The second year field placement, which consists of full-time employment in the health policy arena, provides an opportunity for students to apply their theoretical academic training in a professional health policy setting, and gain skills essential to functioning as health policy analysts. Students may choose to pursue field placements in a wide variety of settings, including federal agencies; consulting, advocacy, research and professional organizations; and state and local government.
Examples of recent field placement sites include the federal Maternal and Child Health Bureau, Navigant Consulting, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), the American College of Physicians, and the Kaiser Family Foundation. Students are expected to take responsibility for locating and securing field placements with the assistance of the program faculty. Students may begin their field placements after satisfactorily completing the required 64 program credits, at which point they become eligible for the second-year Master’s Tuition Scholarship. The minimum length of work required for graduation is nine months of full-time work. Many students begin their field placement employment immediately after completing their first year coursework in May, although students are not required to begin their field placements until August.
During the field placement, students are expected to chronicle their development as health policy professionals with a series of quarterly reports, including a detailed policy analysis paper integrating their academic public health training with their experience in a professional health policy setting. In addition, program faculty conduct site visits designed to support students in the field placement setting.
| 
