An important part of earning your Master's in Public Health degree is gaining relevant experience along the way. The best way to accomplish this is through an internship. Numerous internship opportunities are out there for public health Master's degree candidates. Increase your odds of landing a very desirable one by learning about the most popular options.
1. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Internships
The CDC offers an extensive array of public health internship opportunities. As the leading public health organization in the country, successfully completing an internship with the CDC will make you stand out from the crowd in a big way. The organization offers a diverse array of internship opportunities across a diverse array of categories, including epidemiology, occupational health, global health, environmental health and more. These internships aren't always completed at the CDC itself but with affiliated organizations across the country.
Resource: 15 Top Cost-No-Object and 15 Top Affordable Master's in Public Health (MPH) Degree Programs
2. American Red Cross Internships
If you are available to complete your internship over the course of a summer, the American Red Cross is a great organization to turn to for public health internship opportunities. The organization's national headquarters are in Washington, DC, but there are more than 500 units around the country too, and many of them rely on interns. Therefore, you may be able to find an opportunity right in your neck of the woods. In addition to gaining invaluable knowledge and forging crucial connections, these internships will give you a feel for what it's like to work in the non-profit world.
3. American Public Health Association Internships
The American Public Health Association, or APHA, offers a diverse array of unpaid internship opportunities that are especially relevant to Master's in Public Health students. If you are interested in global health as a career, you should take a closer look. Although no travel opportunities are available, you can take an internship in which you will work closely with a global health manager. Other internship categories that are offered by the organization include Public Health Policy, Communications and the Nation's Health and Injury and Violence Prevention.
4. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
If you have no globe-trotting dreams and prefer to pursue a career right here in the U.S., public health internship opportunities through HHS should be right up your alley. The organization offers more than 300 programs, including internships with the U.S. Public Health Service Commissioned Corps, which responds to public health needs across the country. The agency also offers opportunities that allow you to understand the inner workings of public health organizations, including in health system administration. Regardless of your educational and career goals, you're sure to find many intriguing internship opportunities through this agency.
5. World Health Organization
Students who plan to focus their careers on global health are hard-pressed to find better public health internships than those that are offered by the World Health Organization, or WHO. The majority of the organization's internships run six to 12 weeks, but some continue for 24 weeks. Some focus on the technical and administrative aspects of the organization while others focus on areas like family, women's and children's health, health systems and innovations and health security and environment. These are unpaid internships, and interns must cover all of their travel and lodging expenses. With regional offices and centers around the world, WHO is a wonderful place to turn for public health internships.
As you can see, the right internship for a Master's in Public Health student varies depending on the student's career goals. If you're pursuing your Master's, you probably have a pretty clear idea about your goals. Keep them in mind while exploring internship opportunities to get the most out of the experience.