Health Policy & Management

As part of their matriculation, all MPH students in programs administered by the Department of Health Policy and Management are required to satisfactorily complete a one-term practical experience called a practicum. The practicum experience may include domestic or international work in administrative, research, or clinical settings, or participation in ongoing research or program activities.

Practica are individually selected and tailored to meet student needs. Therefore, the focus, substance, and approach of the practicum will vary, depending on the particular program or concentration of the student and on her/his specific interests and professional goals and objectives.

These objectives must be consistent with the general objectives of the Department and School as outlined in the General Objectives section. During the practicum, students work under the aegis of a practicum preceptor who directly supervises the work of the student. Decisions on the nature, location, objectives, and activities of the practicum are arrived through discussion and agreement among the student, practicum program director, and practicum preceptor.

The full-time practicum is scheduled to take place during the summer term following the first year of study. Arranging a satisfactory practicum requires considerable advance planning. During the fall semester the practicum program director conducts practicum information sessions with small groups of HPM students. Meetings with individual students continue throughout the year. During the spring semester, the Department holds a practicum orientation session about the program's objectives, the required paper, presentation, and fall seminar.