As part of the requirements for the Master of Science in Population Health Sciences, all students are required to complete an internship, a final written exam, and a final oral exam. These components are collectively called the Capstone Project. Each of these components is described below.
The internship is a supervised experience in either a professional or research setting relevant to population health. Students with an interest in a research experience may choose to complete their internship on a DPHS faculty-mentored research project, which may include primary data collection and/or data analysis. Students with an interest in a professional (i.e., non-research) experience may choose to complete their internship at an organization external to Duke, such as a nonprofit community organization, governmental agency, or a health-related company.
Internships typically occur in the summer between the first and second years and may continue during the second year of the program. Students are strongly encouraged to begin their internship between the first and second year of the master’s program. Alternative timelines may also be considered at the discretion of the Director of Graduate Studies.
Students will work throughout PHS 709/710 (Professional Development I and II), in conjunction with their advisors and the education team, to identify internship opportunities based on their interests and career goals.
The internship provider has the option to pay the student for work completed during the internship through the provider’s standard intern or part-time employment process. This employment and payment arrangement is not managed or overseen by DPHS. If being paid for the internship, international students should work with the education team and the Duke Visa Services office to ensure the correct forms are completed.
Regardless of the chosen site, the requirements of the internship are the same.
The scope of the student’s work during the internship must be substantially related to the field of population health sciences and of adequate depth and complexity to provide the basis for the student’s capstone project. Students should have a specific project with deliverables for which they are responsible, even if conducted as part of a team.
Students should complete a minimum of 400 hours at the internship. This represents 10 full-time (i.e., 40-hour) weeks during summer or 20 part-time (i.e., 20-hour) weeks. Because the master’s paper or thesis must be submitted to their committee by mid-March of the second year (details below), students should plan their internship to align with this deadline. However, internship hours after paper/thesis submission can still count towards the 400-hour requirement.
Internships for all students will be overseen by the chair of their master’s paper or thesis committee. This is typically, but not always, the advisor identified at the beginning of the program. All students should meet with their committee chair at least once per month.
All internship plans must be approved by the student’s advisor and submitted for approval by the Director of Graduate Studies.
All students will identify two deliverables related to the internship. These are not necessarily products intended for public use, but they are used to ensure students are making adequate progress throughout the internship. Examples could include a draft interview guide, draft survey instrument, statistical analysis plan, literature review, implementation guide, or other appropriate interim report. Students will be asked to describe the two planned deliverables via electronic form for review by the DPHS Education Team.
The final written exam represents a master’s paper or thesis. A master’s paper is a document reflecting the experience of the internship, with flexibility in the format and content. A master’s thesis is defined by the Graduate School and must represent an independent research project. Students should choose between the master’s paper and thesis options in consultation with their advisor. There are no differences in the degree received whether the student completes a master’s paper or a master’s thesis.
Master’s papers and theses will be reviewed by a committee of faculty, who will also participate in the final oral examination. Master’s committees must include at least three members, one of which will be the chair. The chair of a student’s committee must be a full member of the Duke Graduate Faculty from Population Health Sciences. Most committees will include only faculty from both DPHS and other departments and schools at Duke, although some students choose to include faculty from outside Duke. One of the committee members will be designated as the Minor Area Representative (MAR). MARs are often subject-matter experts in the Capstone’s focus area.
The committee must be finalized and approved by The Graduate School 30 days prior to defense, and all members must have official graduate faculty status. Students should submit their committee details using this form.
Expectations for the Master’s Paper
The master’s paper represents the culmination of the research or practice experience of the internship. For students conducting a clear research project, the most common format will be a manuscript suitable for peer-reviewed publication. For students whose internship is not research-focused, the paper could represent a program evaluation, implementation guide, policy brief, or other product appropriate to reflect the work of the internship. Students should develop the format of their paper with input from their advisor and committee.
Although the exact format may differ, all master’s papers will have common elements. The master’s paper will be required to describe a complete project, even if conducted as part of a team, and cannot be a simple description of an internship/research experience.
Master’s paper components:
- Problem statement or research question—Identify the population health problem to be addressed, including a summary of what is known on the subject
- Plan to address the problem or research methods—Describe the project, program, or work that will be used to address the problem; and describe how you will determine if the plan was effective
- Outcomes or results, and lessons learned—Explain the outcomes of the project in the context of population health sciences, and describe the lessons learned that will influence future decision making
The master’s paper does not need to be submitted to the Graduate School. Rather, it is submitted to the Department and approved by the Director of Graduate Studies following the final oral examination. All timelines for written submission and oral defense dates are identical.
Expectations for the Master’s Thesis
Students with research career goals or an intention to pursue a PhD may prefer to complete a thesis. The thesis should reflect research conducted by the student, and should include qualitative or quantitative analysis, using primary or secondary data sources.
Thesis components:
- Introduction—Describe the problem, current research, and research question
- Methods—Describe the design and analytic methods that will be used to address the research question
- Results—Report the results of the research
- Conclusions—Interpret the results in the context of population health, importance to the field, and future research needs
The master’s thesis needs to be submitted to the Graduate School and must follow the required procedures and formatting.
The timeline for both master’s papers and theses will likely vary by student. We encourage students to develop a plan with their advisor. It is suggested that students prepare and share a brief proposal or analytic plan with their committee for feedback in the fall of the second year. This helps ensure that the student and committee are fully aligned on the capstone project. Students should consider preparing an outline for their thesis or paper during the fall semester as well.
Students should work with their advisor to determine a process and timeline for sharing interim drafts with their committee, if desired. The final version of the paper or thesis must be shared with the committee two weeks prior to the student’s scheduled oral examination. These two weeks afford committee members the opportunity to fully review and comment on the thesis or paper.
DPHS MS students are required to follow all of The Graduate School’s policies and procedures to ensure that the publication of research adheres to Duke University guidelines.
Students should go to The Graduate School’s webpage to check deadlines for:
- Applying to graduate in the upcoming semester
- Initial submission of their paper / thesis
- Final submission of their approved paper / thesis
The final oral exam is the presentation and defense of the master’s paper or thesis. This occurs after the initial submission of the paper or thesis, based on when the chair determines the student is ready to defend the work. The format of the oral examination can vary, but it typically includes a presentation of the work followed by questions from the committee. The oral examination requires that a student’s full committee is available at the same time for the student’s presentation and for committee discussion. Committee members can attend in person or via videoconference. Students should identify a block of 2 hours for their final oral examination. We recommend that students begin working with their committee early in their second year to identify a time that will work for the oral examination.
After the oral examination, students have two weeks to make changes to their paper or thesis and submit a final version of their work to either the Department (master’s paper) or the Graduate School (master’s thesis).