The Capstone (for students entering before December 31, 2006)

All students in the School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine are required to register in, and successfully complete, the practicum experience. For students in the Department of International Health and Development, there is only one option for fulfilling this requirement: a supervised 300-hour practicum experience. This policy applies to all students in the MPH program in IHD. Regardless of previous work experience, all students are required to complete this experience.

The practicum is designed to allow students to synthesize the knowledge and skills developed during the academic portion of their program at Tulane. The objectives of the practicum are:

• To apply classwork knowledge to practical work experiences
• To gain further skills or strengthen those learned in the classroom, and
• To gain a greater understanding of the operation and politics of public health programs (at the home office, in a field setting, or elsewhere).

All students in IHD will be expected to fulfill the a practicum as follows:

• The student will complete 300 hours on the job (including preparation of final report if applicable);
• Students are encouraged to identify and complete a placement in a department or organization outside the Department of International Health and Development. The rationale is to give students exposure to health professionals and a working environment different than the one that they experience as part of their academic program at Tulane.
• In some cases (especially where the student has had extensive work experience elsewhere) it may be more beneficial in terms of professional advancement for the student to work within the Department of International Health and Development. In this case, the student wishing to complete a practicum under the supervision of a departmental faculty member must petition the Chair of the Department and receive written authorization to do so prior to starting the practicum. Approval will be contingent on demonstrating that the practicum completed within the Department will involve the development of a practical skill set (e.g., data analysis, multi-media production, distance learning technology, etc.).
• The student must establish a set of objectives for the practicum, to be approved jointly by the faculty advisor and the preceptor at the practicum site before he/she begins work. This applies to experiences both outside the Department and within the Department.
• The type of work involved must be relevant to the academic program and career goals of the student, as judged by the faculty advisor;
• The student must have completed two semesters of coursework prior to beginning the practicum (or to the contrary, have written the written permission of the advisor);
• The student will be enrolled in the practicum for NO CREDIT, and he/she may not earn credit for an independent study for the piece of work completed under the practicum. (If the student elects to do additional work on a related topic beyond what is required by the practicum, then this will be negotiated between the faculty advisor and student.).

Prior to beginning the practicum:

• All students register for the practicum.
• All students submit a copy of the Proposed Practicum Experience Form signed by the advisor and the department chair. One copy is given to the department for filing; the original is submitted to the admissions office.

Upon completion of the practicum:

Many IHD students have challenging and rewarding practicum experiences, while a few experience situations that do not live up to their expectations. In an effort to provide a mechanism whereby future students can learn from the experiences of recent graduates about the range of possible internships, what makes for a particularly positive experience, and pitfalls to avoid, all students in IHD are required to submit the Practicum Completion Form to the Department for review and filing upon the completion of their practicum. The form will be used as a directory for future practicum placements for students in IHD. NOTE: The Practicum Completion Form must be on file in the IHD office before students can be certified to graduate. If the form is not complete, the student will not be allowed to graduate.

Download the Capstone Completion Form
Download the Proposed Capstone Experience Form