The MPH Applied Practice Experience (APE) provides an opportunity for students to work in a public health setting. APE encompasses an internship. Students in internship work with preceptor supervision to apply public health concepts and theories and competencies acquired in the classroom to public health practice through experiential activities. The student is required to complete 100 practicum hours with a minimum of 80 hours of on-site time.

Every MPH student must complete a practicum experience as a requirement for degree completion. The APE is an essential part of the Master of Public Health curriculum and is intended to provide hands-on experience in the field of public health. The APE must be conducted in partnership with an agency or organization, which functions to provide a public health service. The APE is overseen by the course faculty, who ensures that all requirements of the APE are met. The student is expected to produce standard practicum deliverables

The APE can be done either domestically or internationally. A student’s previous/usual professional activities do not suffice to fulfill the APE requirement. Activities completed before matriculation to the MPH program do not count towards the practicum.

Relation to MPH Program Outcomes: CEPH 2021 Accreditation Criteria – D5. MPH Applied Practice Experiences. “MPH students demonstrate competency attainment through applied practice experiences.” Competency attainment is assessed, in part, through a portfolio approach, in which the student develops at least two practical, non-academic work products that were produced for the site’s use and benefit.
A review of the work products must validate that the work products demonstrate the student’s attainment of the designated competencies.