Thank you for your interest in the NYU MPH Capstone, the culminating experience for students in the Global Health Leadership concentration.
Capstone, a real-life consulting engagement accompanied by a two-semester course, provides an important resource to organizations – a team of committed students dedicated to addressing its needs – while allowing students to demonstrate the acquisition of fundamental public health competencies. In the final year of the program, students work together in interdisciplinary teams on a nine-month project as identified by an organization, such as a non-governmental organization, a national or local government, a multi-lateral agency, or a university.
The Capstone Project Application Process
We solicit projects that provide a mutually beneficial opportunity for your organization and a student team and will offer an engaging learning environment for the students to develop innovative solutions to global public health concerns.
In particular, we look for projects that:
- Address a global public health issue.
- Have a realistic scope. The proposal outlines a concrete project with clearly defined objectives, expectations, and outcomes. The project is important but not urgent. The scope of the project can be completed within the academic time-frame of September through April.
- Offer a valuable learning environment which is challenging yet supportive.
- Are technically feasible. The project involves realistic goals for data collection and analysis, and draws upon commonly used and accessible software applications (i.e., SPSS, Excel, PowerPoint).
We look for organizations and agencies that:
- Have been operating for at least five (5) years.
- Are able to identify two liaisons (primary and secondary). Provide the necessary coordination. The organization can provide liaisons who will coordinate with the student team and the NYU MPH program on a regular basis and provide access to information necessary to the successful completion of the Capstone project. In particular, a primary liaison should be able to commit to communicating regularly with students and be available when students are on location. We expect that if the liaison leaves during the project, a new liaison will be selected.
- Can host students overseas between December 26, 2011 and January 22, 2012 and arrange for ground transportation during that period, if overseas travel is a component of the project. (Projects are 8-months long but students are ONLY available to travel during their winter break.)
- Can facilitate human subjects research and IRB approval, if necessary. For most projects, the organization will be required to obtain Institutional Review Board (IRB) approval. NYU can assist with this process but the organization must serve as the primary contact. Local approval is required before students can submit the application to the NYU University Committee on Activities Involving Human Subjects (UCHAIS), NYU's IRB.
- Provide the appropriate human resources and capacity to undertake the Capstone project and support the student team's efforts. While there is no fee involved and students' travel is largely covered by the NYU MPH program, organizations should have sufficient capacity to adequately support the team. Students are given a budget for travel expenses only. Any expenses related to program evaluation or the development of program materials is the responsibility of the organization.
We encourage you to review the online materials, including the Capstone Guide, which outline the Capstone program and process, but should you have any questions or would like additional information, please do not hesitate to contact Amy Joyce, Public Health Practice Coordinator at 212-992-9928 or amy.joyce@nyu.edu.
