Field Experience
Field experience offers students opportunities to integrate and demonstrate the application of academic knowledge with learned public health core competencies in professional practice settings through exposure to one or more core functions of essential public health services.
An internship (3 credit hours) is required of all students. In certain uncommon situations, a student with substantial prior experience can substitute an independent study for this requirement with the program director's signature of a waiver. Entering MPH students must complete a 240 hour internship, typically conducted during the summer between first and second year. There is monetary compensation for most, but not all internships. An internship can be repeated once and substituted for an elective of 3 credit hours.
Students meet with the Director of Field Placement who develops, coordinates and supervises field placements. The field placement director discusses with students opportunities available from a wide range of community agencies including public health departments, medical practices, community health centers, hospitals, nursing facilities, and non-profit health agencies. The field placement director develops and maintains a list of approved sites with preceptors holding graduate credentials in public health or equivalent experience. Students may choose a site not on the list, in which case the field placement director ensures that the site meets program standards and appropriate university agreements are complete. The field placement director approves the field experience topics and reviews with students the Preceptor and Student Acknowledgement Documents, expectations of the field placement director, preceptor and student ensure a successful placement experience.
The length of time for which the field placement can be completed is variable. Factors such as the needs of the precepting organization and the current employment status of the student must be taken into consideration. The field placement director periodically consults with both students and preceptors throughout the field placement experiences and works with preceptors and the concentration advisors in evaluating the performance of students. Students complete an agency evaluation at the end of their experience. Students receive both a mid-point and final evaluation from their preceptor. Evaluation or grading components are determined equally from four areas: successful demonstration of public health competencies identified at project onset; the effectiveness with which the student integrated public health principles into their project; quality of the written product and level of professionalism demonstrated by student including their ability to manage their project independently.
It is recommended that students consider internships that may lay the foundation for their professional paper or future employment opportunities.
