Overview
The Public Health Practicum, or PUBHLTH 195W, is the required capstone course for both Public Health Policy and Public Health Science majors. It is an 8-unit course, double that of a typical class and in turn has two entwined purposes.
NEW: Starting Fall 2025 PH Practicum will be split into two courses: PH 195P (fieldwork experience, 4 units pass/no pass) + PH 195W (writing course, 4 units graded). Students can plan to take PH 195P first, followed by 195W the immediate quarter after OR take both 195P and 195W during the same quarter. Feel free to reach out if you have any questions. More info will be sent to all Juniors and Seniors about this change, especially if they attended an older workshop.
The first purpose of the course is to provide an opportunity to work in the community at agencies, non-profits, or laboratories dedicated to public health practice. Students gain practical work experience during the internship, and classwork helps them to analyze the relationships of coursework, discipline-specific paradigms, and the work environment.
This work also serves the second purpose of the class: to understand and practice public health communication strategies through the production of three different writing projects. This course fulfills UCI’s upper division writing requirement, which is focused on practicing, through drafting and revision, the writing of your discipline.
All students are required to spend a minimum of 100 hours during the practicum quarter working with one of the approved sites in our online catalog. Students will apply to and interview with one of these sites, which have all agreed to accept, train, and supervise Wen Public Health students in the ongoing activities of the organization. (Students must choose a placement site listed in the practicum catalog.) This work then becomes the basis for the assignments in the class, which include three papers and a video presentation.
If this sounds like a large time commitment and workload, it is! We encourage students to take care when planning their practicum quarters. It’s never too early to develop time management skills.
Prerequisites and Enrollment
- Public Health 1 and 2
- Completion of lower-division Writing
- Attended at least one practicum workshop
- Upper-division standing
- Public Health majors only
- Approved practicum internship
YOU DO NOT NEED TO COMPLETE ALL GEs or Lower- Division Courses only what is listed above.
Steps and Timeline
Important Dates
| ACTION ITEM | Fall 2025 | Winter 2026 | Spring 2026 | Summer 2026 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Practicum Site Registration Due | May 12 | Nov 10 | Feb 16 | April 20 |
| Practicum Placement Period | Sep 25 – Dec 5 | Jan 5 – Mar 13 | Mar 30 – Jun 5 | Jun 22 – Aug 27 |
| Practicum Internship Hours Completed By | Dec 5 | Mar 13 | Jun 5 | Aug 27 |
* Please note senior standing students who meet all prerequisites on time and have a graduation application on file will receive priority.
Important Information
Please note: You will be dropped from PH 195W if you do not complete a Site Registration form on or before the specified deadline, if you have not been officially offered a position at an approved internship site, if you are not of upper division standing, and/or if the class is full since priority is given to graduating seniors with a graduation application on file.
If your first-choice sites are no longer accepting interns, it is still your responsibility to meet the Practicum Enrollment deadline specified on the website. Some sites may require a background check, so be prepared by applying early.
For all practicum related questions, please email phpracticum@uci.edu or schedule a meeting with the community engagement manager.
