Applied Practice Experience (APE)

Students must work a minimum of 50 hours on the internship with a public or private, international, national, state, or local health-related organization and must take PHC5945 in tandem with that experience to meet MPH graduation requirements. The course, which is delivered virtually, requires that students reflect on their internship experience in a series of structured discussions with peers and complete a substantive project that illustrates professional development and accomplishments during the internship. Students will also submit written documentation that demonstrates that they have attained five public health competencies, through the applied work experience.

The goal of the APE is to provide students with  the day-to-day experience of working in a health-related organization, including setting priorities, engaging in collaborative teamwork, identifying and marshaling resources to solve work-related problems, and that they received and responded to feedback by preceptors.

Details on the APE course, PHC5945, and related forms can be found here.

Course Enrollment Process and Academic Prerequisites

  1. In order to be enrolled in the APE 3-credit MPH internship course, PHC5945, students must submit an application via the MPH APE SM Apply portal for verification that they have met the following prerequisite requirements and have secured an appropriate Applied Practice Experience that will facilitate the development of professional skills for public health practice. Students must have:
  • Completed PHC 5155, PHC 5001/URP 5521, and ECP 5538 or the equivalent
  • Completed Milestones 1-3 of the MPH Career Preparation module.
  • A completed and signed APE internship contract to the SM Apply portal. A copy of the contract is also available for download in the SM Apply portal. 

Before starting your application in SM Apply, be sure that you have met the academic prerequisites and, if applicable, have documentation of badges and ServScript hours at hand to upload into the portal. Also please complete your SM Apply application well ahead of the semester in which you plan to take the course so you have time to complete it and so we have enough time to review and approve it and enroll you in the course.

To find out more about the APE, please contact our APE coordinator at aschwabe@fsu.edu

Previous interns from our program have engaged in a variety of work roles including:

  • Collecting and  analyzing  infant mortality and low birth weight data by county and coalition.
  • Data collection on maternal and child health indicators was used in Florida’s Title V Maternal and Child Health block grant.
  • Monitoring and reporting on legislative committee meetings.
  • Written analyses of bills proposed for consideration in the Florida legislative session.
  • Creating and distributing communication methods to share important public health messages that resonate with people in various sectors and communities.
  • Developing outreach strategies to facilitate county engagement in public health programs.

List of previous APEs:

  • Florida Department of Health
    • County Health Department
    • Chronic Disease
    • Disease Control
    • Environmental Health
    • Maternal & Child Health
    • Tobacco
  • Florida Department of Children and Families
  • Florida Agency for Health Care Administration
  • Private For-Profit Organization
  • Private Not-For-Profit Organization
  • FSU Health and Wellness Center
  • US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

Career Resources