• Before serving the international field experience, students must complete the College Core courses1,  The Faculty Advisor, IFE Counselor, and the student have joint responsibility for identifying potential field placements and planning and evaluating the experience. The international field placement site must be approved by the College of Public Health.
    1 PHC 6000, PHC6050, PHC6102, PHC6357, PHC6410

  • USF students are required to stay in USF sponsored housing while conducting their IFE

  • The primary goal for IFE students is to gain hands-on professional experience in public health work environments.  The IFE serves as a structured and significant educational experience.  Therefore, students are not permitted to stay with friends, companions, partners and/or significant others while staying in USF authorized housing.

  • Students must understand that with any international work or travel there are risks and challenges not encountered in the United States. The landscape of international settings can change quickly and students are expected to be flexible and communicative throughout the entire process of their international field experience. Students are ultimately responsible for educating themselves about the risks in traveling and preparing for possible adverse events.

  • Students considering an international field experience should have strong communication skills to cut across language, cultural, and educational barriers; be flexible with different cultural norms and hospitality practices, develop tolerance for a reduced standard of living, less personal privacy, and be able to live without many of the modern conveniences that we take for granted in the United States.
USF Health · 13201 Bruce B. Downs Blvd. MDC 56 · Tampa, FL 33612