Project Option

1
Project Option

• Ass Prof Peter Hill
• School of Population Health

2
What is it?

• Allows students to engage in research or project
  work in their specialist field of public health
  study within the workplace
• Workplace practicum apply academic coursework
  and training in a public health agency setting
  under the direction of an on-site supervisor
• Guided study under guidance of workplace
  supervisor/ academic supervisor, students work
  independently to develop an understanding of
  public health concepts, explore a specific issue
  or investigate a research question
• Minor research project undertake a small scale
  research project
• Worth the equivalent of two courses (subjects)

3
Who is it for?

• Students who are working in agencies or
  institutions wanting to convert some of their
  core work into an academic document (potential
  for submission) and gain academic credit
• Students undertaking the course-work option (not
  dissertation)
• Students not thinking about PhD study (unless you
  are taking the 16 unit MPH option)
• Notes
• Can only do ONE project in your MPH degree

4
When can you do it?

• Like the dissertation it
• best done AFTER you have completed core subjects
• ideally should be undertaken at the end of your
  MPH program of study
• Required to receive approval from proposed
  supervisor (at UQ) and program coordinator
  (QUT/Griffith) to enroll
• Full-time in one semester
• Part-time over two semesters
• semester 1, 2 or the summer semester

5
What do you have to do?

• Worth the equivalent of two courses (subjects)
  so
• Full-time 20 hours/week for one semester
• Part-time 10 hours/week for two semesters
• Allow six weeks before semester to ensure
  approval to enroll
• Identify principal advisor within School
• Obtain support from workplace supervisor (if
  practicum)
• Draft clear 2 page proposal with agreed
  evaluation criteria
• Submit ethics approval application if appropriate
• Assessment is specific to the type of project
• see your home university coordinator for details

6
What else needs to be done?

• Your workplace supervisor/principal supervisor is
  responsible for your assessment
• At UQ, Project guidelines are available on the
  web
• For Griffith and QUT, more structured documents
  have been created (available from your program
  coordinator)
• Project proposal
• Project contract
• Project proposal evaluation
• Project final evaluation
• Once completed, provide a copy of your final
  project proposal document to your principal
  advisor (UQ) and program coordinator (QUT,
  Griffith)

7
Final remarks

• Since its inception, several students have
  successfully ( enjoyably) completed the project
  option
• The key is to find
• an appropriate academic/workplace supervisor
• a feasible and relevant public health problem
• a well-defined timeline with clear expectations
  between supervisor and student, and agreed upon
  milestones
• any questions?