We are now accepting May – August 2025 practicum postings. These will go live to students on January 13, 2025.
For May – August 2025 practicum cycle: We are happy to continue our collaboration with Mitacs for matched practicum funding! You can submit a MPH posting while applying for MITACS funds. Please see the NOTICE here, OVERALL PROCESS/ ELIGIBILITY & an updated PROPOSAL TEMPLATE. Contact Christopher Dixon (cdixon@mitacs.ca) to discuss the process by Friday February 7th, 2025.
if you already have an account, SUBMIT A PRACTICUM POSTING ON THE PUBLIC HEALTH LEARNING NETWORK (PHLN)
If you do not have a Supervisor Account yet, you may want to complete the MPH Posting Form and email it to practicum.dlsph@utoronto.ca to get started.
Contact the Practicum and Professional Development Officer or call 416 978 8844 to further discuss practicum opportunities!
Upcoming May – August 2025 Practicum Timeline
| Activity | Date |
| Submit Practicum Positions on PHLN to recruit a 1st year MPH student | Now – April 2025 |
| Student Application Period & Positions go live | Noon of January 13, 2025: Most students start to interview in February and may secure a practicum by March 2025. |
| Interview and Hiring Period | Starting January 13, 2025 |
| Notes: |
Program dates: May 5, 2025 – August 22, 2025 (16 weeks, 35 hours/week x 16 weeks minimum=560 hours) PREFERRED |
January – April 2025 Practicum Timeline
| Activity | Date |
| Submit Practicum Positions on PHLN to recruit a 2nd year MPH student | Starting September 2024 – Now (on a rolling basis) |
| Student Application Period & Positions go live | September – mid-December 2024 |
| Interview and Hiring Period | Ongoing |
| Notes: |
Program dates: Jan 6, 2025 – April 25, 2025 (16 weeks, 35 hours/week x 16 weeks minimum=560 hours) PREFERRED or Jan 6, 2025 – March 28, 2025 (12 weeks, 35 hours/week x 12 weeks minimum=420 hours)
|
Click here to SUBMIT A PRACTICUM POSTING ON THE PUBLIC HEALTH LEARNING NETWORK (PHLN)
2 Practicum Cycles: General Overview
| Practicum | Timeline | Credits and Hours | Students’ academic preparations |
|
Summer practicum May – August (16 weeks) Required for all 1st year MPH Epidemiology and Health Promotion students |
November to April: Practicum opportunities collected on PHLN January: January – April: Additional opportunities are posted on a rolling basis |
2.0 FCE for a 16 week practicum 560 hours minimum, 35 hours a week |
Students would have taken 2 full semesters of classes as preparation. Click here for MPH Epidemiology course requirements. Click here for MPH Health Promotion course requirements. |
|
Winter practicum January – May (12 weeks minimum or 16 weeks) For 2nd year MPH students |
Practicum is student-driven – they are responsible for finding their own practicum. But if you have an opportunity to advertise, I am happy to post it for you. September to December: |
1.5 FCE for a 12 week practicum 420 hours minimum, 35 hours a week |
Students would have taken at least 3 full semesters of classes as preparation. |
General FAQ
To learn more about the MPH Health Promotion and MPH Epidemiology programs
Practicum Guidelines
MPH Epidemiology 2024 Guidelines
MPH Health Promotion 2024 Guidelines
What is a practicum placement?
The required practicum occurs between May and August each year and requires a minimum of 560 hours of work onsite (average of 35 hours per week). A second elective practicum occurs between January and April each year and requires a minimum of 420 hours of work on site. The student and preceptor will identify learning objectives that meet the student’s learning competencies and also organizational goals. The student will work on projects in the organization, with the supervision of a preceptor who will report at 2 points on the progress against learning objectives.
What is the process for recruiting a practicum student?
To recruit a student for May-August (16 weeks) practicum, please submit a posting on Public Health Learning Network (PHLN) anytime from November to April. These postings will go live in as early as January 2021.
To recruit a student for January – April (minimum 12 weeks) practicum, please submit a posting on Public Health Learning Network (PHLN) anytime from September to mid-December.
Note: first time users need to first create an account on PHLN. Please see requirements for preceptor experience and practicum below.
Interested students will apply through PHLN with their cover letters and resumes. Once you have interviewed and selected a student, it is recommended that you provide a letter of offer and receive written confirmation and commitment from the student as the practicum may not start right away.
If you would like to further discuss practicum details, please don’t hesitate to contact the Practicum and Professional Development Officer or call 416 978 8844.
What is my role as a preceptor?
Click here for Practicum Roles and Responsibilities
What forms do I need to complete with the practicum student?
- Learning Contract – student and supervisor complete this together on PHLN
- Supervisor Midterm evaluations – link will be sent to your inbox. Click HERE for a Word version.
- Supervisor Final evaluations – link will be sent to your inbox. Click HERE for a Word version.
What experience do I need to have as a preceptor/supervisor?
For MPH Epidemiology practicum: The practicum supervisor should be an epidemiologist or a professional with 3+ years of analytical experience.
For MPH Health Promotion practicum: The practicum supervisor should be a health promotion professional with a MPH or equivalent and 3+ years of experience.
What are the practicum requirements for MPH Health Promotion and MPH Epidemiology?
For MPH Epidemiology practicum: Practicum projects must include the epidemiological and statistical analysis of primary or secondary data. A significant element of interpretation of epidemiological data is required. The student must also contribute to one or more substantial work of writing. This may be original research or reports authored by the agency or a working group. Practicum projects could involve work on a community health status report, a specific health needs assessment, a research project, an outbreak investigation or a variety of other possibilities.
Click here for MPH Epidemiology competencies
For MPH Health Promotion practicum: The activities undertaken during the practicum will depend on the needs of the agency/organization sponsoring the practicum, and the student’s own learning objectives. Such activities might include: contributing to or leading a project on behalf of the sponsoring agency/organization (e.g., conducting a needs assessment, evaluating a program, assisting in a research project); participating in the ongoing business of the agency/organization (e.g., attending meetings, participating in committee work, writing reports); producing a report, document or publication relevant to the work done.
Click here for MPH Health Promotion competencies
There may be more than 1 supervisor for each practicum student. Depending on the supervisor’s experience and qualifications, the Practicum and Professional Development Officer may recommend that the student finds an additional faculty member as co-supervisor.
What are the MPH Epidemiology and MPH Health Promotion Competencies?
Click here for MPH Epidemiology competencies
Click here for MPH Health Promotion competencies
What is the process for Workplace Insurance for Postsecondary Students on Unpaid Placements?
- The Placement Employer agrees to provide the Student Trainee with health and safety training, or verify that they have completed the appropriate health and safety training, and take appropriate precautions to ensure that the Student Trainee is supervised in order to protect the Student Trainee from health and safety hazards that may be encountered at the placement organization. Upon request, the Placement Employer agrees to provide written confirmation to the University that the Student Trainee has received the appropriate health and safety training.
- The Government of Ontario, through the Ministry of Training, Colleges and Universities(MTCU) , pays the Workplace Safety and Insurance Board (WSIB) for the cost of benefits provided to Student Trainees enrolled in an approved program at Dalla Lana School of Public Health, University of Toronto
- Employers that are not required to have compulsory coverage under Workplace Safety and Insurance Act or those out of province are covered – MTCU will cover the cost of private insurance with Chubb Insurance for Student Trainees
- Placement Employers and Training Agencies (universities) are not required to complete and sign the online Postsecondary Student Unpaid Work Placement Workplace Insurance Claim Form for each placement that is part of the student’s program of study in order to be eligible for WSIB coverage. Instead, this form only needs to be completed when submitting a claim resulting from an on-the-job injury/disease. Please note that universities will be required to enter their MTCU-issued Firm Number in order to complete the online claim form; the Placement Employer’s WSIB is not impacted by claims.
- The MTCU Guidelines for Workplace Insurance for Postsecondary Students of Publicly Assisted Institutions on Unpaid Work Placements and the claim form are posted on the Ministry’s public website
Please note that all WSIB or Chubb Insurance procedures must be followed in the event of an injury/disease.
Reporting of injuries:
- Immediately report to the University any workplace injury or disease involving a student on an unpaid work placement. Where the Placement Employer is covered by the WSIB, the Placement Employer will comply with all WSIB reporting procedures. If the Placement Employer is not covered by the WSIB, then it will comply with the Chubb reporting procedures found in the MTCU Guidelines for Workplace Insurance for Postsecondary Students of Publicly Assisted Institutions on Unpaid Work Placements.
- Within three days of learning of a work related accident, Placement Employers that are covered under the Workplace Safety and Insurance Act will provide to the University the incident report, as well as any other necessary information related to the accident, along with a completed Letter of Authorization to Represent the Placement Employer. The University will complete the Form 7.
I originally did not advertise a practicum opportunity through the Practicum Office. I was approached by a student interested in completing a practicum with me. What do I need to know?
Thank you for your interest in supervising one of our students! All 2nd year students wishing to complete a second practicum can find their own. If you were approached by a student, please discuss project details with the student. The student will submit a work term record on Public Health Learning Network (PHLN) providing all of the details to the Practicum Office. The Practicum Officer will send a practicum confirmation 1-2 weeks prior to the start date. If you have any questions or concerns, please contact Sarah Ko at practicum.dlsph@utoronto.ca or call 416 978 8844.
Note that the Ministry of Training, Colleges and Universities (MTCU) will cover the cost of Workplace Safety Insurance and benefits provided to Student Trainees participating in unpaid practica. The MTCU Guidelines for Workplace Insurance for Postsecondary Students of Publicly Assisted Institutions on Unpaid Work Placements are posted here.
Can I see some examples of past practicum opportunities?
Past MPH Health Promotion practicum placements:
- 2024 May-August practica
- 2024 January-April practica
- 2023 May-August practica
- 2023 January-April practica
Past MPH Epidemiology practicum placements:
What is the recommended pay for a MPH practicum student?
The recommended stipend is $20/hour or around $10,000-$12,000 for a 16-week practicum ($20 x 35hours/week x16)
The recommended stipend is $20/hour or around $8500 for a 12-week practicum ($20 x 35hours/week x 12)
We encourage organizations to pay students in order to support them with tuition and rising living costs, in exchange for high-quality, full-time work. In the past, agencies have offered a stipend anywhere from $6,000 to $10,000. We recognize that not all agencies are able to pay students, but anything that you can offer would be greatly appreciated. Students are more likely to accept paid placements when applying for practicum opportunities. Over the years, the most successful postings correlate with paid placements. Unpaid placements can create inequitable access to placements for students. But we are still appreciative of the mentorship and will do our best to help promote and advertise!
If you would like to offer an unpaid practicum or one with a stipend, an organization-level student placement agreement should be in place before a student can begin. Contact the Practicum Office for the template agreement.
Is help available to define a practicum project for my organization?
Yes, we can work together to define a practicum placement. Please contact the Practicum and Professional Development Officer.
What happens after the practicum is posted on Public Health Learning Network?
Interested students will apply through PHLN with their cover letters and resumes. Once you have interviewed and selected a student, it is recommended that you provide a letter of offer and receive written confirmation and commitment from the student as the practicum may not start right away. The student will submit a Work Term Record on PHLN and this will be emailed to the supervisor as practicum confirmation, approximately 1-2 weeks before the practicum start date.
Am I guaranteed a student if I submit a posting through the Public Health Learning Network?
We post all available practicum opportunities for students to apply. Because of their diverse areas of interest, we cannot guarantee that all supervisors will end up with students. The majority do but not all.
I want to hire practicum students from another program.
Please view the Practicum Requirements by Program and directly reach out to the contact listed.
I don’t have a practicum to offer right now but would like to stay involved with the school for school-wide events. What can I do?
You can send the Practicum and Professional Development Officer an email to be added to the listserv so that you receive the most up-to-date information on the next practicum cycle.
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