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SECTION 2 – INSTRUCTIONAL PROGRAMS
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CRITERION SEVEN: ASSESSMENT PROCEDURES
THERE SHALL BE PROCEDURES FOR ASSESSING AND DOCUMENTING THE EXTENT TO WHICH EACH
STUDENT HAS DEMONSTRATED COMPETENCE IN THE REQUIRED AREAS OF PERFORMANCE.
 2.7a DESCRIPTION OF THE PROCEDURES USED FOR MONITORING AND EVALUATING STUDENT
PROGRESS IN ACHIEVING THE EXPECTED COMPETENCIES.
Procedures for assessing and monitoring attainment of learning objectives encompass a variety
of evaluation techniques. As discussed in section 2.5, the MPH Program policy requires each
student to successfully complete a culminating oral examination near the end of the program of
study, along with a publishable-quality paper, a successful presentation of the paper, and the
successful completion of an internship. In addition to the culminating requirements, monitoring and
assessment occurs throughout the coursework.
Coursework
Each public health faculty member is required to link their course learning objectives to
program competencies and student assessments.
Learning and skill acquisition are measured within each class through a variety of evaluation
methods, including written examinations, papers, research projects, teaching projects, multimedia/technology projects, and other methods applicable to the individual course offerings. Our
course assessments combine both skill demonstration, as well as knowledge acquisition using
traditional course assessment. For example, students in the “Health Education Evaluation” course
are required to complete written exams and to submit a paper detailing a plan for a public health
intervention/health education program that addresses a specific public health problem, as well as a
paper detailing an appropriate evaluation design for that program, including instruments used for
evaluation. The “Introduction to Research” course requires a mastery examination (which must be
passed at ≥ 80%), a ‘consultation assignment’ where the student has to provide expert opinion on
the internal and external validity of a published research study, and a formal proposal for a research
project, which typically becomes the foundation for the publishable-quality paper requirement. With
each course in the program, there is an appropriate evaluation linked to the course objectives.
According to the Graduate College requirements, students are required to maintain a GPA of
3.0 (on a 4.0 scale) and cannot receive more than three “C” grades in a graduate program without
going on probation. Students are allowed to repeat one course from which they have received a
grade of “C”. Any failure of a course results in immediate dismissal from the graduate program and
Graduate College.
Comprehensive Oral Examination
All MPH degree candidates are required to successfully complete an oral examination, which
is considered a culminating experience, before a degree can be awarded. During the oral exam,
students demonstrate their ability to synthesize course experiences by verbally applying the
knowledge and skills acquired in their coursework to recent fieldwork or applied experiences, such
as a special project completed during the internship experience. The Department has a statement
of purpose and process for the oral exam, which is distributed along with examples of questions to
all enrolled students. The oral exam questions assess the students’ ability to carry out public health
and health education competencies. For example, there are two broad policy and legal questions
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which require students to concisely and coherently describe the role of policy development and
public health law in the implementation of a public health intervention. The MPH Program Manual
provides information to MPH students along with a statement of purpose and the processes
involved (see MPH Program Manual for details of the oral examination and oral exam questions).
Three faculty members serve as examiners for the MPH oral exam. Once the exam is
completed, the student is excused and the faculty members immediately deliberate the given
student’s performance and determine a grade for the oral examination. Two out of three faculty
members must provide a grade of ‘pass’ in order for the student to pass the oral exam. Once the
faculty members have come to a decision, the faculty and student partake in a brief facultyexaminee conference regarding the student's performance. The possible grades and the resulting
consequences are as follows:
Pass: The Graduate College is notified that the student has successfully completed
this requirement for award of the MPH degree.
Pass with Written Remediation: The student did not perform satisfactorily on one
or two exam questions and has been given a written assignment to complete. Once
the student has demonstrated mastery of the material through this written
assignment, the Graduate College is notified that the student has successfully
completed this requirement for award of the MPH degree.
Fail: The student did not perform satisfactorily on more than two questions in the
oral exam. The student is provided feedback and is given areas of improvement. A
second oral exam is scheduled. The Graduate College is notified once the student
has successfully completed this requirement for award of the MPH degree. If the
student fails the oral exam twice, the student is dismissed from the MPH Program.
Publishable-Quality Paper
The publishable-quality paper requirement has become a multi-step process that typically
takes 6 to 2 months from start to completion. The publishable-quality paper requirement is
designed for students to show the skills involved in the analytic assessment and the communication
competencies. In addition, the task of developing lessons and recommendations as a result of their
research allows students to demonstrate policy competencies.
Students initially meet and discuss their research topic with faculty individually to determine
the optimal faculty to serve as chair. Based on these meetings, the student selects a paper topic
and publishable-quality paper chairperson. The student then develops a formal proposal that is
submitted to the Paper Chairperson and a Second Reader. The proposal becomes a working
document by which the student completes the proposed research. Should the student be unable to
carry through the proposed research, a new paper proposal must be submitted and approved by the
two faculty members. The Second Reader is typically a second public health faculty member but
can be another faculty member at ESU. The function of the Second Reader is to provide additional
expertise (i.e., statistical consults, IRB application consults, content/intervention consults, etc.) and
oversight of the process (see the MPH Program Manual and Appendix 8 for Publishable-Quality
Paper Proposal Guidelines and Policies).
Internship
Internship evaluation guidelines are detailed in the MPH Internship Manual (Appendix 7).
Supervision of interns is a joint responsibility of the Agency Supervisor and Faculty Supervisor.
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Interns are evaluated on the following criteria: health education skills, management capabilities,
leadership abilities, and general knowledge. In addition, interns are required to complete a special
project (e.g., planning and implementation of an educational program, public health intervention, or
completion of a needs assessment/evaluation/research project). The intern must file a regular
weekly log/report to the Faculty Supervisor. This report includes a daily schedule of activities,
learning experiences, suggestions to agency/supervisor, overall weekly progress, and general
comments in which the student is asked to reflect on the link between the internship experiences
and the coursework student learning objectives.
The intern is also required to complete an internship notebook describing events and
experiences encountered during the professional fieldwork. The intern notebook should include
information about the host agency, including organizational charts, philosophy, goals, facility data,
program pamphlets, and other pertinent information. For the full-time internship, the agency
supervisor evaluates each intern midway through the internship (at the completion of 150 hours)
and at the completion of the internship (≥ 300 hours).
Faculty internship supervisors consider the evaluation procedures to be extensive and
comprehensive. Student tasks and responsibilities are clearly delineated for the student and the
agency, eliminating confusion. The MPH Internship Manual is updated/revised frequently. A
strength of the evaluation includes providing the intern the opportunity to evaluate the agency. This
not only helps the program maintain a pool of internship sites that will ensure future internship
experiences that help accomplish the MPH Program goals, but it also allows students to analyze
organizational and management structures, policies and practices. Students who have completed
internships have provided feedback that is, for the most part, very positive regarding well-structured
internships and useful onsite supervision. Students have also reported that agency staff have had
favorable impressions of the Faculty Supervisor’s in the overall internship placement.
 2.7.b IDENTIFICATION OF OUTCOMES THAT SERVE AS MEASURES BY WHICH THE PROGRAM WILL
EVALUATE STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT IN EACH DEGREE PROGRAM, AND PRESENTATION OF DATA
ASSESSING THE PROGRAM’S PERFORMANCE AGAINST THOSE MEASURES FOR EACH OF THE LAST
THREE YEARS.
The goals and objectives for the program include various outcome measures on students and
graduates that are synthesized from surveys. All the program objectives are provided in Section
1.2; however, Table 2.7.b.1 describes the outcomes relevant to student assessment.
TABLE 2.7.b.1: Student Assessment Outcomes
Program-Level Objectives
Measure
2009
2010
2011
100%
100%
95%
All graduates will successfully complete
and present a publishable-quality research 100%
paper.
100%
100%
100%
(8)
100%
(20)
All graduates will develop
research-related
competencies as listed in the
MPH Program competency
list.
All graduates will receive a minimum of a
3.0 in all research-related coursework.
The program will graduate 8
students per year.
The program will graduate 8 students per
year.
100%
(18)
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Program-Level Objectives
Measure
All graduates will demonstrate All graduates will receive a 3.0 or better in
attainment in all domains of
all coursework.
the program competencies for
public health practice.
All graduates will demonstrate
attainment in all domains of
the program competencies for
public health practice.
All graduates will demonstrate their public
health practice competency through
successful completion of their oral
examination.
All graduates will demonstrate
their capacity to design,
develop and conduct applied
research that contributes to
public health education
practice.
All graduates will successfully complete a
supervised internship, as per supervisor
and preceptor evaluations.
2009
2010
2011
100%
100%
100%
100%
100%
100%
100%
100%
100%
All graduates will successfully complete a 100%
research-based publishable-quality paper.
100%
100%
All graduates will demonstrate All graduates will successfully present
their capacity to present
their publishable-quality paper.
research orally.
100%
100%
100%
All graduates who take the
CHES exam will pass.
100% pass rate
100%
100%
100%
Graduates will be employed at
the level appropriate to their
education and experience in a
position that contributes to
population-based public
health.
Graduates’ employment history will be
documented on regular surveys. Rates of
employment in areas that contribute to
population-based public health will be
recorded.
100%
NA
89%
 2.7.C DEGREE COMPLETION RATES AND JOB PLACEMENT EXPERIENCE.
As reported in our 2009-10 annual report, of the 35 students starting the program, 22 graduated,
six withdrew, and seven continued beyond the 4.0-year criterion. As shown in table 2.7.c.1, our
graduation rate dropped to 63% in 2010, which is below the 80% criteria set by CEPH.
TABLE 2.7.c.1: Degree Completion Rates
Percent of students
completing within
four academic
years.
2009
2010
2011
87%*
63%
80%
* The initial 2009 graduation rate reported was 59% but that was based on the percentage of students
able to graduate in four semesters. However, we changed the denominator from 4 to 8 semesters to
accommodate the reality that many of our part-time students have been unable to complete the program
in two years (within fall, spring, and summer terms). In addition, the University has limited the tuition
covered by graduate assistantships to 9 credits for four semesters which will extend the number of
semesters need to complete graduate programs. The University requires graduate students to complete
all graduate coursework for a given graduate degree in 12 semesters, however the MPH program set the
standard at eight semesters.
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Of the six students withdrawing, two were international students who returned to their country of
origin due to personal issues (i.e., family health; family business commitments). Another two
students discontinued due to affordability problems that occurred due to layoffs from their work.
One part-time student decided to transfer her six credits from ESU to the University of
Massachusetts (UMass) online program in ‘Public Health Practice’. Her work schedule became
unpredictable and she felt the online program at UMass would be a more feasible path for her to
complete her degree. The last student who discontinued took a job offer from a hospital in the
Washington, DC area.
There were seven students continuing, who did not complete their MPH degree in the 4.0-year
time frame. Two students who were on a military service grant were suddenly deployed to another
region of the country for training needed to prepare for their tour of duty in Iraq. It is unclear as to
whether they will return; although, they both wish to do so. Three students have requested leaves
of absence due to work constraints, along with work instability. Due to employers’ layoffs, these
three students were asked to work longer hours along with a lack of clarity as to whether their
positions would remain stable. One student requested a leave due to affordability issues, as her
employer no longer provided tuition reimbursement. It is unclear whether this student will return
given the loss of this benefit, and the increasing costs of out of state tuition at ESU. The final
student who requested leave did so due to a pregnancy.
The MPH Program outcome for employment, “graduates will be employed at the level
appropriate to their education and experience in a position that contributes to population based
public health”, has not been assigned a specific measurement process but can be qualitatively
derived based on graduate employment data. Table 2.7.c.2 indicates that our graduates typically
find employment within 6 months of graduation, and table 2.7.d.1 below indicates this employment
is mostly within the non-profit sector or with local/state/federal organizations. Recently, we have
witnessed an increasing number of alumni being hired by healthcare systems. This trend is likely
due to hiring shifts seen as a function of healthcare reform. Over the last seven years, about three
out of 20 of alumni (~15%) continue on to doctorate programs, medical school, or residency
programs.
TABLE 2.7c.2: Employment Information of Recent MPH Graduates
Employed 6 Months after Graduation
2007
N=19
2009
N=39
2011
N=33
Yes
100%
100%
89%
No
0%
0%
11%
 2.7.d EMPLOYMENT DESTINATIONS OF MPH GRADUATES 2009-2011
TABLE 2.7.d.1:Sectors of Employment for MPH Program Graduates
Place of Employment
2009
2010
2011
Nonprofit Agency
13%
29%
17%
38%
14%
21%
0%
0%
0%
0%
24%
22%
County/State or Federal Government Public Health
Agency
Local/State/Federal Government Agency (other than
public health)
Healthcare System or Network
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For Profit Health Care
13%
0%
6%
University or College
13%
0%
17%
Non-Health Field
0%
14%
0%
Continuing Education (i.e., doctorate; medical school;
residency)
25%
14%
17%

2.7.e IN PUBLIC HEALTH FIELDS WHERE THERE IS CERTIFICATION OF PROFESSIONAL COMPETENCE,
DATA ON THE PERFORMANCE OF THE PROGRAM’S GRADUATES ON THESE NATIONAL EXAMINATIONS
FOR EACH OF THE LAST THREE YEARS.
TABLE 2.7.e.1: CHES Pass Rate
Program-Level
Objective
All graduates who take
the CHES exam will
pass.
Measure
100% pass rate
2009
100%
2010
100%
2011
100%
Note: these do not represent total of all graduates.
 2.7.f DATA DESCRIBING RESULTS FROM PERIODIC ASSESSMENTS OF ALUMNI AND EMPLOYERS OF
GRADUATES REGARDING THE ABILITY OF THE PROGRAM’S GRADUATES TO EFFECTIVELY PERFORM
THE COMPETENCIES IN A PRACTICE SETTING.
Although historically the MPH Program has not conducted employer interviews, recently the
program added an additional assessment through which we conduct these types of interviews. In
these employer interviews, we ask employers of our alumni (≤ 2 years post-graduation) to provide
strengths and weakness of our alumni relevant to our program competencies. We expect to have
these data available in a resource room.
 2.7.g ASSESSMENT OF THE EXTENT TO WHICH THIS CRITERION IS MET.
This criterion is met with commentary. Our MPH Program has a series of thorough, welldefined student assessment policies and procedures. Student-related program objective measures
remain strong, and student outcomes are being achieved. For the most part, our graduation rates
are good; although, on a number of occasions students needed to take a semester off to save funds
to continue or switch to part-time status. Despite the significant cuts to the regional public health
infrastructure, our employment data are positive. The assessment of our competencies could be
strengthened.
RECOMMENDATION: Continual assessment of student-related program objectives and outcomes
needs to emphasize any illuminated areas of concern. Development of a process to assess the
program’s link to alumni employment will be strengthened over the next year. The internship needs
to provide students with a more direct link or greater opportunity for reflection between internship
experiences and competencies. In addition, the program needs to strengthen its assessment of
alumni by conducting bi-annual interviews of employers.
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