Field training should be scheduled after you have completed the majority of your required coursework—this is typically after your second semester. Give yourself plenty of time to prepare for and coordinate your field training—at least three months before your anticipated start date is ideal.
Field training can be completed in the fall, winter, spring or summer semesters.
If you are interested in completing your field training experience in the:
MPH Field Training Coordinator
Ariana Martinez, MPH field training coordinator, will work with you to help you select a field training site and provide guidance regarding your field training experience. Contact Ms. Martinez at am25@buffalo.edu.
Field Training Site Supervisor
The field training site supervisor provides on site supervision and support throughout your field training experience.
Field Training Faculty Instructor
Your field training course faculty instructor will review and approve your required field training forms and PowerPoint slide set as well as assign your final grade for field training.
You are required to register for one 3-credit field training experience of 120 work hours (CHB, EEH or STA 544). In some concentrations you can choose to do another field training experience (at the same or a different site) and register for a 3-credit elective course (CHB or EEH 547) and complete an additional 120 work hours.
You should register for field training before the start of your field training experience. Register for course number 544 associated with the appropriate department (CHB, EEH or STA). You need to register for the semester in which you will complete the training. For example, if you plan to conduct field training in the summer, then you must register for the summer semester session. You cannot register for field training credit in one semester and complete it in another semester.
An international student on an F-1 visa must obtain authorization through International Student Services (ISS) to complete the field training component of the MPH Program. Ask your faculty advisor to complete the Academic Advisor's Curricular Practical Training Recommendation Form to apply for this authorization immediately after your field training site has been finalized. You will also need an "employer letter" from your field training site. Please refer to Curricular Practical Training (CPT) for more information.
If you are enrolled in a combined degree program with the MPH and complete a practice-based public health-related experience in another graduate program such as the DPT, JD, MBA, MD, MSW, PharmD or MUP, you may be able to share field training credits from your non-MPH program to meet the MPH field training requirement.
Visit the Field Training section of the MPH Student Resources portal in UB Learns to learn more and apply for MPH field training shared credits.
When you are ready for your MPH field training experience, please visit the MPH Field Training Prep course in UB Learns and complete the INFO Form. Before submitting the INFO Form, you can review the list of possible field training opportunities.
After submitting your INFO Form, MPH Field Training Coordinator, Ariana Martinez, will contact you to help facilitate your application to an organization.
You can complete your field training at a location that is not affiliated with UB. All field training guidelines, procedures and paperwork still apply to a non-affiliated site.
You may complete your field training experience through the Office of Global Health Initiatives. Its mission is to identify, engage in and advance innovative and sustainable solutions to significant global health problems.
You may complete your field training at your current place of employment, although the experience must provide an opportunity to apply the skills and knowledge gained in your MPH program. Field training experiences at your place of employment must meet all MPH field training requirements.
You will complete one 3-credit field training experience, required for the MPH, over one semester by enrolling in CHB, EEH or STA 544.
Some students, based on MPH concentration, can extend field training at their site for another semester by enrolling in the MPH field training elective course CHB or EEH 547. Some students may also complete an additional field training experience in a second semester at a different site by enrolling in the MPH field training elective course CHB or EEH 547.
Based on activities you completed, and your field training documentation including evaluations, you will earn a grade of S (satisfactory) or U (unsatisfactory) for your field training experience.
If you register for field training credit and are unable to begin or complete the training, contact your MPH field training course instructor.
If you have significant public health-related work experience, you may be able to waive MPH field training credits. Students who waive field training must complete an additional 3-credit MPH elective course for the concentration.
Current students can check their eligibility for an MPH field training waiver in the Field Training section of the MPH Student Resources portal in UB Learns. Students who waive MPH field training based on work experience must still meet all MPH field training requirements from their experience.
You will complete electronic field training forms and a field training PowerPoint slide set, which serve as a summary of your field training experience.
In your UB Learns MPH field training course (CHB, EEH or STA 544) you will be able to access the form links and directions for completing and submitting your PowerPoint slide set.
Links include a Site Assignment form that establishes your placement and a Student Evaluation of Site form which you complete at the conclusion of the experience. This form includes a link to upload your completed PowerPoint slide set.
Your grade in the MPH field training course will be based on the completion of required forms and your PowerPoint field training slide set.
You will create a PowerPoint slide set that includes slides describing the agency and project, public health products you developed for your site, public health competencies you addressed during your experience, and interprofessional teamwork experiences. You will submit your PowerPoint slide set into your Student Evaluation of Site form, after completion of your field training experience. You should also provide a copy of the field training slide set to your site supervisor.
The PowerPoint slide set requirement is a reflection of what you gained in your field training experience. It is your responsibility to complete this on your own, without assistance from anyone at your field training site. This is a requirement of the MPH Program, not of your field training site. If you need any assistance, please contact the MPH Field Training Office.
The MPH field training faculty advisor reviews the completed slide set and assigns the grade.
Learn more about the field training report in the MPH Student Resources Portal.
The UB MPH Program staff may search the web for students’ LinkedIn profiles during the process of finding and securing a field placement opportunity, which may assist in matching students to a field training site. LinkedIn profiles represent professional profiles. Organizations where students complete their field training experiences may also view students’ LinkedIn profiles, and we ask that students please keep their profiles professional. If you would like assistance setting up or maintaining a professional LinkedIn profile, please contact UB’s Career Design Center.
