Important Dates for Accreditation Application and Review
Please refer to the Calendar for specific deadlines and other important dates.
Requirements for Receiving Accreditation
In order to receive accreditation from EHAC, a Program must comply with the requirements outlined in the Undergraduate and/or Graduate Guidelines, and have graduated one or more classes of environmental health students. Programs may choose to have a mentor to assist their programs in seeking accreditation. The mentor can advise program directors on self-study reports and other documents and partnerships that may need to be developed. Please contact the EHAC Office for more information on mentors.
The Council will provide assistance and advice through correspondence, telephone conferences, and on-site consultation with faculty and administrators who have developed or are considering the development of an environmental health science and protection curriculum.
Application for Initial Accreditation
October 1: Application and payment due. New programs interested in seeking accreditation must submit the application and either payment or payment order of $500. The application and payment are due to the EHAC Office.
The following process must be followed for an institution interested in seeking initial accreditation. EHAC will consider the accreditation of a program following an annual schedule upon:
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Request from a Program Administrator,
- Submittal of the Program Evaluation Report (Self-Study) with supporting materials, and
- Receipt of Application and Payment.
After these requirements have been completed, a site visit team selected by the Council will conduct a site visit at the institution. The Council will evaluate the application materials and site visit report at its Annual Council Meeting.
Please note that the application will be considered if and only if:
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The institution is accredited by a regional accrediting association for institutions of higher learning; and
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The program has graduate one or more classes under the curriculum being evaluated for accreditation.
Program Evaluation Report (Self Study)
The Program Administrator is responsible for submitting a Program Evaluation Report (Self-Study) no later than six months prior to the Annual Meeting. The specific submission deadline can be found in the EHAC Calendar for each year.
Electronic Submissions of the Program Evaluation Report are encouraged. Electronic Submissions should be sent to the Office for processing and posting on the internet or distribution.
Paper copies of the Program Evaluation Report are also allowed. The paper copies must be submitted both to the EHAC Office and all current Council Members via US Mail or other courier service. Please contact the EHAC Office for information on paper submission, and a list of current council members and contact information.
For questions about the guidelines or Self-Study submission, please contact the EHAC Office, or the Undergraduate or Graduate Chair for more information.
For a copy of the current guidelines, please visit: Undergraduate Guidelines or Graduate Guidelines.
Outcomes Assessment
For programs seeking re-accreditation, those programs must submit Outcomes Assessment data. The results of the Outcome Assessment must be submitted along with the Program Evaluation Report (Self-Study) no later than six months prior to the Annual Meeting.
Outcome Assessments will not be used in any accreditation decisions. Please contact the EHAC Office or the Undergraduate or Graduate Chair for more information on the Outcome Assessment surveys.
Site Visits
Upon submission of the Program Evaluation Report (Self-Study), the Undergraduate or Graduate Chair of the Council schedules a site visit to the Institution requesting accreditation. Site visit teams are announced in mid-January, and are scheduled to visit the school during mutually convenient times in February and March. Site visit costs are the responsibility of the applicant Institution. Occasionally, EHAC sends site-visitors in training to visit programs and learn about performing site visits. In this case, the cost of the Site Visitor-In Training is the responsibility of EHAC.
After the site visit, the schedule for submission of reports and other materials is as follows:
- Two weeks after the site visit – Site Visitor Evaluation forms due to the office.
- Four weeks after the site visit is completed, the draft Site Visit Team Report is due to be submitted to the Program Administrator for comment. This is the responsibility of the Site Visit Team Coordinator.
- Two weeks after the receipt of the Site Visit Team Report, the Program Administrator must review the report and suggest appropriate corrections of fact. The report must then be returned to the Site Visit Team Coordinator.
- Two weeks after the receipt of suggestions and corrections, the Site Visit Team Coordinator must address those corrections/suggestions and the document must be distributed to the Council, Site Visit Team, Program Administrator and EHAC Office.
At the Annual Meeting
The Program Administrator’s presence is requested at the Annual Meeting to respond to the written Site Visit Report and answer questions regarding the program.
At the Annual Council Meeting, the Site Visit Team summarizes their report. Then, the Program Administrator has the opportunity to provide a twenty-minute, verbal response to the written site visit report. The Program Administrators may also provide a written response to all Council Members before the Annual Council Meeting begins or at the start of their comment time.
After his/her verbal response, the Program Administrator responds to programmatic questions from other members of the Council.
The Council then enters a private, closed door discussion and votes on accreditation. Program Administrators are notified promptly of the results of the vote. The Council can decide to grant full or conditional accreditation, which are outlined in the guidelines.
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