The Mel and Enid Zuckerman College of Public Health (MEZCOPH) is the only public health program accredited by the Council on Education for Public Health (CEPH) in Arizona. The college first earned accreditation in 2003, and most recently in 2020, MEZCOPH was awarded reaccreditation by the CEPH for a seven-year term, extending to December 2027.
Established by the American Public Health Association (APHA) and the Association of Schools and Programs of Public Health (ASPPH), the Council on Education for Public Health (CEPH) is the nationally recognized accrediting organization for schools of public health and public health programs.
What is Accreditation?
In the world of public health degree programs, not all programs have accreditation, and without that accreditation they do not meet the standards established by CEPH. Those standards have been collectively formulated by the colleges of public health, schools of public health, and public health programs around the country that together support CEPH to ensure quality public health education nationally.
Why is Accreditation Important?
Quality
All students who attend a CEPH Accredited college or school of public health, or public health program, can trust that the program delivers a quality public health education founded on the most recent scientific data, thanks to CEPH’s rigorous and comprehensive accreditation process.
Recognized Value
In addition, only a degree from a CEPH accredited program will be fully recognized and valued by other educational institutions, including other universities, colleges, schools, or programs for students who continue their education in any area related to health and public health. Similarly, all state and federal agencies that hire public health graduates to work professionally will look for degrees from CEPH accredited programs. In all areas of public health in the United States, CEPH accreditation is the recognized basic standard of quality for public health degrees, from the undergraduate BS and BA level, on up through the MPH level and doctoral degrees.
Student Funding and Opportunities
Further, federal funding assistance for students and most fellowship opportunities are only available to students through accredited schools and programs.
For all of these reasons, attending a CEPH accredited program when earning a public health degree is fundamentally important for students and for graduates since it guarantees that their degree will be accepted and recognized when they go on careers in public health and related health sciences fields.
Our Accreditation Information
The Zuckerman College of Public Health at the University of Arizona has been continually accredited by CEPH since 2003. In 2020, the college was awarded reaccreditation by the CEPH for the maximum seven-year term, extending to December 2027.
The Council on Education for Public Health (CEPH) is an independent agency recognized by the US Department of Education to accredit schools of public health and certain public health programs offered in settings other than schools of public health. The CEPH can be contacted at:
Council on Education for Public Health
1010 Wayne Avenue, Suite 220
Silver Spring, MD 20910-5660
Phone: (202) 789-1050
Fax: (202) 789-1895
Today, the UA Zuckerman College of Public Health remains the only accredited college of public health in the State of Arizona with campuses in Tucson and Phoenix.
Download a PDF copy of the current MEZCOPH Self-Study Report.
