Global Health Field Experience

All students will participate in a field project at a research or clinical site either in the United States or abroad approved by either the Global Health Program Steering Committee, AIP, Career Services and, for international placements, the UCSD Programs Abroad Office.

The global health field experience will enhance knowledge, skills, and sensitivities. The Field Experience can be credit bearing or non credit bearing (such as volunteer work or student created experiences), may be paid or unpaid, and must meet the following criteria to be counted for the major and minor...

thus engaging "mind, hands, and heart" to create a learning outcome that is scientific, pragmatic, and humanistic.

Provide students with:

An opportunity to become knowledgeable about aspects of global health and see global health issues in practice.
A minimum of 100 hours over a minimum of five weeks.
Direct contact with clients or those who directly serve clients.
Require meaningful, challenging work from the student while serving the agency's clients and goals.
On-site orientation, training, and supervision by a designated person in the agency.

Step 1: Research Field Experience Options

Domestic Field Experience Options

Participate in Pre-Approved Field Experience from list. No pre-approval needed, contact organization to make arrangements. Submit verification upon completion.
Participate in a Global Health Special Program

Find Internship: AIP, Career Services or Student Initiated.
- If you find your own internship experience, AIP can assist you in getting course credit or tracking your internship and receiving verification. Once completed and verified, submit verification to GHP advisor for credit. Be sure to enroll in GLBH 199 for AIP interships to receive a letter grade.

Create your own field experience. Field Experience must fulfill requirements.
- Complete the Field Experience Pre-Approval Application before beginning your field work not done through AIP or Programs Abroad.
- You can choose to receive credit by enrolling in GLBH 199, Independent Research, for a letter grade (Special Studies Course with faculty supevision).

International Field Experience Options

Select Pre-Approved International Field Experiences from the approved list.
- Attend PAO First Steps Info Session and Make Appointment with PAO advisor Kelly O’Sullivan to plan field experience.

Participate in a Global Health Special Program

Create your own International field experience
- If you find an international field experience that is not on the pre-approved list, please make Appointment with PAO advisor Kelly O’Sullivan to plan field experience
- For more information regarding scholarships and grants for study abroad, see the UCSD Programs Abroad Office.

Credit-Bearing Field Experience

Field Experience does not have to be credit-bearing to fulfill the Major and Minor Requirement.

Students who complete their Field Experience for course credit can apply the credit towards their Major of Minor Electives. A maximum of 4.0 units will be applied toward your requirements, unless otherwise noted.

Option 1:

Complete Internship with AIP to receive course credit
Global Seminars (Awards 2 Course Credits that can be applied towards electives)
Complete Pre-Approved Field Experience that awards credit

Option 2: GLBH 199

Create an Independet Research Course working with a Faculty Advisor

You can enroll in GLBH 198/199 for a credit-bearing Field Experience and up to 4 credits can count toward the GH major and minor.

This course will transform the non-credit bearing field experience into a 4 credit bearing on through required readings, reflective journals, papers, etc. as determined by agreement between the student and faculty member work out between them. The academic result will be to place their field experience in the context of the interdisciplinary scholarly literature on global health.

Download the Special Studies 197, 198, 199 form (PDF).
Get necessary approvals:

- Ask your instructor to review and sign the application.
- Request department approval, Department will create course. Student can enroll once form is submitted to the Registrars Office.

Submit completed application to:
- Office of the Registar: 2nd floor, Student Services Center (map)

Note: The official university deadline to add classes is Friday of Week 2. Requests to add classes after Week 2 are only considered under extraordinary circumstances and require a petition, appropriate documentation, and approval from the academic department, college, and the Committee of Educational Policy.

For more information: Independent Research (GLBH 199)