Innovation in undergraduate public health education: Arts and Sciences Associate of Arts transfer degree program in public health

Howard Community College (HCC) located in Columbia, Maryland was the first two-year college in the nation to offer an Arts and Sciences Associate of Arts transfer degree program in public health, as of fall 2009. This program, designed to articulate to the Health Administration and Policy Program public health track at the University of Maryland Baltimore County (UMBC), earns transfer students six upper-division level credits at UMBC for coursework completed at HCC. A three-year learning outcomes assessment, commencing spring 2010, will compare HCC and UMBC student achievement via the course Global Health, taught by the same instructor on both campuses. Comparable student scores will validate the University of Maryland System policy to award upper-division level credit for 100-200 level courses that meet the course requirements of 300-400 level courses offered at the University of Maryland. The nation's economic downturn coupled with the ever increasing global health demands for action necessitates collaborative efforts between community colleges and four-year institutions. With more than half of all college students attending two-year colleges, community college transfer students are vital to the strength of four-year institutions. Even more imperative, community college public health program transfer students are vital to the health of our global community. HCC and UMBC are united philosophically and academically to reach our collaborative goal of educating outstanding public health professionals who will successfully address today and tomorrow's global health challenges.