Policy Clinic

Information for students

Registration:

Students will register for the Policy Clinic in the Winter (ENV 203A) and Spring (ENV 203B). Students must take ENV 203A before they can enroll in ENV 203B. Both ENV 203A and 203B are letter graded for 4-units. The Program Coordinator will provide all second-year and approved 12-month students with the CRN when registration opens.  

Project selection process:

Late October/ Early November: EPM program staff will send enrolled students a description of all project proposals received and a survey to identify project preference.

Mid-November: After project preferences are identified, informational interviews will be organized with the clients and students via Zoom. Informational interviews allow the clients to meet the students, share their vision for the project and enables students to ask any clarifying questions. We do our best to schedule these meetings at a time when everyone is available. This meeting is recorded for students who are unable to attend.

Mid/Late November: After informational interviews are conducted, the program will organize a final meeting with students and the instructor to discuss the projects. After that meeting, we will administer a final survey. The final survey will help the program make project assignments based on student's preference, skills and project needs. 

Late November/ Early December: EPM Program Staff and the Instructor will work together to analyze the final survey results and create project groups. Students will be notified of their group assignment via email. 

International students in the Clinic:

Per the Services for International Students and Scholars (SISS) office, international students on both a J1 and F1 visa must request work authorization to enroll in the Policy Clinic. After project groups are finalized, international students will receive a letter confirming their group from the EPM Associate Director that they will need to provide to SISS. After receiving the letter, the students should schedule a meeting with their assigned SISS advisor and work with them to submit the work authorization request. 

Presentations:

Final presentations are open to the public and are hosted in late May/ early June. Students are expected to present in-person. There will be a public reception that follows presentations.

Policy Clinic Report:

Each student is responsible for writing a Policy Clinic Report. This report is evaluated as a part of the student's Comprehensive Exam portfolio. The instructor will set the deadline for this report, but it will be sometime at the end of the second quarter of the Clinic. 

After the Policy Clinic concludes, a summary report is written by the instructor evaluating each group's work. The report includes client mid-point and final survey results as well as each student's Policy Clinic Report. These elements are reviewed and approved by the Comprehensive Exam Committee.

Timeline: