“Our students think of public health not as a business, but as a service.”
Eva Doyle, PhD Master of Public Health Program Director
Graduate Project and Immersion
250
hour internship
200
hour optional practicum
1
on-campus immersion
Baylor University’s Robbins College of Health and Human Sciences is dedicated to preparing compassionate healthcare professionals who are eager to pursue a service-oriented career improving quality of life for individuals, families, and communities around the world.
With an emphasis on community health, the Master of Public Health (MPH) online program offers multiple experiential opportunities for students to bring the public health vocation to life.
In addition to online classes, MPH@Baylor includes an on-campus immersion experience, an optional in-community practicum, and a culminating graduate project, all designed to provide hands-on training for aspiring public health leaders.
On-Campus Immersion Experience
Over the course of one weekend, students come together on our historic campus in Waco, Texas, where they are immersed in the Baylor culture and become part of the Baylor Family. With a focus on collaboration, networking, and problem-solving, students partner with individuals from multiple cross-disciplinary professions to tackle real-world public health issues. This simulation reflects the cross-sector nature of the public health profession.
Trainings revolve around public health topics such as social determinants of health, intervention design, and community assessment.
Students will hear from keynote speakers, visit local family health centers, begin work on graduate projects, and dine with faculty and classmates. By the end of the weekend, students will have made lasting connections and developed tangible, real-world public health skills.
Culminating Graduate Project
Each MPH@Baylor student will complete a 250-hour (minimum) Council on Education for Public Health-accredited internship as a culminating end-of-program project.
The purpose of the graduate project is to apply knowledge gained in the classroom to a real-world scenario while continuing to develop practical experience in a public or community-based setting. During the internship phase of the graduate project, students are able to partner with a local organization and work within a particular community or population of interest.
(Note: If the minimum 250 hours are reached, but the project is not complete or unsatisfactory, then the student must proceed past 250 hours in order to reach the point of approval, per the site.)
Phases of the Graduate Project
The graduate project is composed of three phases that occur throughout the length of the program.
Phase One
Immersion
Preliminary Assessment and Proposal
The first phase of the graduate project takes place during the immersion weekend held on Baylor University’s campus. Students collaborate with peers, professors, and healthcare leaders and begin formulating their graduate projects. Each student will partner with a real public health organization and write a proposal that clearly defines the goal and purpose of their project.
Phase Two
Internship
Applied Practice Experience
Phase two of the graduate project requires students to partner with an organization. During this internship, students will complete all internship elements, including an e-portfolio, agency report, policy analysis, and a presentation that is critiqued by the graduate project committee. This committee includes the internship chair, agency supervisor, and a faculty committee member.
Phase Three
Project Report
Integrative Learning Experience
During phase three, findings and outcomes from phases one and two are brought together into one cohesive report. This written discussion should include foundational public health concepts learned in class. Submitted as an electronic document and presented to the internship chair, the report is the culminating piece to the MPH@Baylor graduate project.
Optional In-Community Practicum
Baylor seeks to fulfill its commitment to improve society by designing a public health curriculum that prepares students with hands-on learning experiences intended to accelerate professional preparation.
MPH@Baylor students have the option to participate in a 200-hour practicum directly in their own communities. This in-person experience offers students an additional opportunity to diversify relevant skill sets and competencies needed to become community and public health practitioners.
In contrast to the mandatory graduate project, the optional practicum experience is an elective course and does not require synthesized reporting.
Learn More About MPH@Baylor
If you want to learn more about MPH@Baylor’s experiential learning opportunities, our admissions counselors are available to answer your questions.
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