DrPH Applied Practice Experiences

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All DrPH students will complete one or more practice-based experiences designed to strengthen advanced practice and leadership skills through meaningful projects for public health organizations. These organizations may include:

• Government agencies

• Non-governmental organizations (NGOs)

• Non-profit organizations

• Industry or for-profit settings

Students may complete their APE in their current workplace or another organization of their choice. Each student must identify a mentor within the organization to guide them throughout the experience.
Please take a look at the section on Practice-Based Mentors for more details.

• Students must demonstrate growth in at least five DrPH competencies across their practice experiences.

• At least one competency must relate to leadership or management.

• Competencies should be selected from the DrPH Courses and Competencies list for the student’s concentration.

• Experiences may consist of:

  • One large project or

  • Several smaller projects spread across multiple semesters.

• Developed in consultation with the faculty advisor and mentor

• Based on targeted competencies

• Students should:

  • Honestly assess prior experience

  • Identify gaps and plan experiences to strengthen skills

  • Ensure opportunities to enhance leadership skills

  • Consider how experiences inform the doctoral project

• Jointly developed by student, mentor, and faculty advisor

• Must include:

  • Specific, measurable, time-limited actions

  • Explicit descriptions of tasks, processes, and projects

  • Expected start and completion dates

  • A timeline for the entire activity lifecycle

• Must meet organizational needs and demonstrate:

  • Achievement of competencies

  • Fulfillment of learning objectives

• Examples include:

  • Project reports

  • Data summaries

  • Training materials or evaluations

• Reflection on competencies and learning objectives is required

• Practice site mentor: Provides ongoing guidance and supports deliverables

• Faculty advisor: Reviews final deliverables and evaluates achievement of objectives

• Final submission: Deliverables, reflection paper, and signed evaluation must be submitted to the DrPH Director for review and approval

✅ Tip: Start planning your APE early to align with your competencies and career goals.

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DrPH Applied Practice Syllabus

DrPH students who started before 2025 are not required to register for a course to complete their APE.

Below are links to the competencies for each concentration in the DrPH. You must use the competency list that applies to your concentration for your APE requirement. Students who are admitted to a particular catalog year can select a different catalog year later on, and may request to change their concentration as concentrations become available.

DrPH Competencies Fall 2023 - Present
DrPH Competencies Fall 2022 - 2023 

Advanced Practice Leadership in Public Health Competencies Fall 2022 - Present
Advanced Practice Leadership in Public Health Competencies Fall 2017 - 2022

Public Health and Clinical Laboratory Science and Practice Competencies Fall 2022 - Present
Public Health and Clinical Laboratory Science and Practice Competencies Fall 2017 - 2022