Leadership Practicum—Master of Science in Environmental Studies: Timeline and Checklist
Contact Cheryl Hanzel (hanzel@ohio.edu) or Loraine McCosker (mccosker@ohio.edu) if you have
questions.
Leadership Practicum Requirements
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Advisory Committee:
o Academic Advisor
o 2 Additional Academic Members
o Representative from Client Organization
o Academic members (including advisor) must be from at least two different departments.
Project Proposal and Defense (see detailed description below)
o Scope of Work (details below)
o Review of Pertinent Literature
o Appendices of Important Additional Information
o Approval of Leadership Practicum Proposal Defense form
o Self-Evaluation
Leadership Practicum Portfolio (see detailed description below)
o Table of Contents
o Introduction and Framing of Problem/Project
o Literature Review
o Description of Project Work, i.e. Methods, Process, etc.
o Results, Deliverables
o Conclusions and Recommendations for Client
o Reflection on Leadership Practicum Experience (reference self-evaluation)
o Final Approved Scope of Work
o Self-Evaluation
o Approval of Leadership Practicum Proposal form (signed)
o Approval of Leadership Practicum Presentation form (signed)
o Client Evaluation of Student form (signed)
Leadership Practicum Defense (see detailed description below)
o Scheduled at least one month in advance
o Academic Committee must attend
o Representative from Client must attend
o Student must publicly advertise defense and book room
o Presentation should include:
 What you did
 Why you did it
 What it means
 Recommendations
o Presentation should be directed towards the intended audience (think about this!).
Deadlines
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Advisor selected by the End of Winter Quarter of 1st Year.
Client, specific project and advisory committee selected by End of Spring Quarter of 1st Year.
Draft project proposal submitted to advisory committee by End of Spring Quarter of 1st Year.
Proposal defense, preferred by End of Spring Quarter of 1st Year, acceptable by End of Fall
Quarter of 2nd Year.
Submit signed Approval of Leadership Practicum Proposal form and Self-Evaluation to Office of
Student Academic Services (Room 119, Building 22, The Ridges) within One Week of the
Defense.
Quarterly meetings with advisor after successful proposal defense.
Meeting with full advisory committee and, if possible, a representative from the client
organization One Month Prior to the practicum defense.
Submit draft practicum portfolio to full advisory committee at least Three Weeks Prior to the
practicum defense.
Schedule practicum defense with advisory committee and reserve space for defense (can be off
campus) at least One month in Advance.
Advertise practicum defense to university and local community during the month before the
defense.
Submit final portfolio, reflection and signed Approval of Leadership Practicum Presentation form
to advisor and Office of Student Academic Services (Room 119, Building 22, The Ridges) by the
End of the Quarter during which you defend.
Course and Credit Hour Requirements
60 Credit Hours required to Graduate including:
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ES 692 Leadership Practicum
ES 560 Sustainability and Leadership
POLS 588 Dispute Resolution
Only 12 ungraded (CR) credit hours may be applied towards the 60 credit hours needed for graduation.
Refer to MSES degree requirement for all core requirements beyond the Leadership Practicum-specific
requirements listed here.
Proposal and Proposal Defense Expectations
Proposal Expectations:
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Scope of Work to include Goals and Objectives of the Project (what you’re trying to achieve for
the client), Timeline (when you’re going to do what work and by when you will finish),
Deliverables (what will you give to the client at the end, what do they need), Client Expectations
agreed with the Student (give the project boundaries), resources provided by the client.
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Review of pertinent Literature (you need to know what’s been done so you know how your
work fits in and contributes to a body of knowledge)
Appendices to include (but not limited to): information about the Leadership Practicum (mostly
for your client’s benefit), mission of your client (how your project fits in), list of references cited,
any charts/graphs/pictures/diagrams/etc.
Self-evaluation form.
Approval of Leadership Practicum Proposal (signed at the proposal defense). The organization
representative should agree that the final portfolio is a public document on this form. If the
organization requires confidentiality for all or part of the student’s work, an agreement must be
made between the organization representative and the Environmental Studies Program. This
will be dealt with on a case by case basis.
Proposal Defense Expectations:
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Submit your draft proposal and schedule your defense with your entire committee with at least
3 Week Notice.
Create a presentation that details the key points of your proposal and be able to expand upon
them while presenting your project to your committee. Presentation should pose the problem
to be addressed, frame the problem in terms of the client and the current literature, present the
methods to be used and what the timeline and deliverables to the client will be.
Be prepared to answer questions posed to you by your committee and to amend your project
based upon comments and suggestions given by your committee while maintaining the
objective and deliverables for your client.
During the meeting, if your proposal is approved, get your entire committee to sign your
Approval of Leadership Practicum Proposal form.
Submit your approval form with your proposal document to OSAS (Room 119, Building 22, The
Ridges) within One Week.
Portfolio, Final presentation and Practicum Defense Requirements
Portfolio Expectations: Portfolio should be submitted in a black 3-ring binder to OSAS (Room 119,
Building 22, The Ridges) by the end of the quarter during which you defend.
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Table of Contents
Introduction and Framing of Problem/Project
Literature Review (this should be updated and expanded from the one you put in your proposal)
Description of Project Work, i.e. Methods, Process, etc.
Results, Deliverables
Conclusions and Recommendations for Client
Reflection on Leadership Practicum Experience (reference self-evaluation)
Final Approved Scope of Work
Self-Evaluation
Approval of Leadership Practicum Proposal form (signed)
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Approval of Leadership Practicum Presentation form (signed)
Client Evaluation of Student form (signed)
Schedule a meeting of your full committee including your client representative at least one month
before the defense, be sure to send them drafts of your written work to review prior to this
meeting.
Please submit your portfolio to your committee and your client representative at least three weeks
before the defense.
Project Presentation and Practicum Defense Expectations:
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Book a room for your presentation and advertise it locally at least one month before your
intended defense date.
Be sure that your entire academic committee and your client representative will be able to
attend.
Prepare a presentation that details your project including the background to it, what you did,
what you found, recommendations for the client and reflections on your Practicum experience.
Be sure to consider your audience when writing your presentation.
After giving your presentation to a public audience, you will remain in the room with your
academic committee and client representative. They will ask you additional questions; these
may be more technical, detailed or academic than those posed during the public portion of your
defense. You will then be asked to step out of the room while your committee considers your
Practicum and Presentation and decides if your project has passed the defense stage and what
changes or corrections need to be made, if any.
Your committee must sign the Approval of Leadership Practicum Presentation form which
should be included in your final portfolio and submitted to OSAS (Room 119, Building 22, The
Ridges) by the end of the quarter during which you defend.
Your client should also complete and sign the Client Evaluation of Practicum Student and submit
as part of your portfolio.