Applied Practice Experience

The NYU Master of Public Health (MPH) program requires all students to complete the Applied Practice Experience (APE) which includes a 180-hour internship with hands-on public health experience and two seminars taken after completing two semesters of coursework. The APE provides students the opportunity to become familiar with the kinds of organizations that put into practice the theory, concepts, and methods taught in the MPH program. Students will be able to choose their own internships with NGOs, governmental agencies, multilateral institutions, community-based organizations, or private sector companies based within the US and overseas.

The course you will complete depends on which concentration you choose:

• CHSP, EPHS, GH, PHN, PHPM, and SDG students complete a combined sequence of GPH-GU 2359/5359 Applied Practice Experience Seminar (APE) and GPH-GU 2360/5360 Integrative Learning Experience Seminar (ILE) in either Fall or Spring. You can visit the APE and ILE Seminar page for more information.
   
• BIOS, EPI, and SBS students complete GPH-GU 2686 Thesis I in the Fall and GPH-GU 2687 Thesis II in the Spring. You can visit the Thesis Seminar page for more information.

Students in the Biostatistics MS program are highly recommended to complete an internship during the summer and possibly through the fall semester. This experience will best prepare students for their Thesis, a required component of the MS program.

Students in the Epidemiology MS program must complete an Applied Research Experience (ARE), which is an internship with a strong research focus. This includes projects focusing on analyzing, interpreting, and modeling data from public health, health care, biomedical, clinical, and population-based studies. The experience can be completed during the summer and possibly through the fall semester. This experience will best prepare students for their Thesis, a required component of the MS program.

Please refer to the chart below on Practice Course designations.

When can I complete the APE?

Students begin working towards the 180-hour practice/internship requirement after completing the first two semesters of coursework, which is a minimum of 21-23 credits towards the MPH degree.

Students enrolled in a dual degree program (DDS, MSW, MD, MSN) or a joint-degree program must work closely with their academic advisors to determine their course sequencing so hours can be completed in the appropriate summer term.

• DDS students will complete their hours during the summer leading into their 5th and final year of the dual degree program.
• MSW students will complete their hours during the summer leading into their 3rd and final year of the dual degree program.
• MD students will complete their hours during the summer leading into their final year (4th or 5th) of the dual degree program.
• MSN students will complete their hours during the summer leading into their 2nd year of the dual degree program.
• MPA/MPH students are not required to complete the Applied Practice Experience - the MPA Capstone at NYU Wagner fulfills this requirement.
• Students enrolled in the 4+1 program through NYU Gallatin or Steinhardt will complete their Applied Practice Experience hours in the summer leading into their final year of the program.
• Students enrolled in the MPH concentration “Public Health Nutrition” who are interested in becoming a registered dietitian-nutritionist (RDN) will take additional coursework through the Didactic Program in Dietetics (DPD) at NYU Steinhardt. These students must complete the APE internship before the final year of the DPD-related coursework. Please note that the APE internship is separate from the Dietetic Internship, which must be completed in order to sit for the RDN examination. More information about the Dietetic Internship and steps to becoming a RDN can be found here. 

Please visit the Completing the APE page for next steps.

GPH Office of Public Health Practice Mission Statement:

We are faculty and staff working towards the application of public health scholarship by supporting and guiding our students as they conceive of their impact in the field, their commitments to communities, their engagement in activities, initiatives, organizations, and agencies fostering population health, and their articulation and manifestation of their professional identities.

Meet the Team: