Global Public Health Credentialing Board
Quality Standards and Accreditation Framework
For courses, certificates, and badging programs
1. Purpose
This framework defines the scope, status categories, eligible offerings, standards, evidence expectations, and review pathways used by the Global Public Health Credentialing Board, GPHCB. It is designed for consumers, learners, employers, universities, training providers, professional associations, consultants, and workforce development partners who want a clear understanding of what GPHCB reviews and accredits.
2. What GPHCB Accredits
GPHCB accredits courses, certificates, and badging programs in public health, medical affairs, healthcare, health equity, health education, regulatory science, clinical research, sustainability and environment, and clearly related fields that advance population health, professional health practice, community well being, health systems, prevention, equity, policy, research, or workforce development.
Related fields means an academic, professional, workforce development, or continuing education area with a clear connection to population health, health systems, healthcare improvement, disease prevention, environmental or social determinants of health, health equity, clinical or regulatory practice, public health leadership, health research, sustainability, environmental health, or community well being.
3. Eligible Learning Formats
Graduate or professional courses in the subject areas listed above.
Online, hybrid, self paced, asynchronous, synchronous, blended, and competency based courses.
Individual courses, course sequences, certificate courses, workforce development courses, continuing education courses, stackable credential courses, and badging programs.
Offerings submitted by universities, training providers, professional associations, employers, nonprofit organizations, consultants, public health agencies, healthcare organizations, or independent academic units.
4. GPHCB Status Categories
5. Standards Domains
Domain 1. Eligibility, scope, and consumer clarity
The offering clearly identifies its subject area, audience, level, delivery format, length, prerequisites, completion requirements, and whether it is a course, certificate, course sequence, or badging program.
Domain 2. Course or program overview and learner onboarding
Learners know where to begin, how to navigate, how to receive support, what technology is required, and how completion will be documented.
Domain 3. Competency based design and measurable objectives
Objectives and competencies are learner centered, measurable, appropriate for graduate or professional learning, and connected to public health or health related practice.
Domain 4. Alignment
Objectives, competencies, learning activities, materials, assessments, certificates, and badges align clearly and consistently.
Domain 5. Assessment, measurement, and mastery evidence
Learners demonstrate knowledge, skills, professional judgment, or competency through appropriate assessments, rubrics, feedback, and evidence of mastery.
Domain 6. Content quality, relevance, and global public health value
Content is current, credible, evidence informed, professionally relevant, inclusive, and grounded in real world health contexts.
Domain 7. Learning activities, engagement, and application
Learners apply knowledge through cases, projects, simulations, discussions, reflection, practice, portfolios, or workplace related tasks.
Domain 8. Accessibility, usability, technology, and learner support
The learning environment is accessible, navigable, mobile aware, technically supported, and usable by diverse learners.
Domain 9. Credential integrity for certificates and badges
Criteria for completion, certificates, badges, stackable credentials, renewal, expiration, metadata, and public claims are transparent and verifiable.
Domain 10. Continuous improvement and governance
The provider uses learner feedback, completion data, assessment evidence, reviewer feedback, faculty or facilitator qualifications, and revision records to improve quality over time.
6. Review Pathway
7. Evidence Expectations
Course or program overview, syllabus, certificate description, or badge pathway description.
Learning objectives and competency map.
Assessment plan, rubrics, assignment instructions, simulations, portfolios, projects, quizzes, or performance evidence.
Sample learning materials, readings, videos, cases, tools, or practice resources.
Accessibility evidence, including captions, transcripts, alt text, accessible documents, readable files, mobile usability, and learner support.
Certificate or badge criteria, including completion requirements, metadata, expiration, renewal, stackability, and verification process where applicable.
Evaluation plan, learner feedback, revision history, faculty or facilitator qualifications, and quality improvement process.
8. Important Limitations
GPHCB accreditation of a course, certificate, or badging program is not institutional accreditation, state authorization, professional licensure approval, CEPH accreditation, QM certification, or approval by any governmental agency unless such authority is separately documented. GPHCB accreditation indicates that the specific submitted offering has met GPHCB standards within the stated scope of review.
9. Reference Frameworks
Public Health Learning Network and National Network of Public Health Institutes, Quality Standards for Training Design and Delivery, v. 1.0 Online Self Paced Edition, attached source document.
Global Public Health Credentialing Board, Credentialing Rubric for Course Accreditation, draft source document provided by Dr. Beatty.
Quality Matters, Higher Education Course Design Rubric, Seventh Edition, official overview page, https://www.qualitymatters.org/qa-resources/rubric-standards/higher-ed-rubric
Council on Education for Public Health, 2024 Accreditation Criteria and MPH foundational competency approach, https://media.ceph.org/documents/2024.Criteria.pdf
