In the third semester, students have the option of a residency placement with an approved decision-making organization. The goal of the placement is to provide students with the opportunity to gain practical experience in the field of health research and to put their classroom skills to use. Residency placements must be a minimum of 240 hours in duration. The residency placement is typically a paid experience.

It is the student's responsibility to secure a placement if they choose the residency option, and all placements must be approved by the program lead at the student's university. Placements must be  typically completed over a 12-16 week period. Students will recieve a pass/fail for this experience and both student and organization must complete an evaluation form about the placement.