The internship experience (HTH 4936) is required for seniors seeking a degree in health or public health. Please read this page fully for all of the information you will need to find and be registered for an internship.
The internship gives the student an opportunity to apply and integrate the cognitive knowledge and skills developed in the classroom in real-world settings. The major goals of the program are:
- To prepare students for entry into the public health, community health, and health service-related fields.
- To ensure that graduates are knowledgeable regarding program development, planning, implementation and evaluation.
- To ensure that graduates have internalized positive attitudes and values toward the mission and goals of health and public health fields.
Internship eligibility
Eligibility requirements are based on your catalog date, which can be found on DegreeWorks. Students should meet with their advisors to confirm these details and eligibility.
Summer 2022 or earlier catalog
- 2.5 or higher GPA
- The internship must be completed in your final semester (find an internship and be registered the semester before)
Fall 2022 or later catalog
- 2.5 or higher GPA
- Within 30 credits of graduation
- Completed HTH 2413, HTH 3503, HTH 3663, and HTH 3713 before the semester you intend to complete the internship
For students completing an internship in Spring 2024, you will need to:
- Review all of the links listed below under ‘Important Internship Documents’ (below)
- Complete the self-assessment worksheet to help you clarify your professional goals and consider what internships will best support you in reaching those goals
- Review the approved internship sites from this spreadsheet
- Select at least five potential internship sites and contact them to request interviews
- Use the Internship Interview Guidance worksheet to prepare for your interview
- Once you have secured an internship, you and your site supervisor should sign the Internship Site Guidelines Form
- Submit the signed form and your student information by 12 noon on Friday, December 1, 2023, through the internship portal.
- If you have questions after reviewing this information and the FAQs below, you may contact the internship coordinator at publichealth.internship@utsa.edu
Approved Internship Sites
UTSA has partnered with many local and area internship sites to make the most of your education. Review the list of approved sites here for details.
Frequently Asked Questions
Students cannot register themselves for the internship course. They must first have identified an internship site willing to host them. Steps for students to submit site paperwork and other details about the process can be found on this page.
Email the Internship Coordinator (PublicHealth.Internship@utsa.edu) for guidance about options.
Reach out to the internship coordinator (PublicHealth.Internship@utsa.edu) at least one full semester in advance. The site should be able to provide a 300-hour internship focusing on public health activities. These may include but are not necessarily limited to: survey design, data collection and analysis, health education and promotion, program planning, implementation, and evaluation, marketing, health communication, environmental health assessments and activities, occupational health activities. The site must be willing to enter a legal agreement with UTSA to host interns for academic credit.
Students who need more than 7 credit hours to graduate in the summer or 13 credits to graduate in spring or fall (including the internship course) can file a credit hour appeal. Students need to send the following information to PublicHealth.Internship@utsa.edu as soon as possible so their appeal can be considered by the department. Approval is not guaranteed and delays in submission can affect graduation.
- Name:
- Banner ID:
- Advisor:
- UTSA GPA:
- Degree Concentration:
- Number of Credit Hours Needed (INCLUDING 6 HOUR INTERNSHIP):
- Courses Needed in addition to Internship:
- List any online courses:
- If you have a job, average number of hours worked per week:
- Reason for appeal:
HTH 4921: Capstone in Health is a requirement for students earning the BS in Health, BS in Public Health - Health Services, and BS in Public Health - Health Promotion. It should be taken during your last semester regardless of when you complete the internship. Students will be registered by the department as needed once they have arranged their internship with the coordinator. Students earning a BS in Public Health with a catalog year before Fall 2022 are not required to take HTH 4921 but can request to be registered for it during their last semester. This course is offered fully online.
Starting in spring 2022, the course substitution option is no longer available. Internships can be remote, in-person or a mix of remote and in-person to accommodate student and site needs. The student is responsible for working with the site to determine and modality that is agreeable to both.
The department is open to new site requests for sites that can accommodate public health activities for 20 hours per week in spring/fall and 30 hours per week in summer. Sites/activities that are typically not approved include: direct patient care, pharmacy, vision care, lab technicians, patient registrars, scribes, shadowing medical professionals, and dental care as they typically do not focus on public health activities.
No. While we acknowledge that many of our students have aspirations towards the allied health and medical fields, this degree program is in public health. Students are required to complete an internship in accordance with the degree plan, departmental policy, and national standards for public health students.
The Department of Public Health does not offer a 3 credit internship option. If a student has completed a 3-credit internship course with Sociology, they will need to register for one 3-credit substitution course from the list provided on the website or complete a second 3 credit internship course with the Department of Sociology. Please reach out to Donna Miller for details about that department’s process.
Contact the internship coordinator (PublicHealth.Internship@utsa.edu) to determine your options.
