"I hear and I forget, I see and I remember, I do and I understand.”

~ Confucius

The Public Health Science Internship is designed to integrate public health and science coursework with real-world, practical experience. PHSC interns work alongside public health professionals doing meaningful work and making significant contributions to an organization’s mission. The Public Health Science program maintains relationships with a variety of public health and healthcare organizations in the Washington, D.C./Baltimore metropolitan area and will provide support and guidance to locate an appropriate internship site.  However, it is ultimately the student’s responsibility to find and secure an internship. 

To receive internship credit, students must be simultaneously enrolled in an internship course that is approved in advance by the Internship Coordinator.  Many students enroll in PHSC399 which is repeatable for up to 6 credits and can be used for PHSC options, as can other internship courses. Of note, no more than 6 combined credits of internship and independent study may be counted toward PHSC options, regardless of course prefix.  Additional credits over 6 will apply toward general electives.

Students in internships are required to work the following hours to meet the University of Maryland credit requirements listed below:

Internship Credits Fall & Spring Weekly Hours (15 wks) Summer Weekly Hours (12 wks) Total Hours
1 3 4 45
2 6 7.5 90
3 9 11.5 135
4 12 15 180
5 15 19 225
6 18+ 22.5+ 270+

Summary of Internship Approval Process

Secure Internship

There are several places to search for appropriate internships:

  • Public Health Science Program Internship Database: This online, secure-access tool includes past PHSC internship placements, supervisor contact information, and job descriptions. Please keep in mind, sites listed in the database do not necessarily have a guaranteed open position for an intern. A listing means that the Public Health Science program has approved of the site and has a working relationship with the organization. The database information is also available in an Excel spreadsheet format. If you would like access to that document please reach out to the Internship Coordinator.
  • Careers4Terps: For both College Park and Shady Grove students, the services include simple tools to search job/internship postings, apply for on-campus interviews, practice interviewing, store resumes and cover letters, schedule individual appointments with a career advisor, and RSVP to employer information sessions or workshops.
  • USG Career Internship Services Center (CISC): For Shady Grove students, CISC is located within the Office of Student Services and provides career coaching, peer mentoring, virtual resources such as UMD Career Connector, and others resources to help students find an internship. In addition, students can get help with resume and cover letter writing and interview preparation.
  • Emails/Newsletters from the School of Public Health Career Center
  • Emails from PHSC Internship Coordinator, Nancy Gray Smith (phscintern@umd.edu).
  • PHSC Facebook Account
  • PHSC Twitter Account

New Internship Sites

If you are interested in a new internship site, submit an Internship Approval Request and wait for the approval. Please use the following format.

Subject Line: New Internship Approval Request​

Body of the email:

  1. Your name, UID, email address 
  2. Site contact information: 

a. Name of organization 

b. Address of organization 

c. Site supervisor’s name and title 

d. Site supervisor’s phone number and email address 

  1. Brief description of organization, including its mission, services, etc. (information should not be cut and pasted from a website.) 
  2. A list of potential internship activities (be as specific as possible.) These must align with the public health science program competencies. 

Internship Contract

After securing an internship, the student will need to work with the internship supervisor to complete the Internship Contract. This will require a summary of the responsibilities of the position including a description of daily responsibilities or the nature of the project for the internship period. The position should allow the student to intern the opportunity to apply one or more of the public health science competencies. The expected weekly hourly schedule for the intern is also required in the contract. The hourly schedule corresponds to the credits applied. No more than 6 combined credits of independent study and internship can be counted as PHSC options. Submit the completed Internship Contract to the Internship Coordinator.

In order to be considered for internship credit, the student must submit the Internship Contract by the following deadlines.

Due Date Internship Semester
August 5th Fall
January 10th Spring
April 10th Summer

PHSC399

After the Internship Contract is submitted you will receive approval to register for PHSC399. In order to receive academic credit for the internship, the following assignments must be completed: 

  • In-person Orientation
  • Signed Course Policy Agreement
  • Mid-term evaluation by site supervisor 
  • Final evaluation by site supervisor 
  • Oral reflection presentation
  • Written reflection paper
  • Class engagement via video presentation and social media 

Resources

Program Contact

If you have additional questions about the Public Health Science Internship, please email phscintern@umd.edu.