PRACTICUM WAIVER GUIDELINES

Integral to the MPH curriculum is a required practicum, internship or field placement. As stated by the School of Public Health’s accrediting body, the Council on Education for Public Health (CEPH), a planned, supervised and evaluated practice experience is an essential component of a professional public health degree program. The goal of the Public Health practicum is to provide students with the opportunity to apply public health academic theory and acquired skills from their concentration or specialty track to community-based research and service in a practice setting.

For MPH students who are admitted to the School of Public Health possessing extensive public health experience, the fieldwork experience may be waived. Qualified students will be required to complete two (2) credit hours of approved elective or core-specific coursework in place of the practicum credit hours.

Before a waiver is granted, the student must demonstrate experience in application of basic public health concepts and of specialty knowledge to the solution of publichealth problems.‖ Public health knowledge includes the CEPH core knowledge areas andthe ten essential public health functions (referenced below).Students must also show that their previous experiences relates to specialty knowledge acquired in their concentration or specialty track. Waiver requests will be considered on a case-by-case basis.

CEPH Core Knowledge Areas: Biostatistics, Epidemiology, Environmental Health, Health Services Administration, and Social & Behavioral Sciences

10 Essential Public Health Services:

Eligibility for Exemption

  • Concurrently employed in a public health professional that provides for application of the competencies gained from the MPH program
  • Typically 5+ years of professional experience in public health
  • Documentation that the public health experience has been broad based, diverse, and has involved the application of many abilities and skills that complement the main area of academic training: knowledge of the core functions of assessment, policy development; and/or the assurance of a population-based approach to health problems and their prevention; working with community partners.
  • Examples of areas which might be considered for a waiver could include:
  • Developing policies and intervention strategies to meet public health needs
  • Conducting relevant research on population-based health problems
  • Establishing health objectives, priorities, and needs assessments
  • Assessing, monitoring, or conducting surveillance of health problems/services in a designated population

Circumstances Not Supporting a Waiver Request

  • Clinical practice by itself (such as what is obtained by physicians) does not constitutepublic health experience and therefore does not support a waiver.
  • Possession of a prior professional degree in another field or work experience thatis not closely related to the academic objectives of the degree program is not sufficientreason for waiving the practice requirement.
  • Independent or supervised research does not qualify for an appropriate practicumexperience.

Students mustdiscuss the possibility of a waiver with the Practicum Coordinator within one year of enrollment.The waiver request must be submitted no later than the first week of registration the semester prior to when the waiver would be granted.

For example, a student who plans to complete his or her practicum in Summer 2014 should submit his or her waiver request during the first week of Spring registration.

Waiver Request Requirements

Waiver requests must be submitted in writing to the Practicum Coordinator, using the Practicum Waiver Application Form. The request must address the items below.Students must include an updated CV/resume with their requests.

  • Detailed information for each place of public-health related employment, including:
  • Name of agency; Complete Mailing Address
  • Position title; Employment dates
  • Whether work is part-time or full-time
  • Supervisor contact information and whether SPH can contact supervisor
  • Detailed job description/discussion of responsibilities and level of responsibility
  • Evidence of attaining and applying relevant public health competencies
  • Detailed statements describing specific experience in the public health workforce, explaining how this experience relates to the current area of study including how the experience demonstrates application of knowledge from the core and specialty track
  • Estimatednumber of hours of field-based experience for this experience
  • A description of how the student proposes to make up the credits that would have been achieved through the practicum experience
  • Qualified students who are granted a waiver must complete a minimum of 2 credit hours of pre-approved coursework in place of the practicum credit hours.
  • Students should consult the Practicum Coordinator and/or faculty advisor for replacement course selection.

EFFECTIVE 3/2014