MPH Practicum

The Master of Public Health Practicum (SPPH 508) is a required component of the MPH degree and provides students with a supervised, hands-on experience in a professional public health setting. The practicum allows students to apply classroom knowledge in real-world environments while building professional networks that often lead to future employment opportunities.

Students complete a minimum of 450 hours of supervised field experience, enabling them to integrate coursework with practical public health practice while developing professional skills and confidence.

Key Requirements

Full-Time Student Status

During the practicum, students must be registered as full-time students at the university. This ensures the practicum is formally recognized as part of the MPH program and meets academic and institutional requirements.

Academic Requirement

The practicum is a mandatory academic component of the MPH degree. Placements must be directly related to the student’s public health studies and designed to support the development of competencies in population and public health practice.

Paid Practicum Opportunities

The university authorizes paid work terms and internships, meaning that practicum placements may be paid when supported by the host organization. Compensation is determined by the host agency and is not required for all placements.

Practicum Structure

The practicum requires a minimum of 450 hours of supervised field experience in a professional public health setting.

• Full-time practicum (most common): typically completed over 12 weeks at approximately 37.5 hours per week.
• Part-time practicum (optional): students may complete the same 450-hour requirement over a longer period, usually across two academic terms, with approval from the Practicum Director.

All placements must include appropriate supervision and clearly defined learning objectives.

Practicum Settings

Most practica take place within Canada, though international placements may be approved by the Practicum Director.

Appropriate settings include:

• Public health units within regional health authorities
• Provincial government agencies (e.g., Ministries of Health or Labour)
• Federal organizations such as the Public Health Agency of Canada
• Indigenous health organizations such as the First Nations Health Authority
• Public health research centres and academic research teams

These environments allow students to gain experience addressing a wide range of population health challenges.

Agencies interested in hosting one of our students for a practicum should contact our office at mph@spph.ubc.ca.