Students can attain practical experience in the form of an internship outside of the required internship course (PBHL 40403 for undergraduates and PBHL 5840V for graduate students). In such cases, the following FAQ’s do not apply. The questions and answers below apply only to the required Internship course.
When will I get to do my internship?
Undergraduate students have to meet the following pre-requisites to enroll in PBHL 40403:
- Senior class standing by the start of the semester in which you take internship
- Successful completion of or concurrent enrollment in PBHL 30401.
What are the steps to securing an internship site?
Ultimately it is the intern’s responsibility to identify and acquire an internship position, but here are our recommended steps: 1. Begin by exploring potential internship sites using this website early in the semester prior to the semester in which you anticipate beginning your internship; 2. Enroll in PBHL 40403 or PBHL 5840V during your priority enrollment time; 3. Contact the agency you are interested in from the confirmed list of agencies under “Openings.” 4. If they already have an intern or it is not a good match, contact another agency of choice. 5. Once you secure an internship site, follow your instructor’s instructions on reporting your agency.
Note: Students should secure their internship position at least three weeks before the start of the semester. Most students start the process as soon as they enroll in PBHL 40403 or PBHL 5840V (the semester before they intend to complete their internship).
How much time will internship take?
You can expect your internship experience to take 112.5 hours at a minimum during the semester. You cannot front-load the time, as the time at your agency should be spread over a minimum of 13 weeks in the fall/spring semester and a minimum of 8 weeks in the summer term. This is to ensure that interns have a meaningful experience. On average most students spend about 10 hours per week on internship.
Will there be required class meetings?
Yes, there will be two required class meetings. One on the first day of classes and one near the end of the semester. The rest of your time will be spent at your internship site.
Can I count my current job as an internship? OR Can I do my internship at site that is not on pre-approved list?
Students may not do their internship at their place of employment. This would be a violation of the US Department of Labor.
Because we are an accredited public health program, we must ensure that all internship opportunities afford students a public health experience where they can practice public health competencies. For the undergraduate course, we use the National Commission for Health Education Credentialing competencies. For the graduate course, we use the MPH Foundational Competencies outlined by CEPH as well as concentration-specific competencies defined by the program.
A big piece here for internship is that you will need to complete at least one main public health project throughout the course of the semester for the undergraduate course and at least two main projects for the graduate course. This cannot be clinical observation hours or simple day-to-day office work, but it should be focused on health promotion and prevention. Each project must give you experience in competencies.
In general, students need to choose from the list of agencies provided by the course. This ensures that legal agreements are in place. If you would like to request a site not on the pre-approved list, you must email the instructor at least eight weeks before the start of the term in order to allow time for legal agreements to be signed.
If you have questions about approved sites, contact Ms. Lindly at elindly@uark.edu.
Can I count my previous experience at <fill in name of agency> as my required internship?
No, previous internship experiences cannot count retroactively toward the requirements of PBHL 40403 or PBHL 5840V.
