The BS in Public Health program prepares students for a wide variety of careers in health and wellness. Building on a basic science foundation, students’ progress to courses in program planning, social determinants of health, politics of health, health communications, health care systems and program management.
A senior internship further prepares students for planning, delivery, and evaluation of health programs in their selected areas of interest, helping them gain real-world experience.
Each senior is assigned to work under the supervision of a professional health educator or administrator in an organization determined by the student's interests and availability of sites. Internship options include a variety of settings:
- Healthcare facilities
- Community Health Programs (non-profit and for profit)
- School Health Sites
- Health and Corporate Fitness Sites
- Environmental Health Programs
- Health Care Management Organizations
See a list of past internship sites.
For the spring semester of the senior year, students are enrolled in the practicum course (10 credits). Each student works at the placement site under the direction of his or her preceptor, with communication, consultation, and visits provided by university faculty. The internship is 32 hours per week for the semester and students take only one additional course on campus that semester.
Students are welcome to suggest internship options not currently used by our program. In this case, faculty will consult with the agency to determine interest and willingness to have a student, appropriateness of the activities proposed for the internship, availability of a health educator to act as a preceptor, and feasibility of location for required university faculty site visits.
See a list of organizations where our students have received real-world internship experience.
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“This was the most interesting and rewarding project I have ever been a part of through my undergraduate experience at UMass Lowell. I owe a great deal of thanks to my professors who made this possible. They truly care about making sure students are learning through experience and not just through lectures.”
- Michelle DiCiaccio ‘12