https://publichealth.ouhsc.edu/Student-Experience Parent Page: Student Experience id: 34323 Active Page: Experiential Learning id: 34431
Image Alt Text
Hands-On Health Impact

Prepare for your public health career with field work that contributes to a healthier tomorrow.

How to Apply Explore Our Programs

Prepare for Your Career with Field Work

Unlock your potential with OU Public Health’s experiential learning. Explore real-world opportunities that shape careers and impact communities. At OU Hudson College of Public Health, we believe that experiential learning is the cornerstone of professional preparation.

Experiential Learning Designed for Your Success 

Our students engage in field work and practicums, gaining practical skills that seamlessly complement their classroom education. Our dedicated professors guide them every step of the way, ensuring they develop the competencies needed to excel in their chosen field. Upon graduation, our students are not only ready but also qualified to make a meaningful impact in hospitals, medical centers, and organizations. 

  • Experiential Learning Opportunities: Our students engage in hands-on experiences at various health centers across the nation. These real-world settings allow them to apply classroom knowledge to practical scenarios. 
  • Program-Specific Field Work: Through practicums and field practice, students gain valuable skills in their chosen field. Our dedicated professors guide them, ensuring a seamless transition from theory to practice. 
  • Exams & Certifications: Upon program completion, students take a comprehensive exam that assesses their competencies. Successful completion ensures they are well-prepared and qualified to excel in their future careers. 

Program-Specific Field Work & Practicum

Imagine applying what you’ve learned in class to actual public health scenarios. That’s the Practicum! It’s where you exercise your knowledge, skills, and education. Whether specializing in Biostatistics, Epidemiology, Health Administration & Policy, Health Promotion Science, Interdisciplinary Public Health, or Occupational & Environmental Health, our students engage in the Practicum. It’s their chance to make a real-world impact. 

Whether you’re passionate about state and local health, Native American health, or even international settings, we’ve got you covered. You’ll complete your Practicum at qualified hosting facilities within the U.S. and beyond. 

For those pursuing the Master of Science in Industrial Hygiene and Environmental Health Sciences, the OEH Field Practice is a game-changer. Imagine gaining practical insights by working in actual industrial hygiene and environmental health settings. During your field practice, you’ll address real-world challenges, understand the impact of health solutions within organizations, and collaborate effectively in multi-disciplinary teams. 

Choose Your Practicum Setting

At OU Public Health, we believe in learning by doing. Our students gain hands-on experience through partnerships with diverse organizations, including the Southern Plains Tribal Health Board, the Tobacco Settlement Endowment Trust, INTEGRIS Health, OU Health, the Oklahoma State Department of Health and the VA Medical Center of OKC.

Additionally, we collaborate with numerous townships, county offices, and health departments throughout Oklahoma. Beyond our state borders, students can engage in experiential learning with organizations like Phillips66 Company in Texas and institutions such as Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Lab in Maryland.

Whether it’s tribal health, community wellness, or cutting-edge research, our students make a difference!   

Public Health Certificate Exam

The National Board of Public Health Examiners (NBPHE) offers a credential for public health professionals, demonstrating mastery of core public health competencies and serves to assess mastery of the Council on Education for Public Health (CEPH)competencies. 

  • Master of Public Health students are required to take the NBPHE CPH exam as part of the degree requirements after completing the first 21 hours including all five (5) core courses.
  • The exam is administered year round at the PSI Assessment Center OR online. 
  • No-cost exam preparation material is available in all five (5) core areas. 

All public health students are eligible and encouraged to become Certified in Public Health.   For more information >> https://www.nbphe.org 

Learning Competencies

The Hudson College of Public Health has developed sets of competencies for each of its degree programs that describe the knowledge, skills and abilities that graduates will achieve.

The development of the competencies was informed by national consensus models such as the Association of Schools and Programs of Public Health (ASPPH) Core Competency models. The competencies are periodically reviewed by each department as part of an ongoing continuous improvement process and assessed regularly by outside peer evaluators through the accreditation process.