone baccalaureate program to an accredited public health program, inclusive of its undergraduate and graduate degrees.
"The transition from a CEPH-accredited standalone baccalaureate program to a public health program means that we are meeting additional criteria related to involving students in decision-making, engaging stakeholders in shaping our curricula, and serving the public health workforce,” said Assistant Professor Kim Doughty, PhD, MPH, CHES, director of the Undergraduate Public Health program. “These activities offer new benefits to the students in the undergraduate program.”
The accreditation comes on the heels of two noteworthy achievements in the Public Health program: graduating the inaugural cohort of the Master of Public Health (MPH) program and launching the low-residency DrPH program. The latter established the first DrPH program in the state of Connecticut and is a transformative step toward empowering public health leaders.
Both online graduate programs offer a flexible learning environment and personalized mentorship from a dedicated public health career coach. They enroll students from a variety of geographical and educational backgrounds, which brings a diverse and multidisciplinary perspective to the complex issues of public health.
“The Public Health program at Fairfield is a leader in online and inclusive graduate studies, demonstrating a deep commitment to preparing public health professionals for future leadership roles,” said Marybec Griffin, PhD, MPH, MA, director of the MPH program.
CEPH is an independent agency recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. To learn more and to view a complete list of accredited programs, visit ceph.org.
