Internship - master study in Global Health

Postgraduate course

Course description

Objectives and Content

Objective: This module aims to provide opportunities for students to gain practical experience relevant to global health through internship in institutions spanning from community based organizations, NGOs and universities to government agencies.

Content:

The module consist of a preparatory phase at home institution, the internship phase at host institution and the concluding phase at home institution. In the preparatory phase the student works under supervision to plan for the internship practically and theoretically, and to define learning outcomes relevant to the organization in which the student will be an intern. This will form the basis for the Internship Agreement. During internship the student will work in the host institution performing duties agreed upon in the Internship Agreement and will be actively involved in daily activities of relevance to global health. These activities may for instance be organizing meetings and seminars; manage websites, communication with user groups; participate in outreach activities, document activities. Time is set aside with the internship mentor at the host institution for planning the work, discussing the student's experience, and giving guidance and feedback. The concluding phase at home institution contains an experience sharing seminar, evaluation and report writing.

Learning Outcomes

On completion of this course, the students should have the following learning outcomes, defined in terms of knowledge, skills and general competence.

Knowledge:

The student is able to:

  • Describe the mission and activities at the visited host institution
  • Describe the routines and professional etiquette at the visited host institution
  • Discuss the knowledge utilization and/or production in the host institution

Skills:

The student is able to:

  • Apply academic knowledge in the encounter with a professional/practical setting
  • Set professional goals and learning outcomes and make a feasible plan on how to reach these goals in collaboration with superiors
  • Communicate and participate constructively with internal and external partners in the host institution and relate to persons on different levels of an organization
  • Reflect on own role and evaluate own performance and set new goals
  • Receive and give constructive feedback to colleagues

General competence:

By the end of the internship the student has gained:

  • Practical work experience in a public, global health institution, that can be used in other similar settings
  • The ability to work as part of a team
  • The ability to make professional commitments and adhere to them

Level of Study

Master

Semester of Instruction

Autumn, 2nd year of Master study.

Place of Instruction

At the chosen internship site.
Required Previous Knowledge
Completion of the first year of study in the master`s programme in Global Health at CIH, University of Bergen.
Access to the Course
Students enrolled in master's programme in Global Health.
Teaching and learning methods

This module is based on a student active learning approach and a student-staff partnership. The student is responsible for planning, organizing and evaluating the internship under the guidance of the course coordinator:

  1. the student is responsible for identifying a suitable host institution
  2. the student and the course coordinator will contact the institution
  3. The student and the course coordinator will develop a written agreement to be signed by the host institution and UiB before the candidate starts the internship period.

The internship is hands on global health practice experience, working in a professional setting, there are no organized lectures, but an experience sharing seminar will be organized after the internship has been concluded.

Compulsory Assignments and Attendance

Submission of a written plan for the internship including expected learning outcomes.

Attendance:

During internship:

  • The student must be present at the internship work site on a daily basis during the internship period; during the working hours of the work site. The working week is 37.5 hours. The student must complete the requirements of the internship and report to the CIH supervisor on a weekly basis. The internship mentor at the host institution must confirm that the student has followed the agreement by signing a written statement at the end of the internship period.

After internship:

  • Experience sharing seminar including individual presentations and reflections
Forms of Assessment

A written report, handed in by the end of the internship semester; 7000 words +/- 10%, describing the goals and activities of the internship institution, and discussing the internship experiences in view of the planned learning outcomes.

Attached to the report: A statement (1 page) from the mentor at the host institution including a confirmation of presence according to the requirement in the Internship Agreement and a brief evaluation of tasks performed by the student during the internship period.

Grading Scale
Pass or fail
Assessment Semester
Autumn
Reading List
The reading list will be made available by 1 June on Mitt UiB.
Course Evaluation
The CIH supervisor will organize a conference (Skype, telephone) with the student and the mentor at the host institution at the end of the internship period, for an evaluation discussion.