UNLV's School of Public Health has been designated as the first accredited school of public health in Nevada by the Council of Education for Public Health (CEPH). There are just 66 schools worldwide with this distinction, which recognizes efforts to provide quality education and prepare students for impactful careers in public health after graduation.

“Following a comprehensive and rigorous review process, we are thrilled to be the first CEPH-accredited school of public health in the state,” said Shawn Gerstenberger, dean of the School of Public Health. “This is a significant achievement for the school and a reflection of the hard work of faculty and staff to provide quality education and prepare students for careers in public health. We remain dedicated to achieving academic excellence in collaboration with CEPH and the UNLV community.

CEPH is the only organization recognized by the U.S. Department of Education to accredit public health schools and programs. The school earned CEPH accreditation for its master in public health program in June 2013. Because the accreditation is transitioning from a CEPH program to a CEPH school of public health, the accreditation is retroactive and will be recognized from that date.

This announcement follows the school’s recent accreditation by the Commission on Accreditation of Health Care Management Education (CAHME) for its master in health care administration and executive master in health care administration programs — the only CAHME-accredited programs in Nevada. The school’s bachelor of science in health care administration and policy program is also certified by the Association of University Programs in Healthcare Administration (AUPHA).