Programs & Degrees
Master of Public Health (M.P.H.)
Master of Public Health/Master of Social Work (M.P.H./M.S.W.)
Master of Public Health/Master of Science in Human Genetics (M.P.H./M.S.)
Ph.D.

Field Placement

All students in the Department of Health Behavior and Health Education at the University of Michigan School of Public Health gain field experience as part of their M.P.H. degree program. The primary purpose of field experience is to help students learn how to apply theory and principles to the realities of work situations and to develop and expand professional skills and competencies essential to these tasks. Through their field placement, students have the opportunity to explore areas of interest and to become acquainted with agencies and community groups engaged in public health programs.

HBHE requires all M.P.H. students to have a minimum of 318 hours of field experience. The decision as to the specific locale of the placement is an individual one, reached by the student with his/her advisor. The field experience is usually carried out over the Spring/Summer Terms but can be done concurrently with course work, or a combination of the two.

Under a policy adopted by the SPH faculty, students receive a credit reduction of up to 6 credit hours required for the degree following completion of a field experience. Information about the Roles and Responsibilities of the student, the field placement preceptor, and the student's faculty advisor in the field placement experience are available.

Frequently Asked Questions About HBHE Field Placement

What kind of field placement should I do?
How do I find a field placement?
What will be required of me?
Is there any funding available to support field placements?

What kind of field placement should I do?
Students determine the kind of field experience they desire based upon their interests, educational needs, previous experience in health agencies or health education/health behavior programs, and career goals. Students can ask themselves whether they are interested in gaining experience in programs concerned with: delivery of health services, health promotion/disease prevention, community organizing, community health services, health planning and policy development, behavioral studies and their application, patient education, media production and health communications, training programs, or specific health problems (such as cancer, heart, STD, maternal and child care, environmental concerns).

Students can consider different ways to choose a site based on their interests in:

TOPIC AREA: for example, drug abuse, violence, AIDS, diabetes
SETTING: i.e., health department, community organization, work site, international
POPULATION: adolescents, elderly, women, Latinos, etc.
SKILLS DESIRED: program planning, policy, research, evaluation, etc.

How do I find a field placement?
Each year the HBHE department surveys approximately 150 agencies nationwide, requesting information on potential internship experiences. Agencies receiving the questionnaire represent a wide range of organizations, including health departments, community-based organizations, non-profits, hospitals, and research institutions. Each year, any agency that has not returned a questionnaire, and has not indicated that they want to receive one the following year, is removed from our mailing list. Each year, we also add any agencies where students have done placements or are working that are not already on our mailing list. These surveys are placed in a notebook in the HBHE Resource Room for students to utilize.

Other resources for leads on field placement opportunities include alumni lists, the SPH Career Services office, the The University of Michigan Career Center , HBHE faculty members and the Office of Public Health Practice.

What will be required of me?
HBHE requires all MPH students to have a minimum 318 hour (max 636) field experience. The specific field placement is an individual choice, but must be approved by the student's advisor. It may be satisfied during the regular academic year, during the summer, or some combination of the two. The hours in the field may be completed in any combination of hours per week and number of weeks.

HBHE students develop field placement objectives to help them articulate their goals for the field experience and to communicate to field preceptors their expectations of the experience. Field preceptors do a final evaluation of the student upon completion of the placement. Students then also develop a short abstract and paper to help them process and evaluate their field placement experience; this paper serves as a reference for later students. In the early fall of their second year, students present and discuss their field experience during a poster session with first-year students and faculty.

Is there any funding available to support field placements?
The department has three funding sources for field placements (as available): (1) The Irving Zeitz Memorial Fund, (2) the George Simmons Memorial Fund; and (3) the HBHE Internship Grant. All recipients must be currently enrolled in the HBHE Department.

There are a number of opportunities both within the University of Michigan and outside which students have taken advantage of in the past. Additionally, agencies sponsoring student field placements frequently have some support available. More information about these funding opportunities is available in the HBHE Field Placement Handbook.

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