Below you will find DLSPH practicum information for organizations. If you are an organization that is considering offering a practicum placement for a particular Public Health Sciences (PHS) specialty, you can find the practicum requirement details on this page.

MPH Epidemiology

Practicum Terms and Duration:

Summer Session: May – end of August (560 hours)

Winder Session: January – April (420 or 560 hours)

Recruitment begins 4 months before the start date.

Practicum Requirements:

Practicum projects should include the epidemiological/ statistical analysis of primary or secondary data. Some interpretation of quantitative data is strongly preferred. The student must also contribute to one or more substantial writing projects.  This may include 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.

Program Competencies:

Upon successful completion of the practicum placement, students will have an increased understanding of:

  1. Canadian health systems
  2. Data sources and critical appraisal
  3. Databases, technology and, surveillance
  4. Epidemiologic methods
  5. Biostatistics and data analysis
  6. Public health guidance
  7. Communication, health promotion and protection
  8. Partnerships
  9. Policy and evaluation
  10. Leadership and management

Supervisor Requirements:

The practicum supervisor should be an epidemiologist or a professional with over 3 years of analytical experience.

Student Compensation Requirements:

For a 16-week practicum:

The recommended stipend is $20/hour or around $12,000 for a 16-week practicum ($20 x 35hours/week x16 weeks).

For a 12-week practicum:

The recommended stipend is $20/hour or around $8500 for a 12-week practicum ($20 x 35hours/week x 12 weeks).

  • In exchange for high-quality, full-time work that our students perform, we encourage organizations to pay the students as it provides them with support for their tuition and rising living costs. In the past, agencies have offered a stipend between $6,000 and $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 them.

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. Please contact practicum.dlsph[at]utoronto.ca for the template agreement.

Program Contact:

Sarah Ko
Practicum and Professional Development Officer
practicum.dlsph[at]utoronto.ca

Click here for website information.

MPH Health Promotion

Practicum Terms and Duration:

Summer Session: May – August (560 hours)

Winder Session: January – April (420 or 560 hours)

Practicum Requirements:

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.

Program Competencies:

  1. Public health sciences knowledge and critical thinking
  2. Research and scholarship
  3. Program planning, implementation and evaluation
  4. Partnerships, collaboration and advocacy
  5. Communication skills
  6. Leadership and systems thinking skills

Supervisor Requirements:

The practicum supervisor should be a health promotion professional with a MPH or equivalent and 3+ years of experience.

Student Compensation Requirements:

For a 16-week practicum:

The recommended stipend is $20/hour or around $10,000-$12,000 for a 16-week practicum ($20 x 35hours/week x16).

For a 12-week practicum:

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.

Program Contact:

Sarah Ko
Practicum and Professional Development Officer
practicum.dlsph[at]utoronto.ca

Click here for website information.

MPH Indigenous Health

Practicum Terms and Duration:

Winter (term 3): 16 week, 35 hrs/week=560 hours

Summer or Fall (term 5 or 6): 12 week, 35 hrs/week=420 hours

Practicum Requirements:

First practicum must be with an Indigenous organization. Second practicum may be with a student’s choice or organization.  Practica must only be started after core courses in MPH IH and core courses in MPH program in term 1 (Spring/Summer) and 2 (Fall) are complete (5 FCEs).

Program Competencies:

The program objectives are guided by the following set of 9 core competencies, which are based on a synthesis of literature on competencies within the field of Indigenous health. Through land-based learning, community engagement, in-classroom course work, and practicums, students develop their core competencies. The core competencies are as follows:

  1. Cultural Safety
  2. Theories and Methods
  3. Needs Assessment
  4. Programming Planning and Implementation
  5. Research and Evaluation
  6. Health Education and Communication
  7. Community Development
  8. Partnerships and Collaboration
  9. Policy Development and Advocacy

The integration of LBL at the beginning of the program addresses the importance of bringing Indigenous voices and perspectives to the forefront. As such, students will gain in-depth knowledge of Indigenous perspectives one term prior to learning about public health from western perspectives.

Supervisor Requirements:

Mentorship and ongoing support, assign tasks and encourage team-building and independent work.  Mid-point and final evaluation of the student.

Student Compensation Requirements:

Recommended hourly rate of at least $20/hr

Examples of tasks/deliverables completed by students:

Community reports, presentations, policy briefs, literature reviews, research reports, participation in data analysis, cultural competency guidelines.

Program Contact:

Melanie Jeffrey
Interim Director
melanie.jeffrey[at]utoronto.ca

Click here for website information.

Additional Information:

Please note that we do not use a centralized website for practicum placement.  Each student is given a selection of practicum options and is welcome to suggest a new placement option with adequate notice to the program director and coordinator.

MPH-Nutrition and Dietetics

The MPH-Nutrition & Dietetics program is a 20-month accredited program that is designed to meet the competency requirements and training for entry to practice as a Registered Dietitian.  Dietitians are health professionals who at entry to practice are expected to be able to perform: individual nutrition care, community intervention, food provision, and public health planning and delivery.

Practicum Terms and Duration:

The required practicum for MPH-Nutrition and Dietetics students is 24 weeks in duration (3.0 FCE).

These placements generally take place each year between January and August during students’ first year (winter and spring/summer terms) of the program.

Practicum Requirements:

MPH Nutrition and Dietetics students must complete a minimum number of weeks in various placement settings as follows:

  1. Nutrition Care: 12-weeks
  2. Population Health/community: 4-weeks
  3. Food provision: 4-weeks

Program Competencies:

MPH-Nutrition and Dietetics students must demonstrate 100% achievement of entry-to-dietetic-practice performance indicators as outlined in the Integrated Competencies for Dietetic Education and Practice v3.0 2020 (the “ICDEP”).

Supervisor Requirements:

MPH-Nutrition and Dietetics students must have their competency records signed off by a Registered Dietitian.  If the practicum supervisor/preceptor is not a Registered Dietitian, the Nutrition and Dietetics Practicum Manager may co-supervise the students’ work where a dietetic competency is to be demonstrated.

Student Compensation Requirements:

Compensation (contract fee, hourly rate or honorarium) is welcomed by MPH-Nutrition and Dietetics students, but is not a requirement for these placements.

Program Contact:

Maria Ricupero
Nutrition and Dietetics Practicum Manager
maria.ricupero[at]utoronto.ca

Click here for website information.

MPH Occupational and Environmental Health

Practicum Terms and Duration:

Summer Session: May – end of August (16 weeks,  approximately 40 hours/week ;570-640 hours total)

Recruitment normally begins 5 months before the start date.

Practicum Requirements:

Students in this program have competed a Bachelor of Science (BSc.) or a Bachelor of Applied Science (BASc.) and have completed two terms of course work toward their Master of Public Health (MPH) degree in Occupational and Environmental Health. The Practicum should reflect the typical work that Occupational Hygienists or Environmental Health Professionals do. This focuses on the anticipation, identification recognition, assessment and control/management of hazards and exposures both in occupational and public settings as well as research and policy development. Typical exposures include biological, chemical and physical hazards in workplaces and in outdoor or the indoor built environments.

Program Competencies: 

Upon successful completion of the practicum placement, students will have an increased understanding of:

  1. Identification, quantification and surveillance of risks to human health associated with exposure to chemicals, physical agents (noise/radiation/vibration/heat/cold) , biological agents (bacteria, mould, virus)
  2. Development of strategies and measures to minimize risk to human health from the agents listed above – policies, standards, program development, training, engineering controls, personal protective equipment, ventilation, EHS management systems.
  3. Surveillance of populations through analysis of data for diseases associated with chemical or biological or physical agent exposures
  4. Hazard control program development, communication, health promotion and protection on environmental health issues such as Radon, EMF, climate change, air pollution, water contamination

Example of issues they manage:

    1. Measuring exposure to toxic chemicals like lead, asbestos, benzene and selecting the best means to minimize exposures using the hierarchy of control and meeting regulatory requirements or health based guidelines
    2. Measuring exposures to heat, noise or radiation to determine risks and compliance to protect workers or the public
    3. Biohazards (bacteria, virus, mould) – measuring if airborne or on surfaces, and decontamination or mitigation to minimize risk of infection
    4. Air pollution – measurements, standards for health and how to ensure polluters meet emission standards.
    5. Indoor air quality in non-industrial indoor settings – mould, air filtration and distribution
    6. Developing, implementing and evaluating elements of a management system for EMS/OHMS
    7. Data analysis to look for trends and issues that may affect the future health of a population or workforce

Supervisor Requirements:

The practicum supervisor should be an occupational hygienist or environmental health professional with over 3 years’ work experience.

Student Compensation Requirements:

For a 16-week practicum:

The recommended minimum stipend is $20/hour or around $12,000 for a 16-week practicum ($20 x 35hours/week x16 weeks).

  • In exchange for high-quality, full-time work that our students perform, we encourage organizations to pay the students as it provides them with support for their tuition and  living costs. In the recent past, organizations have offered pay ranging from minimum wage to $32/hour. We recognize that not all public agencies are able to pay students, but stipends are greatly appreciated.

Program Contacts:

Occupational Hygiene – Paul Bozek p.bozek[at]utoronto.ca

Environmental Health – Lissa Ceolin lissa.ceolin[at]utoronto,ca

Click here for website information.

MScCH Addiction and Mental Health

Practicum Terms and Duration:

A MScCH-AMH practicum can be completed in any term:

Fall Session: September to December

Winter Session: January to April

Summer Session: May to August

The mandatory and optional MScCH-AMH practicum are each 160 hours. If a student is completing both practica with the same agency, the total duration is 320 hours.

Practicum Requirements:

The purpose of the MScCH-AMH practicum is to provide the student with an opportunity to expand their knowledge, skills and experience in the area of public health as it relates to addiction and mental health. Generally, the practicum is completed in a research/academic setting or an applied/policy setting, and occasionally in a clinical setting.

Program Competencies:

Through the practicum, students are expected to put their learning from courses to work in a supervised setting in order to gain new practical experiences in an area of interest. Competencies developed through the practicum will depend on the specific setting, but may include increased understanding of:

  1. Canadian mental health care systems
  2. Data sources and critical appraisal
  3. Databases, technology, and surveillance of mental health and substance use
  4. Conducting research related to mental health and substance use policy
  5. Mental health and substance use policy and evaluation
  6. Public health guidance related to mental health and substance use
  7. Communication, health promotion and education

Supervisor Requirements:

The practicum supervisor should be a professional with over 3 years of experience working in public health.

Student Compensation Requirements:

In exchange for high-quality work, we encourage agencies to pay students, as it provides them with support for their tuition and rising living costs. If possible, we encourage agencies to pay students at a rate $20 per hour, which amounts to $3200 for a 160-hour practicum. We recognize that not all agencies are able to pay students, but anything that you can offer would be greatly appreciated.

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. Please contact practicum.dlsph@utoronto.ca for the template agreement.

Examples of tasks/deliverables completed by students:

Research/Academic Setting: systematic literature reviews, participant recruitment and engagement, surveying, interviewing, conducting experiments, data coding, qualitative data analysis, report writing, administrative tasks

Applied/Policy Setting: policy scans, policy mapping, preparation of data briefs, health promotion activities, community engagement, administrative tasks

Clinical Setting: shadowing, administrative tasks

Program Contacts:

Prof. Christine Wickens
Program Director, MScCH Addiction and Mental Health
Christine.Wickens[at]camh.ca