Continuing and Professional Education, or CPE, has developed its first certificate program that can serve as a bridge to UC Davis graduate degrees.

The first “degree pipeline” is the Public Health Certificate Program, developed in collaboration with the School of Medicine’s Department of Public Health Sciences, to address a severe shortage of professionals in the field. The program comprises four graduate-level, online courses to be taken over a year.

Pipelines in other disciplines are under discussion. CPE invites Inquiries from interested graduate programs.

Susan Catron, dean of Continuing and Professional Education, said online pipeline programs reflect the changing needs and expectations of working professionals. “These programs provide an academically rigorous learning experience with immediate workforce applications, while keeping the door open for pursuing a graduate degree,” she said.

In starting with public health, CPE found a strong partner in UC Davis’ Masters of Public Health Program, administered by the Department of Public Health Sciences.

“There has been a surging demand for public health services as we transition out of the COVID-19 pandemic,” said Brad Pollock, Distinguished Professor of epidemiology and chairman of the Department of Public Health Sciences, who served as the director of Healthy Davis Together, the city-UC Davis COVID-19 pandemic collaboration.

“The pandemic highlighted the growing need for public health professionals,” Pollock said. “Right now, we only have one-fifth of the needed public health workforce in the US.”

The program is designed for people who are investigating whether they want to pursue a master’s degree, and-or are working professionals who can only take one class a quarter; wish to strengthen their application for graduate school; or simply want the certificate to achieve their goals in the field.

CPE says the certificate program will serve as seamless entry to the Masters in Public Health Program, ranked 19th in the United States.

Courses developed and led by experienced faculty from the Department of Public Health Sciences and industry experts will ensure a high-quality, relevant and applicable curriculum. Up to 12 units of credit can be transferred to a UC Davis graduate public health degree, subject to faculty approval. Graduate Studies collaborated on a model articulation agreement.