Opportunities and Strategies in Developing 4:1 Affiliation and Articulation Agreements With Undergraduate Public Health Programs

Increasingly accredited graduate programs in public health are becoming connecting with BA and BS undergraduate institutions with public health and health science majors both within one’s university or with neighboring universities.  The potential benefits of developing formal collaborative relationships with undergraduate public health programs are significant for graduate programs.  Such collaborations and the development of formal affiliation agreements can provide graduate programs with enhanced opportunities for developing long-term relationships with undergraduate institutions and programs leading to an increased enrollment of qualified graduate level public health students with significant coursework and experience in public health practice. This session will highlight the benefits of developing collaborative relationships with the growing number of undergraduate public health and health science programs leading to affiliation and articulation agreements that address priority admission to graduate education, cross-listing of courses, availability of graduate courses to undergraduate public health students, enhanced community practice experience, reducing the cost of graduate public health education for qualified undergraduate public health students, and building capacity for partner undergraduate public health programs for future CEPH accreditation.  Affiliation and articulation (with cross-listed undergrad and graduate courses) agreements will be presented.  A template for a cross-university or cross-departmental affiliation and articulation agreements will be provided.  Affiliation and articulation agreements have been completed or are near completion with five public and private institutions which have either undergraduate public health programs or undergraduate health science programs.  Direct and indirect benefits from such collaborations and articulation agreements will be presented.  Creating collaborative relationships with undergraduate public health and health-related programs is beneficial for both the graduate and undergraduate academic public health programs.