Steps to Gain Academic Credit

To fulfill the hands-on experience requirement, students must complete either HSSP 89a, HSSP 98a or b, HSSP 99d, or WMGS 92a .  Students must meet with Tom Mackie (tmackie@brandeis.edu), HSSP Internship Instructor to review requirements of the internship and discuss specific internship opportunities.

Complete the Internship Approval Form and email it to tmackie@brandeis.edu.  Professor Mackie will review the form to determine whether or not the site meets HSSP requirements and then he will email you the status of your approval.

Those students with internship approval will receive an enrollment code from the internship instructor and enroll in HSSP 89 in either the fall or spring semester.

HSSP 89a Internship & Analysis:  Open only to HSSP majors.  Supervised internship experience in a health care or policy organization. Internship placement must be approved by the HSSP internship instructor. Students are required to attend a biweekly internship course and submit a 20-25 page paper. 

Health: Science, Society and Policy

The expectation of your internship is that through hands-on participation in a health setting you will gain a greater understanding of the health field and how your organization functions within it. It is an opportunity for you to begin to integrate academic learning with real life application. Internships expose you to a wide array of public interest health organizations. These include but are not limited to work in a department of public health, hospital or health care agency, health advocacy or non-profit organization, or other appropriate government or private-sector organizations.

Past Internship Sites:

  • Long Island Jewish Medical Center
  • Kennedy Brothers Physical Therapy
  • ABC News Medical Unit
  • Tufts New England Medical Center
  • Medicaid Medicare Services
  • Newton Wellesley Hospital
  • Boston Healthcare for the Homeless
  • Operation Crossroad Africa
  • Massachusetts General Hospital: Cancer Outcomes Research Center; ER
  • NYC Department of Health & Mental Hygiene
  • Georgetown University Hospital
  • Prevention Institute
  • Healthy Waltham Initiative
  • Planned Parenthood of Nassau County
  • Biogen

What students say about their internships:

"I learned that there are many aspects to healthcare rather than just being a doctor. Working as an administrative intern in the executive offices, I was able to see everything firsthand. I understood that in order for a hospital to function, it must have both doctors and administrative personnel. I learned so much in such a little amount of time. At the age of 20, I was exposed to situations that many do not observe until they are 40 or 50." -Albert Einstein Healthcare Network~HSSP & Economics Major & International Business Minor

Working in a hospital was an amazing experience, because I got to actually see how diverse and complex the health field truly is. “Doctor” and “nurse” are definitely not the only jobs available in the health field, and working with so many different types of people really clarified this for me." -New England Baptist Hospital ~ HSSP Major

"Don't be afraid to shape your own internship - hopefully you will be able to contribute input into what you will be doing and able to influence the direction it takes. Build a good relationship with your site supervisor so you can utilize him/her as a resource and future contact. I have now had real life experience in a field that I am now fairly sure I want to continue in. I am still working at the job and have been offered job options for after graduation. I have also met excellent contacts for future job possibilities. The internship aspect of this major is so great - being able to gain real world experience in a field enables you to better know which direction you may want to take with your career. I now really like a field of health care that I had never considered before!" -Massachusetts General Hospital~HSSP Major

HSSP Index Page