Students have the sole responsibility for finding an appropriate internship site. The internship coordinators maintain a listing of some of the past sites used by our students. You also may search for one using a database from Career Services. It is up to the individual student to contact a given site and secure an internship with them. All sites still need to be approved by the coordinator for the undergraduate internship in Psychology or Sociology.
Not necessarily. The whole point of the internship experience is to explore different career areas and opportunities. You should, however, choose a site that has potential career interest for you. Internships should never be afterthoughts, and the organization which sponsors you should only be chosen after careful investigation.
An internship is a fixed-term educational opportunity and it has clear learning objectives. Because students earn academic credit for their experiences, most internship sites do not pay regular salaried wages.
The employer is benefited by this arrangement because they get free (or reduced waged workers), and the student is benefited because he or she receives formal supervision and "hands-on" experience.
Studies show that experiential learning programs can enhance classroom performance because in some cases an internship can help you relate an academic theory to actual practice.
Generally speaking no... each student is allowed to only do one internship for credit within their program. Exceptions are made for those with a comprehensive psychology and sociology major or those with special circumstances. Individuals may, however, feel free to do non-credited internships at any time.
Each internship is worth three (3) academic credits.
No. Because the undergraduate internship is a course within the psychology, sociology, and comprehensive major, the University will not allow students to take it pass/fail.
This is rather a tough question to answer. Each student and site coordinator individually sets up the goals to be attained during the course of the internship. Students are to be involved with as many aspects of the site that are legally, ethically and feasibly possible. Typically students are involved with intake interviews, home visits, individual and group assessment, programming and office duties. Students, however, are not to take internships that only involve clerical work. Such sites will not be accepted by the program director.
Treat applying for an internship just like you are applying for a job. Do background research on the potential internship site, make formal contacts, dress and act professionally during the interview, accurately state your strengths and limitations (do not exaggerate), and emphasize that you are motivated and willing to learn.
