REVIEW FOR ACCREDITATION OF THE PUBLIC HEALTH PROGRAM GEORGIA REGENTS UNIVERSITY

Transcription

1 Council on Education for Public Health Adopted on June 13, 2015 REVIEW FOR ACCREDITATION OF THE PUBLIC HEALTH PROGRAM AT GEORGIA REGENTS UNIVERSITY COUNCIL ON EDUCATION FOR PUBLIC HEALTH SITE VISIT DATES: November 10-11, 2014 SITE VISIT TEAM: John Davies-Cole, PhD, MPH, Chair Michael Mink, PhD, MPA SITE VISIT COORDINATOR: Kristen S. Varol, MPH, CHES

2 Table of Contents Introduction... 1 Characteristics of a Public Health Program THE PUBLIC HEALTH PROGRAM Mission Evaluation and Planning Institutional Environment Organization and Administration Governance Fiscal Resources Faculty and Other Resources Diversity INSTRUCTIONAL PROGRAMS Degree Offerings Program Length Public Health Core Knowledge Practical Skills Culminating Experience Required Competencies Assessment Procedures Bachelor s Degrees in Public Health Academic Degrees Doctoral Degrees Joint Degrees Distance Education or Executive Degree Programs CREATION, APPLICATION AND ADVANCEMENT OF KNOWLEDGE Research Service Workforce Development FACULTY, STAFF AND STUDENTS Faculty Qualifications Faculty Policies and Procedures Student Recruitment and Admissions Advising and Career Counseling Agenda... 28

3 Introduction This report presents the findings of the Council on Education for Public Health (CEPH) regarding the Public Health Program at Georgia Regents University (GRU). The report assesses the program s compliance with the Accreditation Criteria for Public Health Programs, amended June This accreditation review included the conduct of a self-study process by program constituents, the preparation of a document describing the program and its features in relation to the criteria for accreditation, and a visit in November 2014 by a team of external peer reviewers. During the visit, the team had an opportunity to interview program and university officials, administrators, teaching faculty, students, alumni and community representatives and to verify information in the self-study document by reviewing materials provided in a resource file. The team was afforded full cooperation in its efforts to assess the program and verify the selfstudy document. GRU was formed from the consolidation of Augusta State University and Georgia Health Sciences University in January The Medical College of Georgia, which previously housed the MPH program, became one of the colleges within Georgia Health Sciences University in Today, it is one of the colleges within GRU. GRU includes nine colleges with nearly 10,000 students, about 1,200 faculty members and 5,000 staff members. It houses the nation's 13th-oldest medical school (the Medical College of Georgia) and the state's only dental college. The MPH program is housed in the College of Allied Health Sciences and draws on resources from multiple departments within the college. The program director reports directly to the dean. The program was launched in 2005 and received an initial accreditation term of five years in As a result of the first review, the Council required the program to submit interim reports related to its processes for evaluation and planning and student assessment. The interim report submitted in 2011 was found to provide evidence of compliance with these criteria. Since the last review, the program also submitted a substantive change notice related to the expansion of its concentration offerings from one area to three. This is the program s second accreditation review. 1

4 Characteristics of a Public Health Program To be considered eligible for accreditation review by CEPH, a public health program shall demonstrate the following characteristics: a. The program shall be a part of an institution of higher education that is accredited by a regional accrediting body recognized by the US Department of Education or its equivalent in other countries. b. The program and its faculty and students shall have the same rights, privileges and status as other professional preparation programs that are components of its parent institution. c. The program shall function as a collaboration of disciplines, addressing the health of populations and the community through instruction, research and service. Using an ecological perspective, the public health program should provide a special learning environment that supports interdisciplinary communication, promotes a broad intellectual framework for problem solving and fosters the development of professional public health values. d. The public health program shall maintain an organizational culture that embraces the vision, goals and values common to public health. The program shall maintain this organizational culture through leadership, institutional rewards and dedication of resources in order to infuse public health values and goals into all aspects of the program s activities. e. The program shall have faculty and other human, physical, financial and learning resources to provide both breadth and depth of educational opportunity in the areas of knowledge basic to public health. At a minimum, the program shall offer the Master of Public Health (MPH) degree, or an equivalent professional degree. f. The program shall plan, develop and evaluate its instructional, research and service activities in ways that assure sensitivity to the perceptions and needs of its students and that combines educational excellence with applicability to the world of public health practice. These characteristics are evident in the MPH program at GRU. The program is located in a regionally accredited university, and its faculty and students have the same rights, privileges and status as other professional programs. The program supports interdisciplinary communication and collaboration through research partnerships, close interaction with the departments in the College of Allied Health Sciences and relationships with public health organizations and practitioners that contribute to teaching, research and service activities. The program defines a mission, goals, objectives and values that clearly support an organizational culture aligned with broader public health values and goals. The program s resources support offering the MPH degree in three concentration areas. The program plans and evaluates its educational, research and service offerings on a regular basis. All planning and evaluation activities are structured to allow the program to monitor its ability to meet the needs of its student body and the populations these students reach while enrolled and after graduation. 2

5 1.0 THE PUBLIC HEALTH PROGRAM. 1.1 Mission. The program shall have a clearly formulated and publicly stated mission with supporting goals, objectives and values. This criterion is partially met. The program has a clear and concise mission statement with supporting goals and objectives. The program made major revisions to its mission, goals and objectives after shifting its focus from a single concentration in health informatics to an MPH program with three concentration areas. The Leadership Committee was responsible for revising the program values statement so that it is consistent with the newly developed mission and aligned with the university s institutional values. The revised mission, goals and objectives were reviewed by the Advisory Committee and approved by the Accreditation Committee. The mission, goals and objectives are also regularly reviewed by students, alumni, community partners and institutional representatives. The program conducts an annual review of these statements, and changes are made as recommendations are received from stakeholders. The program s mission is as follows: The mission of the MPH program is to prepare leaders who are proficient in applying and disseminating an interdisciplinary knowledge base and skill set, to prevent, improve the delivery of health services, and promote the health of populations. Students of various academic and career backgrounds are brought together to receive advanced education in disease prevention, health management, health promotion topics with special emphasis on research, service, and practice, seeking to improve outcomes for diverse groups, organizations, and communities. The MPH program has adopted six core values: collegiality, compassion, excellence, inclusivity, integrity and leadership. To ensure that each of these values is incorporated, program leaders have identified four overarching goals related to instruction, research, service and leadership. For each of these goals, the program has developed measurable objectives and outcome indicators. The concern relates to the need to review the targets stated in the measurable objectives to ensure that they are challenging enough to continue moving the program forward. Site visitors expected that most targets would be easily met or exceeded, and this was confirmed by the data provided in Criterion 1.2. This issue was identified in the program s last accreditation review, and while it was understandable for a fledging program, more progress would be expected at this stage of development. 1.2 Evaluation and Planning. The program shall have an explicit process for monitoring and evaluating its overall efforts against its mission, goals and objectives; for assessing the program s effectiveness in serving its various constituencies; and for using evaluation results in ongoing planning and decision making to achieve its mission. As part of the evaluation process, the program must conduct an analytical self-study that analyzes performance against the accreditation criteria. 3

6 This criterion is met. The MPH program has developed and implemented an evaluation system to monitor performance in achieving its objectives related to program effectiveness. Reviewers determined that improved measures, as discussed in Criterion 1.1, would contribute to an even more robust and useful monitoring and evaluation process. The self-study describes a continuous review of data on program outcomes collected throughout the year. The program has set up a systematic process to collect, monitor and use data. Worthy of note is the establishment of a separate evaluation office and the use of CampusLab software for data storage and retrieval. The site visit team determined that this was a major accomplishment that would ensure that all program activities and planning are data-driven. The MPH program director is responsible for coordinating and overseeing all data collection, analysis, reporting and action. Continuous input for program action is provided by faculty, students, alumni and community representatives throughout the year. The program has carefully identified responsible parties for each data source tied to specific program objectives. The MPH Leadership Committee reviews outcomes and makes recommendations for program planning. MPH faculty members play a critical role in program evaluation through their involvement in various committees. The Advisory Committee provides input on a number of program actions such as enrollment, student retention rates, graduation, curricula and the culminating experience. Students interviewed by the site visit team confirmed that they are part of the evaluation process and are able to provide comments and recommendations to faculty members as well as to the Advisory Committee. Faculty said that feedback received through students end-of-semester evaluations are used to make improvements to various aspects of courses. The MPH program director took primary responsibility for preparing the self study document over an 18 month period (beginning in spring 2013), with ongoing data support from the MPH Assessment Committee and in regular consultation with the MPH Accreditation Committee. The MPH program director also obtained periodic input on various sections of the self study from the MPH Leadership Committee and the MPH Advisory Committee. The program conducted a current-student focus group in spring 2014 to obtain qualitative input on the mission, goals and objectives, competencies and various orientation materials and program manuals. Several MPH students also participated in the December 2013 and June 2014 meetings of the MPH Advisory Committee. Students and community members who met with site visitors said that they had multiple opportunities to provide feedback during the self-study process. 4

7 1.3 Institutional Environment. The program shall be an integral part of an accredited institution of higher education. This criterion is met. GRU is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools. Its last review was in 2012, and it must be reaffirmed in In addition to CEPH, GRU reports to 25 specialized accreditors in such areas as business, nursing, music, clinical laboratory sciences, medicine, occupational therapy, radiological technology and psychology. In January 2013, GRU was formed by the consolidation of two colleges in the University System of Georgia: Augusta State University and Georgia Health Sciences University. In fall 2013, the university included 5,643 (63%) undergraduate or certificate students and 3,352 (37%) graduate students. GRU employs nearly 1,200 faculty members and offers more than 100 degree programs via both traditional and distance education. The university includes nine schools and colleges, the Georgia Regents Medical Center, the Children s Hospital of Georgia and outpatient clinics. The University System of Georgia s Constitutional Board of Regents establishes policies and procedures to guide the system as a coordinated whole. The Board of Regents includes one member from each congressional district in the state and five additional members from the state at large, appointed by the governor and confirmed by the Senate. The board is responsible for the government, control and management of the system as a whole and for all the institutions within the system. The GRU organizational structure includes a senior leadership group of 11 officers who report to the university president. This group includes five executive or senior vice presidents (academic affairs/provost, administration and finance, external affairs, research, clinical affairs) and six officers who oversee legal affairs, audits, compliance, athletics and the Cancer Center. The executive vice president for academic affairs/provost is responsible for the oversight of the nine schools and colleges. The MPH program is housed within the College of Allied Health Sciences. The college awards 17 bachelor s, master s and doctoral degrees as well as post-baccalaureate certificates in 11 disciplines. The college includes eight departments (dental hygiene; medical illustration; medical labor, imaging and radiological sciences; occupational therapy; physical therapy; physician assistant; health management and informatics; and clinical and environmental health sciences). The latter two departments house components of the MPH program. The program director submits budget requests to the dean for consideration in the annual allocation process. Throughout the year, the program director can also submit budget adjustment requests to the dean if unanticipated expenses arise. The dean sets priorities for all programs within the college, and the 5

8 executive vice president for academic affairs/provost finalizes budget approvals and resource allocation requests. MPH program faculty initiate requests for new faculty hires. Based on faculty input, the appropriate department chair (depending on which concentration requests a faculty hire) submits a written request to the dean. The dean forwards approved requests to the provost. MPH faculty, in consultation with the program director, department chairs and dean, develop the position description and search procedures for approved faculty lines. The dean appoints a search committee based on recommendations from the program director and department chairs. The search committee submits recommendations to the dean, who in turn makes a final hiring decision in consultation with the provost. The MPH Accreditation Committee and the MPH Curriculum, Internship & Capstone Committee have oversight of the academic standards and curricula for the program. The college s Faculty Council, the dean and the Graduate Council review and approve proposed curricular changes before being forwarded to higher-level university administrators. The academic leadership team who met with site visitors said that the consolidation of the university created a strong environment for programs such as the MPH to grow. Program leaders have remained flexible and responsive to student needs, which prevented them from losing any momentum during the restructuring of the university system. 1.4 Organization and Administration. The program shall provide an organizational setting conducive to public health learning, research and service. The organizational setting shall facilitate interdisciplinary communication, cooperation and collaboration that contribute to achieving the program s public health mission. The organizational structure shall effectively support the work of the program s constituents. This criterion is met. The program has an organizational structure that is conducive to public health learning, research and service. The program is administered as a standalone program within the College of Allied Health Sciences, and the MPH program director reports directly to the dean. The Department of Health Management & Informatics houses two MPH concentrations (health informatics and health management), and primary faculty in these concentration areas report directly to the department chair. This department also offers undergraduate and post-baccalaureate certificate programs in health information administration. The Department of Clinical & Environmental Health Sciences houses the MPH concentration in environmental health. This department offers undergraduate and post-baccalaureate certificate programs in respiratory therapy and graduate programs in the clinical health sciences (eg, nutrition). 6

9 The MPH program director, concentration coordinators (MPH faculty members who support the program director with managing processes as they apply to their respective concentrations) and program staff constitute the MPH Program Office. This office is responsible for overseeing and developing the MPH program, which includes processes related to recruitment, marketing and promotion; applications and admissions; new-student orientation and academic advising; maintenance of student records; internship and capstone coordination; and data collection on program outcome measures. Department chairs housing MPH concentrations are involved in program planning and must set goals and objectives as part of the strategic planning process; allocate resources to market and promote the program; and recruit and develop MPH faculty. Department chairs are also responsible for maintaining an organizational culture that embraces the mission, goals and values of the program through leadership, rewards and dedication of resources to infuse public health values into departmental activities. The program s expansion into three concentration areas and the consolidation of two universities with different missions and cultures has increased the program s ability to do interdisciplinary work and benefit from the varied expertise of more individuals. Faculty from the Medical College of Georgia, the College of Nursing, the Pamplin College of Arts and Social Sciences and the Hull College of Business are involved in required and elective courses available to MPH students. Several MPH faculty members have received intramural research grants from the recently established Institute of Public and Preventive Health at GRU. These grants are intended to foster community-based, interdisciplinary research at the university. 1.5 Governance. The program administration and faculty shall have clearly defined rights and responsibilities concerning program governance and academic policies. Students shall, where appropriate, have participatory roles in the conduct of program evaluation procedures, policy setting and decision making. This criterion is met. The program has clearly defined rights and responsibilities related to program governance and academic policies. All MPH faculty are involved in governance through the six standing committees and regular faculty meetings. The MPH Leadership Committee comprises the dean, program director and concentration coordinators. The committee leads program policy development and planning and is responsible for integrating stakeholder feedback and recommendations into program outcomes data. This group of leaders also conducts reviews of the program, reviews opportunities for interdisciplinary collaboration in teaching and research, identifies opportunities to market the program and reviews the MPH website and catalog annually. This committee, under the direction of the dean and program director, has general oversight responsibility over all other committees. The MPH Leadership Committee meets every two to three months throughout the year. 7

10 The 12-member MPH Advisory Committee includes community representatives, campus representatives, faculty members and students. MPH students and alumni are invited to participate in committee meetings on an ad hoc basis. The committee meets once a semester to discuss ideas related to curricular changes, career development services, targeted recruitment and program growth and development. Committee members also serve as a voice for the program and promote partnerships with community organizations and funding agencies. The MPH Accreditation Committee is charged with evaluating program policies and outcome measures, including competencies, course evaluations and internship and capstone experiences. The committee oversaw the development of the preliminary and final self-study documents for this accreditation review and will continue meeting in the future to prepare the CEPH annual report and substantive change notices. The MPH program director communicates with department chairs about program planning and evaluation at these meetings, and the dean communicates key program plans and milestones. The committee will meet every two to three months in the future and includes MPH faculty members, program and institutional leaders and college administrators. The MPH Admissions Committee meets on an as-needed basis to review all program applicants and determine their qualifications for acceptance into the program. The committee implements GRU s admissions and enrollment policies, develops strategies for student recruitment and updates admissions criteria. The MPH Admissions Committee reviews all MPH applications and makes recommendations to the dean of the Graduate School. Five MPH faculty members serve on the committee. Students must file a graduation application during their final semester. The program director reviews and approves the completed study plan, and the Graduate School evaluates whether all objectives have been met. The MPH Curriculum, Internship, and Capstone Committee meets annually to review the MPH curriculum, course syllabi and course evaluations and to assess alignment between learning objectives and program competencies. The committee reports gaps to the MPH Accreditation Committee and MPH Leadership Committee for further action. All primary MPH faculty serve on this committee. The MPH Assessment Committee includes program leaders and college administrators who develop, review and revise survey instruments as needed, including the MPH current student survey, the MPH student exit survey, the MPH alumni survey and the MPH graduate employer survey. The committee collects and summarizes results from these surveys and from the end-of-semester course evaluations, integrates qualitative results with quantitative feedback and makes recommendations to the MPH Leadership Committee. This group is newly formed and will meet one to two times each year. 8

11 Program faculty follow the college and university Faculty Appointment, Development, Promotion & Tenure guidelines. The department chair, dean, provost and president have clearly defined roles in the evaluation process. In addition, the MPH program director works closely with the departments housing MPH concentrations to ensure faculty quality and performance. The self-study shows that all primary faculty members serve on program- and college-level committees, and most serve on university committees as well. At the university level, the MPH program is represented on such committees as the GRU Graduate Council, the Faculty Senate Executive Committee, the GRU Promotion & Tenure Committee, the GRU Biosafety Committee, the Institute of Public and Preventive Health Leadership Council and the GRU Trauma Interdisciplinary Group for Research. Students have opportunities to be involved in program planning and governance by responding to program surveys and course evaluations, participating in student focus groups and serving on the MPH Advisory Committee. Students are involved in the annual MPH New Student Orientation and are invited to meet with faculty search candidates during the interview process and provide written feedback about their impressions. Students told site visitors that faculty are extremely receptive to their input and could cite examples of program changes that directly resulted. For example, some online courses added more web conferencing sessions and the internship hours were substantially increased to allow students to do more in-depth work. While a student organization was starting during the last accreditation review, it has disbanded. The online environment and part-time enrollment of many students presents challenges to developing a robust student group; however, students have found other ways to contribute to the program, work together and perform service activities. The alumni, community partners and preceptors who met with the site visit team said that the program regularly contacts them to seek feedback and to notify them of events and other opportunities to be involved. Some were members of the MPH Advisory Committee and said those meetings are a forum for students, faculty and external stakeholders to brainstorm and work together. They appreciated hearing from students in particular during those meetings. The group who met with site visitors were all in agreement that program faculty work to build partnerships with them and all felt comfortable going directly to the program director or dean with ideas, requests and other feedback. 1.6 Fiscal Resources. The program shall have financial resources adequate to fulfill its stated mission and goals, and its instructional, research and service objectives. This criterion is met. The program has the financial resources to fulfill its stated mission, goals and objectives. Financial support for the program comes primarily from tuition, fees and state appropriations, with a small amount of additional revenue from external grants, contracts, gifts and other sources. Over 9

12 the past five years, total revenues for the program averaged $434,398 per year, which included $420,457 from tuition, fees and state appropriation, as shown in Table 1. During each of the five years reported, revenues matched or exceeded expenditures, suggesting that revenues are adequate to support the financial needs of the program. Table 1. Sources of Funds and Expenditures, to Source of Funds Tuition, Fees & State $383,684 $468,702 $436,496 $384,480 $428,923 Appropriations Extramural $10,054 $44,163 $15,024 $0 $0 Grants/Contracts Intramural Grants $0 $18,000 $0 $10,560 $39,440 Gifts $303 $0 $0 $0 $0 Faculty Practice $181 $3,288 $990 $0 $0 Mid-year Funding $0 $5,760 $0 $0 $0 from Provost Total $384,168 $521,913 $452,510 $384,480 $428,923 Expenditures Faculty Salaries & $272,883 $370,256 $352,622 $332,615 $374,230 Benefits Staff Salaries & $77,429 $70,757 $70,757 $21,240 $31,475 Benefits Operations $30,326 $14,731 $14,477 $17,601 $17,345 Travel $4,563 $9,190 $3,807 $3,174 $4,451 Student Support $0 $2,434 $650 $675 $350 Total $385,201 $467,368 $442,313 $375,305 $425,851 The self-study notes that state appropriations declined by about $100,000 over the last two years; however, revenues from tuition and fees compensated for that loss with an increase of about $90,000 over the same time period. Since the program is still growing, with two new concentrations in the last two years, it is reasonable to believe that revenue from tuition and fees will continue to increase as enrollment grows. Given that current student-faculty ratios (SFRs) are relatively low (2.5:1), the program can likely handle a significant increase in student enrollment without increases in expenditures for new faculty. The dean noted that despite fluctuations from year to year, the overall trajectory of the budget has continued to move in a positive direction. He also noted that the provost can make available start-up funds to help the program fund new concentrations and joint degree programs. Although the state of Georgia cut appropriations to state-sponsored universities for several years, those cuts ended in 2012, bringing a renewed stability to yearly budget amounts. Faculty members receive yearly merit increases again, which helps retain a qualified, dedicated faculty complement. 10

13 1.7 Faculty and Other Resources. The program shall have personnel and other resources adequate to fulfill its stated mission and goals, and its instructional, research and service objectives. This criterion is partially met. The program has nearly all of the personnel and other resources necessary to meet the expectations of this criterion. The program currently employs eight primary faculty members who are allocated by area of expertise to one of three concentration areas: three in health informatics, three in health management and two in environmental health. Although the self-study reports two additional full-time faculty members involved with the program (one in health management and one in environmental health), both dedicate less than 50% of their time to the program and therefore cannot be counted as primary faculty members. The current SFRs are around 2.5:1 for each concentration. This low SFR is primarily due to small enrollment numbers, which can be expected in a program with new concentration offerings. The program also has one full-time staff member who provides administrative support to the program and the director. The concern relates to the program s complement of two primary faculty members in the environmental health concentration, which does not meet CEPH s minimum threshold. The program is currently conducting a search for a new full-time faculty member, which will be allocated 100% to the MPH program; however, this new member will not start until summer 2015 at the earliest. The program must have at least three faculty in each concentration who dedicate 50% or more of their time and effort to the program to comply with this standard. The program has access to one large and one small electronic classroom, both of which have network access, an instructor computer, touch-screen monitor, web camera, document camera, microphone, DVD player, SMART Board interactive whiteboard, laser printer and digital projector. The department can access other classrooms on campus as needed for course delivery, which it can schedule by request as needed. The department also has access to a conference room, meeting room and student lounge. Online courses are delivered by Desire2Learn, an online platform that is supported by the university. The department also has access to an instructional designer and IT specialist who are both dedicated to assisting with online course delivery. Faculty members spoke of the importance and valuable contributions of these two professionals to the high quality of online instruction. Faculty members have learned how to use a variety of functions on Desire2Learn and can access a number of online webinars that provide technical assistance for course development. The university provides other software, such as EndNote, free of charge to faculty and students and makes available a HelpDesk to troubleshoot technical problems by phone or . Faculty have easy access to technology for recording lectures for 11

14 online delivery, and many faculty appear to take advantage of these opportunities. Although faculty and students noted some problems marrying infrastructures from the formerly separate institutions, they indicated that these problems are being addressed, and the functionality of the new integrated system has improved over the last year. Students who met with site visitors said that the resources available to them particularly in the area of technology are exceptional and highly appreciated. Students have access to several computing facilities and wireless access to the internet on campus. University computers run Microsoft Windows 7 and offer the Professional Office Suite for faculty and students. Students also have access to Greenblatt Library, the main library on campus, and to smaller libraries in both departments that house the MPH program. Greenblatt houses print references, indices, abstracts and a book collection with over 5,000 journal titles. It is open 90 hours per week, provides 45 computer work stations and offers both interlibrary loan services and librarian consultations for faculty and students. An in-house librarian for the college provides tailored services for MPH faculty and students. Information Technology Services provides a number of services to support the program. Examples include classroom technology support, collaborative technology, service desk, hospital and clinical field support, database administration, data warehousing and network services. The program also makes available to students a number of guides to facilitate completion of the program, such as an internship manual, a capstone manual, a family medicine resource book and a tuition assistance program. 1.8 Diversity. The program shall demonstrate a commitment to diversity and shall evidence an ongoing practice of cultural competence in learning, research and service practices. This criterion is met with commentary. The program demonstrates a commitment to diversity and cultural competence in a variety of activities and areas. The program s populations of interest relate to race, ethnicity, gender, national origin, international training and spoken language. The program seeks alignment with GRU s percentages for student diversity, which include 33% to 40% minority students and more than 50% female students. In , the program s student body was composed of 66% female, 51% underrepresented race/ethnicity, 10% internationally trained and 15% fluent in multiple languages. Faculty data showed similar trends. Each of these percentages was higher than the targets set by the program. The faculty complement includes three Asian Americans, one African American and six Caucasians. The program follows all human resource policies at GRU, including all equal opportunity and nondiscrimination policies. The program addresses diversity and culture in its values statement, in 12

15 competency sets and in related learning objectives in courses across the entire curriculum. Four courses that clearly address issues of diversity are Current Topics in Public Health, Fundamentals of Heath Promotion, Health Policy & Management and Performance Improvement. Program faculty also actively participate and involve students in disparities research. The self-study provides examples of projects that address African Americans, South Asian immigrants, rural communities, residents of low-resource areas and high-risk groups for cardiovascular disease. When recruiting faculty and staff, the program broadly advertises the positions to reach diverse applicant pools. Positions are listed in national publications and through the Applicant Clearinghouse managed by the University System of Georgia. Search committees carefully match applicant qualifications to the expectations of the vacant position to improve retention rates. Once positions have been filled, the program, the college and the university have a number of development support offices and services; these opportunities are discussed in more detail in Criterion 4.2. The ability of the program to offer a majority of the curriculum online has led to a diverse, geographically dispersed student body. The program would like to attract more international students; however, the program s largely online format restricts its ability to fulfill J-1 and F-1 visa requirements. In response to this challenge, the program has long-term plans to provide more hybrid online/on-campus courses and to develop joint degrees that would require more on-campus training. The commentary relates to the opportunities for more proactive strategies to recruit and retain faculty in the future. The program has been very successful in attracting a diverse faculty complement but it does not appear to be due to any specific efforts or strategies on the part of the program. As the program grows and more faculty positions become available, more program-driven efforts would be recommended. 2.0 INSTRUCTIONAL PROGRAMS. 2.1 Degree Offerings. The program shall offer instructional programs reflecting its stated mission and goals, leading to the Master of Public Health (MPH) or equivalent professional master s degree. The program may offer a generalist MPH degree and/or an MPH with areas of specialization. The program, depending on how it defines the unit of accreditation, may offer other degrees, if consistent with its mission and resources. This criterion is met. The program offers the MPH degree in three concentration areas, as shown in Table 2. Each concentration has required coursework in addition to the core, practicum and culminating experience. The health informatics concentration includes coursework on such topics as computerized health information systems, health decision support systems, health information systems analysis and health data management. The health management concentration addresses human resources management, healthcare financial management, quantitative methods in healthcare administration, 13

16 healthcare performance improvement and strategic management of healthcare organizations. The environmental health concentration requires coursework in environmental toxicology, environmental aquatic sciences, fundamentals of air pollution, impact risk and exposure assessment, and occupational and environmental hygiene. Site visitors reviewed the syllabi for the concentration courses and determined that they are appropriate for the concentrations offered. Table 2. Instructional Matrix Master s Degrees Health Informatics Health Management Environmental Health Academic Professional MPH MPH MPH 2.2 Program Length. An MPH degree program or equivalent professional public health master s degree must be at least 42 semester-credit units in length. This criterion is met. The MPH degree requires a minimum of 45 credits regardless of concentration area. No students have graduated with fewer than 45 credits. In the MPH program, one semester credit is equivalent to 15 contact hours. Most MPH courses are three semester credits. 2.3 Public Health Core Knowledge. All graduate professional public health degree students must complete sufficient coursework to attain depth and breadth in the five core areas of public health knowledge. This criterion is met. All three concentrations within the program require completion of the same five core courses that total 15 credits, as shown in Table 3. Course descriptions and syllabi reviewed by site visitors suggested that, with the exception of one core area, social and behavioral sciences, these courses offer an appropriate degree of breadth and depth expected in an MPH program. Table 3. Required Courses Addressing Public Health Core Knowledge Areas for the MPH Degree Core Knowledge Area Course Number & Title Credits Biostatistics STAT 7010 Biostatistics I 3 Epidemiology STAT 8130 Introduction to Epidemiology 3 Environmental Health Sciences MPHC 8700 Introduction to Environmental Health 3 Social & Behavioral Sciences MPHC 8600 Fundamentals of Health Promotion 3 Health Services Administration MPHC 7101 Health Management & Policy 3 During the site visit, reviewers noted that the social and behavioral sciences core course could benefit from enhancing curricular elements related to behavior theories in the analysis and design of health promotion efforts. After the site visit, the primary instructor for the MPHC 8600 course made significant 14

17 changes to the syllabus and course materials to provide an in depth analysis of health behavior theories and practices. Councilors review of the updated syllabus indicate an appropriate depth of coverage of this core area. 2.4 Practical Skills. All graduate professional public health degree students must develop skills in basic public health concepts and demonstrate the application of these concepts through a practice experience that is relevant to students areas of specialization. This criterion is met. At the time of the site visit, all MPH students were required to complete a two-credithour internship that included 50 hours of fieldwork. Beginning in summer 2015, all students will be required to complete a five-credit-hour experience, which includes 125 field-based contact hours. MPH students are required to complete their internship experience in public health agencies such as healthcare agencies, non-profit organizations, federal, state, local or public health agencies or research institutions. The internship is designed to provide hands-on experience in public health practice by integrating practical experience with academic learning. The broad goals of the practicum include the expansion of understanding of the role of health-related agencies in the community health setting; integrating public health theory with community-based practice; and analyzing the role of public health in agency activities. The majority of MPH students are working professionals who are able to find suitable practicum sites for themselves with assistance from the internship coordinator, as needed. The internship is jointly supervised by the internship coordinator and the site preceptor. Although it is the program s preference that site preceptors have a graduate degree in public health and relevant professional certification(s), the minimum requirements are an undergraduate degree and at least three years of public health experience. The internship coordinator serves as a resource to the site preceptor and provides relevant information for a successful internship experience for all parties. In addition, the internship manual is a rich source of information for the site preceptor. Learning objectives are developed by the student in collaboration with the site preceptor and internship coordinator. During the practicum, the student interacts with the internship coordinator and site preceptor on a regular basis. Problems are addressed by both supervisors and resolutions sought. The student submits weekly progress reports to the MPH internship coordinator. When necessary, the internship coordinator will request a site visit or teleconference with the site preceptor. The self-study provides a list of recent internship sites and preceptors. Internships have been hosted by various agencies such as the Georgia Department of Public Health, the Georgia East Central Public Health Department, Georgia Regents Medical Center and the Northeast Georgia Health System. At the end of the practicum, the student submits a final report of the internship experience for evaluation by the MPH internship coordinator and the student s faculty advisor. The internship coordinator assigns a pass/fail grade after the completion of 15

18 the stipulated internship hours. Students interviewed by the site visit team said that they were pleased with their internship experiences. Though they could select their own sites for the internship program, they were also given a list of possible sites from which they could select. Students and preceptors who met with the site visit team expressed high satisfaction with the planning and implementation of these experiences. The increase in hours that is now required, which was implemented at the request of students, will further improve the quality of this piece of the curriculum. 2.5 Culminating Experience. All graduate professional degree programs identified in the instructional matrix shall assure that each student demonstrates skills and integration of knowledge through a culminating experience. This criterion is met. All MPH students, regardless of concentration, must complete a one-semester, three-credit capstone course. The capstone course comprises two main elements: in-class seminars with invited speakers from the field and completion of a capstone project. To complete the project, students must apply statistical or research techniques to address a public health issue, derive implication for practice and present findings in both written and oral formats. The project component includes several deliverables: a proposal, a poster presentation on Graduate Research Day, a final paper and an oral presentation to MPH faculty and fellow students. The format of this project is well developed, and the program provides specific guidance on the 10 required sections of the written report. Grades for the capstone are based on attendance at the seminars and the quality of the project deliverables. These assessments reflect comprehensiveness, technical merit, approach, organization and presentation. The course is taught by the capstone coordinator, but students also work with faculty advisors who guide them during the process. Grades are assigned primarily by the capstone coordinator, in consultation with faculty advisors. The self-study indicates that the capstone was designed as a one-semester experience that uses secondary data for statistical analysis. The program plans to offer an option for extending the capstone into a second term starting in This extended completion period would allow students enough time to gather primary data for their projects, if they so desire. If exercised, this option would allow student to begin the capstone a semester earlier, so as not to delay graduation. Given that students will soon have the option to start the capstone on two different time frames (capstone or extended capstone), the program may also consider establishing a clear set of eligibility criteria for enrollment into the capstone experience to ensure that students have completed the coursework necessary to undertake this experience. 16

19 2.6 Required Competencies. For each degree program and area of specialization within each program identified in the instructional matrix, there shall be clearly stated competencies that guide the development of degree programs. The program must identify competencies for graduate professional, academic and baccalaureate public health degree programs. Additionally, the program must identify competencies for specializations within the degree program at all levels (bachelor s, master s and doctoral). This criterion is met. The program has a set of 12 core competencies that address the core public health knowledge areas as well as communication and informatics, professionalism, leadership and diversity and culture. In addition, the program has identified six to eight more advanced competencies for each concentration area. As the program added new concentration areas, it also revised its competency sets and completed competency mapping over an 18-month period from late 2012 to May The MPH Leadership Committee led the process, which occurred alongside the program s efforts to revise and refine the mission, goals and objectives. The competencies were developed based on guidelines and recommendations from the American Health Information Management Association Public Health Informatics Competency Workgroup, the Health Management & Policy Competency Model developed by the Commission on Accreditation for Health Management Education and the Council on Linkages between Academia and Public Health Practice. The MPH faculty and the MPH Advisory Committee have reviewed and endorsed the current sets of competencies used by the program. These competencies were added to the program s website in fall 2013 for student review and comment. The program plans to reassess the competencies every two years based on evaluation outcomes generated through student performance and feedback from students, alumni, preceptors, capstone supervisors, the MPH Advisory Committee and the MPH Accreditation Committee. The program will also consider national trends in competency development for public health. Site visitors review of course syllabi showed clear links between learning objectives and competencies. Most, if not all, syllabi cite the competencies that are to be addressed through the course. The program s refined list of competencies has resulted in a more useful, meaningful set of skills for students to demonstrate through the completion of the curriculum. Site visitors found that the program needed to make the competencies more widely available to students and other program stakeholders and to develop competency matrices to enable students to identify where, in the curriculum, they gain a level of proficiency. After the site visit, the program s Curriculum Subcommittee adequately addressed both needs in consultation and collaboration with the MPH Accreditation Committee. Their efforts culminated in the development of a new dedicated MPH 17

20 competency document and wide dissemination of the competencies in numerous MPH manuals and through presentations and s. 2.7 Assessment Procedures. There shall be procedures for assessing and documenting the extent to which each student has demonstrated achievement of the competencies defined for his or her degree program and area of concentration. This criterion is met. The program has procedures in place to assess students ability to demonstrate competencies through coursework and the internship experience. Students are expected to demonstrate competencies through the completion of assignments, projects and exams in each required course. Students must earn a C or better to receive credit and must maintain an overall GPA of 2.8 or better to remain in good academic standing. The internship allows students to apply the skills and knowledge they have learned through coursework in a practice setting. The program substantially revised the preceptor evaluation form in summer 2014, and it now asks preceptors to assess student attainment of program competencies. Site visitors reviewed the preceptor evaluation form and found it to be clear and specifically focused on competency assessment. Site visitors identified a lack of competency assessment for capstone projects. Following the site visit the program developed and implemented significant changes to evaluation criteria, processes, and rubrics associated with the MPH capstone course and culminating experience. The program achieves excellent graduation rates: 100% in each of the last three years. Only five students have withdrawn from the program since 2009, and none have withdrawn since Students have a maximum of five years to complete the program, and most take three to four years. More than 40% of MPH students are doctorally prepared, mid-career clinical professionals (MDs and PhDs). The program reports similarly high placement rates for graduates. In the last three years, 100% (n=7) of 2011 graduates, 89% (n=9) of 2012 graduates and 83% (n=6) of 2013 graduates reported either being employed or continuing their education/training 12 months after graduating from the program. The program launched its MPH alumni survey in fall 2013 and will continue to administer it each fall to those who are one year post-graduation. The survey asks respondents to answer the following question: Do you feel the competencies in the MPH program have helped you in your career/practice setting? The program received 14 responses to the survey (11 had graduated within the past three years), and all said that the competencies were either helpful, quite helpful or very helpful. However, these graduates were responding about the program s previous competency set, so feedback from more recent graduates will be more useful going forward. In addition, condensing all competencies into one question may not allow 18