Students take HC840 as part of the The Program in International Health Practice (PIHP) in the Philippines. The program is open to students by application only. The deadline for applications for fall is April 15 and for spring is October 15. Students participate in an intensive five-week field experience in a rural setting a few hours from Metro-Manila. Students become a member of an existing group of Philippine students. This group will have chosen a topic such as "Diabetes as a Community Health Issue" or "Taking on Diarrheal Disease at the Community Level" in a community (barangay or “neighborhood”). As a group, they spend 10-12 hours every day, adding up to over 250 field practice hours spent analyzing their particular public health problem and planning the intervention. Short reports are written along the way, and the major academic product is a bound Final Group Report, which is presented to College of Public Health faculty and also brought back for review by the BU-DIH Faculty Coordinator. The Philippines Program plus two skills-based professional development seminars done separately from the Philippines Program meets the MPH degree practicum requirement.

Note that this information may change at any time. Please visit the Student Link for the most up-to-date course information.