In 2026, after years of hard work, the Master of Public Health in Health Promotion, Policy and Leadership [MPH] at Sac State’s College of Continuing Education [CCE] became accredited by the Council on Education for Public Health [CEPH].

CEPH, a recognized accrediting body for schools and programs of public health, approved the accreditation from March 2026 through 2031. The accreditation is retroactive and applicable to those who earned their degree after Jan. 9, 2023, the date the application for accreditation was approved by CEPH.

The successful accreditation effort was led by Dr. Heather Diaz, Dr. Michael Mink, Senior Program Manager Jessika Morrison, Dr. Aleta Baldwin, Dr. Dale Ainsworth, and Dr. Jenny Wagner.

Dr. Heather Diaz, a professor in the Department of Public Health at Sac State, said accreditation has always been a consideration, even before an MPH program was conceived.

“Since my appointment at Sacramento State in 2006, I have attended many workshops at conferences offered by CEPH. The intention was to understand the expectations of CEPH for our bachelor’s degree in public health,” Dr. Diaz said, adding that at those sessions, requirements for a Master of Public Health program were also discussed.

Then, in 2016, Dr. Diaz began attending CEPH to learn about the process and expectations for an MPH degree. Two years later, the department faculty began working together to create the curriculum, goals, value statements, and program format. 

“The benefit of creating a new master’s program in public health allowed us to assure that accreditation standards were built in from the very beginning of our process, in both the program design and student learning outcomes for each course,” Dr. Diaz said.

It was around this time that Dr. Michael Mink, also a professor in the Department of Public Health at Sac State, got involved in the process. Originally hired to serve as the first MPH Graduate Coordinator in the fall of 2018, Dr. Mink led the Department of Kinesiology and Health Science faculty in finalizing the MPH program design. At the same time, he was tasked with co-facilitating the move of the Health Science faculty and programs, including the MPH program, into a new Department of Public Health.

A year later, he became the inaugural Department Chair for the new Department of Public Health, and Dr. Diaz became the new MPH Graduate Coordinator. The program launched in the fall of 2020, the height of the pandemic.

“Of course, the COVID pandemic occurred during this crucial time, but that made the importance of having a master of public health program in Sacramento even more apparent,” Dr. Mink said. “We remained committed to unveiling the new MPH Program on time and received full approval to accept our first cohort in fall 2020.”

Because he also served as a site visitor for CEPH, a role that included providing higher-level guidance to other schools and programs, Dr. Mink understood what the organization was looking for when accrediting Sac State’s program. 

Accreditation, Dr. Mink explained, is awarded when programs demonstrate — through a thorough, multi-year vetting process — that they meet established criteria for excellence in all aspects of the program.

“This covers everything from admissions, governance, resources, curriculum, facilities, faculty, staffing, graduation rates, and connections to employment and more,” Dr. Mink said. “Put simply, accreditation means that third-party specialists in public health education have certified the quality of our program.”

Dr. Diaz explained that the benefit of having an accredited program means the MPH degree program meets a standard of excellence, and public health departments and agencies can have faith in the level of quality of its graduates.

“[Our] program is the most affordable program in the Sacramento region, attracting applicants that are of and from the local Sacramento region with a strong focus on equity,” Dr. Diaz said. “The program is highly diverse and helps to elevate the public health training and expertise of its graduates that then move on to apply those skills in the local area and beyond.”

Dr. Mink echoed that sentiment, adding that as the “capital city of the largest state in the country, Sacramento serves as the seat of leadership in many areas of public life, including public health. Professionals come from across the state to actively protect public safety, craft public policy, and solve problems that are important to Californians. Having an MPH program that can draw from that expertise and produce qualified leaders ensures a better future for the public health profession and the people who benefit from it every day.”

The Master of Public Health in Health Promotion, Policy and Leadership is designed to provide advanced training to address the health needs of diverse communities. Students learn how to enhance their practical skills for the implementation of health policies and promotional tools to reduce health risks and protect populations. They also gain the tools to work with legislators, health advocates and leaders in the profession to impact policies and regulations that affect public health.