221079 Innovation in undergraduate public health education: Arts and Sciences Associate of Arts transfer degree program in public health

Tuesday, November 9, 2010 : 12:56 PM - 1:08 PM

Jeanette Jeffrey, MS, MPH , Department of Health Sciences, Howard Community College, Columbia, MD
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.

Learning Areas:
Public health or related education

Learning Objectives:
Discuss strategies in developing public health program agreements between two and four year colleges. Compare public health course and program outlines from collaborative institutions: Howard Community College and University of Maryland Baltimore County. Discuss challenges in developing collaborative agreements between two and four year academic institutions.

Keywords: Public Health Curriculum, Education

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: I am qualified to present because I am the developer of the Howard Community College (HCC) Associate of Arts A.A. transfer degree program in public health designed to articulate to University of Maryland Baltimore County (UMBC). I also serve as a Professor and Coordinator of Public Health and Nutrition at HCC and as an adjunct instructor in the Health Administration and Policy Program Public Health track at UMBC.
Any relevant financial relationships? No

I agree to comply with the American Public Health Association Conflict of Interest and Commercial Support Guidelines, and to disclose to the participants any off-label or experimental uses of a commercial product or service discussed in my presentation.