Master’s Students

OEL sends Field Notes, a weekly newsletter, to all SPH student email addresses every Monday. Review Field Notes for announcements, enrollment deadlines, and Fieldwork resources.

Students must satisfy the Fieldwork Orientation Requirement before they can enroll in Fieldwork. View the options for meeting this requirement below, under Important Dates.

Scroll to Important Forms at the bottom of this page to access the Learning Agreement template and other documents.

Frequently Asked Questions

  • Email ISO@sph.cuny.edu to confirm if your Fieldwork project meets the requirements of your F-1 visa
  • Provide ISO with a copy of your fully executed Learning Agreement and an offer letter, on letterhead, from your field site
  • Send ISO a completed and signed CPT Request Form (ask ISO for instructions if needed)
  • Complete a W-9 Form if compensation will be received

Note: CPT positions must be fewer than 20 hours of work per week.​

Prior to enrolling in PUBH 696 – Supervised Fieldwork – students must have completed at least 18 credits toward their degrees, including: a) Epidemiology (EPID 610 or 611) or PUBH 613 (Designs, Concepts, and Methods in Public Health Research​); b) Biostatistics (BIOS 610 or 611) or PUBH 614 (Quantitative and Qualitative Data Analysis Methods in Public Health Research​); and c) two courses in their area of concentration.

For Einstein Scholars, the above prerequisites are waived.

Population Health Informatics students take EPID 700 – PopHI Project. It is recommended that this course be completed in a student’s final semester.

Projects can involve program planning, implementation or operation, applied public health research, community health education and outreach, health advocacy, and other appropriate public health-related work. Projects should have clear strategies and result in at least two useful deliverables for the field site.

Projects must align with three core competencies and two concentration competencies. These can be found under SPH Degrees & Programs.

Students can view a table of past Fieldwork project titles here.

Note: All Maternal, Child, Reproductive and Sexual Health students must complete their fieldwork in this area of specialization.

First, review the Fieldwork Enrollment Checklist.

Complete the Pre-Registration Form for the semester in which you plan to enroll. These forms are sent to students via the weekly Field Notes newsletter, delivered every Monday to all students’ SPH emails.

Satisfy the Fieldwork Orientation Requirement.

Monitor the weekly Field Notes for announcements about enrollment deadlines.

OEL compiles Weekly Fieldwork Opportunities, posted here.

Search for fieldwork opportunities on Handshake.

Visit the OEL-approved database of fieldwork sites. Students must then contact sites of interest to explore potential projects relevant to their concentrations and career goals.

If a student has identified a site of interest that is not included on the OEL approved sites, contact the Office with the following information: the web link, contact person, and any relevant details for OEL to follow up and determine if the organization is a suitable fieldwork site. Send to oel@sph.cuny.edu for review.

Review the SPH Centers and Institutes for opportunities to work with faculty.

Fieldwork, PUBH 696, is a prerequisite for Capstone, PUBH 698. The data or information produced in Fieldwork should provide the basis for the research question, analysis, and findings reported in the Capstone paper.

The two options for Capstone papers that students may choose from are: a Research Paper or a Practice Paper. Epi/Bios students, however, are required to complete a Research Paper. For more details, please see the Capstone handbook.

For Population Health Informatics students, there is no separate Capstone course after completing EPID 700.

Some students modify their work schedules or use vacation time to complete their hours. Students should discuss scheduling needs with potential preceptors to see if they can be accommodated. In some instances, students who are employed in an appropriate public health setting may request approval to do their fieldwork at their place of employment. In such cases, fieldwork projects must be outside of students’ current scope of work and responsibilities.

Important Dates

Summer 2024 Fieldwork

Wednesday, May 8, 2024 is the Summer ’24 deadline to submit Learning Agreements and HSR Determination Letters (the response to your completion of the Fieldwork HSR Decision Tool). Submit to OEL@sph.cuny.edu.

  • Review weekly Field Notes newsletters – sent to all SPH student emails – for deadlines, fieldwork opportunities, and important links
  • View the Fieldwork Enrollment Checklist for the complete steps to enrolling in PUBH 696 and EPID 700.

Fieldwork Orientation Requirement
Students who plan to register for PUBH 696 or EPID 700 must satisfy the Fieldwork Orientation requirement to be approved to register. To do so, students may choose from the following Fieldwork Orientation options:

  • Attend a live Fieldwork Orientation Session
  • Attend a 1:1 Fieldwork Advising appointment or OEL Office Hours

Live Fieldwork Orientation Sessions
This OEL event will offer a live overview of the Fieldwork Orientation deck for students who plan to take PUBH 696 or EPID 700. Attending a Live Fieldwork Orientation Session will satisfy the Fieldwork Orientation requirement necessary to register for PUBH 696 or EPID 700.

Summer 2024 Fieldwork

All Live Fieldwork Orientation dates have passed. 

OEL Office Hours
Students can register for virtual OEL Office Hours to address any fieldwork (PUBH 696 or EPID 700) related questions/topics. Students may join at any time within the hour and will be seen on a first come, first served basis. 

  • Thursday March 7 | 12 – 1pm ET |  Register
  • Tuesday March 12 | 2 – 3pm ET |  Register
  • Thursday March 14 | 12 – 1pm ET |  Register
  • Tuesday March 19 | 2 – 3pm ET |  Register
  • Thursday March 21 | 12 – 1pm ET |  Register
  • Thursday March 28 | 12 – 1pm ET |  Register

If you can’t attend one of these sessions but have questions, schedule a fieldwork advising appointment

Important Forms

Please do not attempt to complete these forms until you have met the Fieldwork Orientation Requirement. You will need your SPH Domain Account (sph\) credentials to log in and access some of these documents. Your credentials are the first letter of your first name + last name + last two digits of your EMPL ID (ex. TJohn12). This is the same account used for WiFi, logging into lab computers, and remote access to Library resources. Use this link to reset your password. Please email the HelpDesk at helpdesk@sph.cuny.edu for additional support.

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