Major global achievement for our online Master of Public Health Image Dr Ruth McQuillan (Former Co-Director, MPH online), Dr Rose Geddes (Co-Director, MPH online) and Dr Neneh Rowa-Dewar (Co-Director, MPH online) at a University Public Health graduation event. The part-time (3 year) Online Master of Public Health (MPH) programme in the Usher Institute at The University of Edinburgh has achieved ‘Full Accreditation’ status with the Agency for Public Health Education Accreditation (APHEA), the quality assurance arm of the Association of Schools of Public Health in the European Region. APHEA commented that the innovative, tailored and responsive nature of the programme was particularly impressive. This achievement is significant for our part-time Master of Public Health because it: Ensures greater academic RECOGNITION on the global stage Promotes TRANSFERABILITY of public health education & training Increases EMPLOYABILITY of public health graduates Attests the QUALITY of Public Health Workforce training Apart from our Master of Public Health programme, only two institutions and two programmes in the UK have achieved this quality verification. Dr Rose Geddes, Master of Public Health (online) Co-Director, facilitated the long process of Curriculum Validation, detailed Self-Assessment and a 2-day virtual site visit by international reviewers, alongside the dedicated programme team. Going through a formal programme accreditation process allowed us to comprehensively rethink what we taught and how we taught it. The international panel of experts was extremely supportive in helping us identify our strengths and weaknesses. A key learning point for us was the importance of student, alumni and stakeholder involvement in curriculum development. Dr Rose GeddesMaster of Public Health (online) Co-Director Being an online programme, the APHEA review team found our Master of Public Health programme to be uniquely placed to meet the challenges of the present COVID-19 pandemic. The MPH part-time online programme was credited for being tailored to the needs of our student base and including a wide range of online focused pedagogic activity. Several MPH students participated in the APHEA meetings and let the review team know that they felt appreciated, well supported and connected within the programme, a fact the APHEA team felt was particularly commendable. The programme was viewed as particularly progressive which was highlighted through several activities, including practice-based learning with SLICC (Student Led Individually Created Course), the incorporation of rapid reviews including the unit’s COVID-19 active response as an emerging issue as well as future plans to integrate group thesis work. The programme aims were tailored around a broader understanding of the importance of the Sustainable Development Goals as a global vision for the work of the University. Excerpt from APHEA’s international reviewers report on our MSc Public Health programme Image The Master of Public Health team would like to thank all the students and staff who participated in the review meetings and helped achieve this significant accreditation. Online Master of Public Health Programme website Agency for Public Health Education Accreditation (APHEA) website Publication date 21 Feb, 2021
