Selecting for a diverse public health workforce - community health education MPH program for admissi

The population of California continues to become more diverse; it has become_increasingly important for California universities to provide g raduate education to underrepresented groups and to prepare culturally competent health educators whose skills are adapted to these dynamic demographic changes. This paper describes the graduate admissions requirements of the four California-based graduate programs in Community Health Education (CHE) accredited by the Council on Education for Public Health (CEPH) and uses the graduate admissions process at San Jose State University as a case example for selecting a cohort that reflects the cultural and linguistic diversity of the state. The use of multiple methods of a~se~:;ment and the avoidance of undue emphasis on standardized teslS in the admissions selection creates a more equitable graduate admissions process. ·t 2004 Californian Journal of Health Promotion. All rights reserved. Keyw ord1·: master of public health, gradua te school, div ersity, admissions Introduction One of the principle objec tives of the Natioo' s Healthy People 201 0 is to "increase the proportion of all degrees awarded to members of underrepresented racial and ethnic groups" in the health professions (Department of. Health and Hun1an Services, 2000). As the population of California continues to become more diverse, it has become necessary for California univers ities to provide graduate education to underrepresented gr oups and to prepare culturally competent hea lth educators whose skills are adapted to these dynamic demographic changes. This is particularly important because many employers require, at the minimum, a master's degree in community health education from a school or program accredited by the Cotmcil on E ducation for Public Health (CEPH), which is an independent agency recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. Accred itation by CEPH ensures that academic programs meet accepted s tandards within the public ·health profession. Accredited Masters ofPublic Hea lth (MPH) degrees with specialization in community health education are offered by schools of public h ealth (SPH), graduate programs in comm unity health education (Cfffi), and programs in community · health and preventive medi cine (CHPM) (Council on Education for Public Health, 2004). This. paper describes the graduate admis sions requirements of the four California-based CEPH accredited graduate programs in CHE and uses the graduate ·· admissions process at San Jose State University as a case example for s electing a cohort that reflects the c ulturdl and linguistic diversity of the state. Selecting for a Diverse Public Health Workforce The racial and ethnic composition of California's population continues to change at an increasingly rapid pace. Latinos and Asians are the fas test growing populations in California, each with an average growth rate that is seven times faster than that for whites (Legis lative Analyst's Oftice, n.d.). \\'hite non-Latinos comprised 57 percent of the state's total civilian population in 1990 but are now in the minority at 47% (Cali fornia Department of Finance,