Each year, over 300 UTHealth Houston School of Public Health students participate in a practice-based experience (i.e., practicum) in Texas, the US, and worldwide.
These students annually contribute 54,000 hours of public health engagement annually, improving the communities they serve, their host organizations, and themselves. These experiences result in the creation of over 600 professional products annually, including needs assessments, intervention development, community surveys, data collection and analysis, literature reviews, and more.
UTHealth Houston School of Public Health students enrolled across Texas and beyond are prepared and eager for applied practice experiences.
About the Practicum
Students pursuing their Master of Public Health (MPH) or Doctor of Public Health (DrPH) degrees must complete a practicum that connects their goals and interests to the needs of the host organization and community. Working with a UTHealth Houston faculty mentor and community preceptor (site supervisor) and produce, each student completes a 180-contact hour public health practice experience and produces the requisite deliverables.
Applied practice experiences can be in-person or virtual, paid or unpaid, and occur during any semester (spring, summer, or fall). Practicum experiences require a community engagement component, which could include working directly with the public or on projects and/or creating deliverables addressing community health (e.g., surveys, resources, informational materials).
“The student has been very helpful to our program and was willing to learn and work on several different tasks at a time. Their final products will be used in our program in the future and have greatly contributed to TB education for our community providers.”
-Texas Department of State Health Services
Discover the Transformative Power of Practical Experience at UTHealth Houston School of Public Health
Embark on a transformative journey with your practicum, also known as the applied practice experience. This dynamic opportunity allows you to bridge the gap between classroom learning and real-world application. During your practicum, you will collaborate with fellow students, esteemed faculty, and dedicated community partners and organizations to tackle pressing public health challenges across a variety of disciplines.
The practicum offers a wealth of local, national, and global experiential opportunities, enabling you to make a meaningful impact in diverse settings. Imagine yourself:
Investigating the social and economic impacts of teen pregnancy for a local health department.
Analyzing the health effects of air pollution for a leading international advocacy organization.
Streamlining healthcare management processes to improve patient outcomes in a major urban hospital.
All MPH and DrPH students develop practicum experiences that:
Devote a minimum of 180 contact hours to a project in a public health setting.
Produce deliverables that benefit the host organization, community, and the student's portfolio of work.
Integrate public health foundational and major-specific competencies.
While completing their practicum, students are supervised by a community preceptor and supported by a faculty mentor.
Beyond Boundaries -Practice Public Health Anywhere
Public health issues are not limited to boundaries and borders, and neither should your practicum. Take this opportunity to gain public health practice experience anywhere.
Are You a Potential Host Site?
If you’re interested in hosting a student for a practicum at your organization, please visit our employer page.
Are You a Current Student?
Current students may access additional information and resources available on the Practicum Overview on mySPH.
Practicum 2023-2024 Overview
Practicum Locations
Host Organization Type
SVG Preview
Practicum Enrollment
Modality of Practicum
Ready to Host a Student?
Preceptors are needed to help prepare our students for real-world public health practice. Are you interested in mentoring the next generation of public health leaders? Serving as a preceptor allows you to share your knowledge and expertise with future professionals, contributing to advancing health equity.
Serve as a Community Preceptor
The preceptor, or site supervisor, is an employee or affiliate of the host organization who oversees the practicum.
Preceptors:
Advise students in developing projects and deliverables
Orient students to a practice setting and organizational and institutional policies
Supervise students and provide feedback on their performance and potential career paths
Guide and mentor students as they develop as public health professionals
Hear from Recent Preceptors
“The student has been very helpful to our program. They were willing to learn and work on several different tasks at a time. Their final projects will be used in our program in the future and have greatly contributed to TB education for our community providers.”
-Texas Department of State Health Services
"I love the opportunity to host practicum students in our office. I have always had exceptional interns from the UTHealth School of Public Health, and the latest student was no exception. Our student made great contributions to our program to address the pandemic and advance our program through evaluation." -University of Texas Administration
“The student participated in a host of activities related to our MCH Infant Health and Safety campaign. They are professional and eager to learn. We enjoyed providing them with practical experience to support skill development in public health programming and communications.”
-Texas Department of State Health Services
Get Started!
Connecting Students with Opportunities in Four Steps
Identify Suitable Opportunities for Student Projects and Deliverables
Do you need an evaluation plan or a training webinar for a program curriculum? Or maybe you want to write a grant or create health communication messaging. Examples of suitable deliverables are available by program and major in the resources linked below.
Identify Student Characteristics that Best Fit the Opportunity
MPH and DrPH students across all programs (Health Promotion & Behavioral Sciences, Epidemiology, Environmental Science, and Management, Policy & Community Health) are required to pursue a practicum. Depending on your project needs, you may want to select a student from a certain program or campus. This is also an opportunity for you to determine if this will be an in-person, hybrid, or virtual experience.
Post and Promote your Opportunities
UTHealth Houston School of Public Health uses Handshake, the #1 early-career community platform, to post available practicum and employment opportunities. Employers can create a free account and post general and position-specific information. A guide to Handshake for preceptors is available in the resources linked below.
Let us know how we can help! The Office of Public Health Practice and Engagement can assist with posting opportunities to Handshake if needed and promote opportunities through various means of direct communication to our students.
Click Here to complete our Preceptor Inquiry Form and connect with a member of our practicum services team.
Select a Student
Identify a student that fits through your preferred means (e.g., interview) and work with them and their faculty mentor to produce and review a learning contract outlining expectations of the experience and student responsibilities.
The student will initiate the learning contract process, and a fully approved learning contract is required before the student can start their practicum experience.
Resources & Contacts
The Office of Public Health Practice and Engagement provides tools and resources to students, faculty, and preceptors to help guide the practicum experience. These include the following resources for preceptors.
Have a question or would you like to discuss hosting a student? Our team is ready to help. Contact the Office of Public Health Practice and Engagement at Practicum@uth.tmc.edu.
