Internship Moves to a Graded Course

The Internship (HADM 6400), a vital part of the MHA program, is typically completed halfway through the program. This experiential course allows students to gain valuable real-world experience. In previous years, this course has been graded as pass/fail, with the main product, a report documenting the internship, often submitted the following semester. This mid-point capstone set a high standard for a polished, professionally presented written product that prepared students for the MHA capstone and professional practice. Students and faculty alike did not like the potentially endless revision cycles, and students did not see the reward in polishing a paper for a pass/fail course.

Effective Fall 2018, HADM 6400 will be moving to a graded course. This change will provide more structured grading for the students, and limits the number of opportunities for revisions. Students satisfied with a lesser grade (a “B” or a “C”) can opt out of the revision process when they have accumulated sufficient points for that grade. Likewise, students failing to correct errors and omissions within the allotted rounds of revision will earn final lower scores. The MPH program successfully implemented this strategy last year, appreciated by faculty and students alike, and the MS Health Informatics and Analytics Program is adopting the letter grade approach this Fall as well.