Public Health Rotation
Public Health Practice I (Rotation) is a 12-week (three four-week rotations) course required in the third semester of study, following the first two semesters of core courses. This course allows the student to rotate through the Florida Department of Health (FDOH) in divisions or bureaus in programmatic areas representative of the five core areas of public health in four week segments, under the supervision of personnel with expertise in the particular area. The purpose of the public health rotations is to give the student an opportunity to work in a formal public health setting. Initially, each student is provided a formal orientation of the FDOH programs and, based on a specific interest in each area, each student chooses a particular topic to study (e.g., chronic disease control, environmental health, family services, planning and evaluation, disaster preparedness, birth defects surveillance, health disparities and environmental health tracking). Each student is matched with a specific preceptor for each rotation, based on project interest. A variety of possible projects is made available to the student two months prior to the start of the rotation period. This timeframe allows the student the time to review the available projects in each specialty area and make a decision on the area of interest for that particular rotation. Once a decision is made, the student initiates contact with the respective preceptor to discuss the project, work hours, and expected deliverables. The rotation time is ten hours/week at the rotation site for a 12-week semester.
MPH Culminating Experience
The required culminating experience required for the MPH program is the Comprehensive Examination (PHC 7965 ), Public Health Practice III (Independent Study), and the Public Health Internship (PHC 7946 ).
Comprehensive Exam: The Comprehensive Exam is taken in the first month of the last semester of study (Semester 5) and consists of a two-day written examination over the basic principles and concepts of the (five) core areas of public health (multiple choice) and, for the onsite traditional MPH program, a specific exam on the track courses taken by each respective student (short essay questions). There is an 80% pass requirement. Students have two opportunities to successfully pass all parts of the comprehensive exam and, if not successful, one additional time in the following semester. Failure to pass the comprehensive exam, in the following semester, will result in dismissal of the student from the FAMU Public Health Program.
Public Health Practice III (Independent Study): Each student is responsible for the development and conduct of an independent public health research project in their specialized program of study. Problem identification, project outline, methods and preliminary analysis, and results are required in Public Health Practice II (PHC 6910 ) at the conclusion of the fourth semester. Final data analysis is conducted during the fifth semester in Public Health Practice III. Each student must orally present their public health research project in a public forum and submit the written project at the conclusion of the semester. Each student is guided by his/her academic advisor during semesters four and five on their individual projects.
Public Health Internship: MPH students matriculate in PHC 7946 - Public Health Internship (6 credit hours) following the completion of all core and advanced course work. The internship is an integral part of the MPH curriculum. It is intended to broaden the student’s public health perspectives and provide experience in applying information learned in the core courses by integrating practical experience in public health practice with theory and content learned in didactic courses. At the beginning of the fourth semester, MPH students meet with the Internship Coordinator, student advisor, and Director to determine the type and location of the internship. Prior to this interview, the student submits an updated resume and a completed internship information form. Each internship must be in the area of specialization declared by the student at the conclusion of the third semester. The duration of the internship is a minimum of 20 hours/week over the entire semester for a total of 240 hours. Thus, the MPH Program requires a total of 360 hours of field placement experience for the traditional (on-site) students. Each student is evaluated by each internship preceptor through the submission of a progress report and submission of a final product, respectively.
