Tips to Attract Student Applicants
To improve your chances of attracting students to your internship opportunities, we have compiled the following tips:
Internship Overview
The internship is an integral part of the MPH program. Students are required to work 480 hours, fulltime for 12 weeks in the summer following their first year of classes. The intern also works with the Preceptor and their Field Supervisor to develop an Internship Agreement that matches his or her learning objectives to the needs of their host organization. The intern helps to organize a meeting during the middle of the internship called a Mid-Point Update where the Field Supervisor visits the site. The intern writes a final report and completes a final assignment to meet their academic requirement.
Selecting Projects for the Internship
- Select meaningful projects for students which give them an opportunity to sharpen their skills in areas such as program planning, fiscal functions, research, cultural competency, policy development, among others.
- Be clear in your posting about the skills you require the students to have before the internship and those skills which the internship will help them develop.
- If you are having difficulty developing meaningful projects, please contact the Center for Public Health Practice and we can assist you.
Posting your Internship Opportunity
- Post early, posting begins now until January 31st.
- Be specific in the description of the internship opportunity; describe the type of projects available for students and deliverables expected of them during the internship.
- List the skills required for the internship as well as skills that will be developed or sharpened.
- Under the "Salary Information" section, please be specific on the amount your organization is willing to pay a student either by the hour, monthly, or via a stipend. As an example, last summer, depending on the discipline and the type of organization, our students earned an average of $2500-$5000 per month. Please note that to help lower your costs; some limited matching funds may be available to help you support an intern. These funds are available to support community-based projects that are located in the Greater San Francisco Bay Area. Students interested in community-based projects need to apply for these limited funds. In addition, some students may be eligible for the Federal Work-Study program which could help you to attract and recruit interns for your organization. For more information on the work study program, please review their Prospective Employer Information for more details.
- Under the "student area(s) of emphasis you would consider," please consider how students from the various disciplines in the School can assist you in accomplishing your objectives.