Undergraduate Program in Public Health Studies

Preliminary Agreement for Independent Academic Work

Public Health Studies majors wishing to register and receive credit for independent academic work must fill out this preliminary agreement with their mentor and submit it for approval to the student’s Public Health Studies Academic Advisor, who will act as faculty sponsor for the work.

  • All Public Health Studies independent academic work must have stated public health relevance.
  • 40 hours of work is expected for each earned academic credit and translates to approximately 3 hours of work per week.
  • A maximum of 3 academic credits can be earned during the semester, with a maximum of 6 academic credits being earned in an entire year (summer to spring). Typically, 2 credits representing 80 hours of work at approximately 6 hours a week is reasonable for undergraduates taking a full course load.
  • All work done for credit must be unpaid.
  • Research can only be taken as S/U.
  • Academic internships can only be taken as S/U and for 1 credit.
  • All independent work done for credit must have a final academic product, as determined by the mentor and student and approved by the faculty sponsor.
  • All work must be completed and submitted to the faculty sponsor by December 10th for Fall Semester, May 10th for Spring Semester, and August 10th for Summer.

For more specifics on the requirements and guidelines, please see the JHU Undergraduate & Graduate Academic Catalog.

By signing this agreement, the mentor agrees to provide guidance on the project by assigning readings and tasks, meeting regularly with the student, providing feedback on the student’s progress, and givinginput on the student’s final grade via a brief Summary Report (form provided). In the case where the student will actually be supervised by a postdoctoral fellow, research assistant, or other delegated person, this should be indicated on this agreement.

The mentor is responsible for working with the student to come up with an appropriate final academic product that will represent the work done during the semester or the culmination of work done to date. Some examples are listed on the other side of this form. Public Health Studies Academic Advisors are happy to discuss this aspect of the project to provide guidance for what is appropriate. The public health relevance must be clear and stated in the final product. The product must be agreed upon before registration for credits and can only be changed with written permission from both the mentor and the faculty sponsor.

By signing this agreement, the student agrees to meet the academic requirements chosen and detailed below and to prioritize their independent academic work as they do their other course work by meeting deadlines and showing dedication to purpose.

This signed agreement should be sent to the student’s Public Health Studies academic advisor. The student should request an appointment with their Academic Advisor using PHSCal( to have the proposal approved and to complete the paperwork to register for the corresponding course. The Academic Advisor will work with the student and mentor to get questions and concerns answered prior to approving the work. Any questions should be directed to the Public Health Studies Academic Advisor.

Student Information:

Full Name: / Email: / Hopkins ID:
Year of Study: / Semester & Year:

Mentor Information:

Full Name: / Email: / Phone:
Department/Company: / Position:
Weblink (to lab, contact page, bio, as relevant):

Direct Supervisor Information (if different from Mentor):

Full Name: / Email: / Phone:
Department/Company: / Position:

Public Health Studies Academic Advisor/Faculty Sponsor Information:

Full Name: / Email: / Phone:

Check one:

☐Research___ Credit(s)___Hoursonly taken S/U

☐Independent Study___ Credit(s)___Hours☐Gradedor ☐ S/U (check one)

☐Internship (1.0 credit and S/U only)

Please choose at least one required regular assignment:

☐Journal/Reflections Daily

☐Journal/Reflections Weekly

☐Journal/Reflections Monthly

☐Faculty Selected Readings

☐Student Selected Readings

☐Attendance at group meetings

☐Regular individual meetings with mentoror supervisor

☐ Other, please describe:

Please indicate what the final academic product will be:

☐ Summary Paper (# pages _____)

☐ Oral presentation

☐ Poster presentation

☐ Annotated bibliography

☐ Manuscript draft

☐ Other, please describe:

Due dates for completion of all work and supervisor feedback are

December 10th for Fall Semester, May 10th for Spring Semester, and August 10th for Summer.

Please attach to this form a one-page summary of your (student’s) proposed project including detail on roles and responsibilities and the stated public health relevance.

Signing this form indicates that you have read and understand the shared responsibilities as detailed on page 1.

Student Signature: ______Mentor Signature: ______

Supervisor Signature: ______

(if different from Mentor)