In collaboration with the Association of American Colleges and Universities, Association for Prevention Teaching and Research, and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Association of Schools of Public Health is pleased to present this learning outcomes model designed to facilitate the introduction of public health for undergraduate students in two- and four-year colleges and universities.

Model Version 1.0 represents public health knowledge, concepts and skills that can be integrated into curricular and co-curricular undergraduate educational opportunities to enable students to become more active participants in their own and their community’s health. Inspiration for the model came from the Institute of Medicine’s recommendation for an educated citizenry, based on access to public health education by all undergraduates, and a number of key trends and issues in the field. The list is not comprehensive nor prescriptive, but illustrative of the myriad ways public health contributes to quality of life locally and globally.

Download Word document of the model here.

Download pdf document with information on the model development here.

Join the online ASPH Workgroup for Undergraduate Public Health Education to share materials and network with others interested in undergraduate public health education.  Email your name, title, affiliation and contact information to Ms. Jamie Atchison at jatchison@asph.org.

Project Background

A growing number of institutions have been seeking guidance on the optimal format and content of undergraduate public health education, especially at universities without accredited schools of public health or accredited programs.  The rising interest comes from the Institute of Medicine’s recommendation for an educated citizenry, based on access to public health education by all undergraduates, and a number of key trends and issues in the field. These include, among many others:

Consequently, academic leaders drawn from schools of public health, public health programs, and the liberal arts and sciences have assembled to identify key public health learning outcomes necessary for all graduates of institutions of higher education. The vision for this endeavor will be the development of an educated citizenry for: 1) promoting and protecting population health, safety, and well-being at local and global levels, and 2) eliminating health and social disparities worldwide.

Goal

The goal of the project is:

This initial broad-based effort (Phase I: Undergraduate Public Health Learning Outcomes Development Project) will provide the foundation for later efforts to define specific competencies for undergraduate degree programs, both majors and minors, in public health (Phase II: Undergraduate Public Health Degree Competency Model Development).

Framework and Domains

The Leadership Group decided to draw on the Association of American Colleges & University’s Liberal Education and America’s Promise (LEAP) framework to guide the development of learning outcome domains, refining them to align with the field of public health. Using the domains and preliminary core constructs outlined below, three workgroups will be assigned to identify and specify learning outcomes for domains 1, 2 and 3. The workgroups are comprised of faculty representing both public health and the liberal arts and sciences from universities across the United States. Co-chairs–one from public health and one from the liberal arts and sciences–will oversee all workgroup activities. A consultant will guide the workgroups in using an online modified-Delphi process to come to consensus on the learning outcomes. The fourth domain, focusing on methods and best instructional and learning practices, will be considered by all the workgroups after they complete identification of their domain-specific learning outcomes.

ASPH Leadership, Staffing, and Consultant Expertise

Donna Petersen (South Florida), chair of the ASPH Undergraduate Public Health Education Taskforce, will chair the learning outcomes development project along with a Leadership Group composed of 12 individuals.  Click here for a list of the Leadership Group members.

ASPH staff will work with Judith Calhoun (University of Michigan), an expert in competency-based education, to organize and implement the project under the leadership group’s oversight.

To learn more, please email learningoutcomes@asph.org. 

Next Steps

Completed Work

To learn more about ASPH activities focused on undergraduate public health, click here.