Psychology Internships

Psychology students have the opportunity to take part in a variety of internship experiences.

There are two different types of internships offered in the Psychology Department.

The first type of internship is for students who are interested in the counseling field. Specifically, counseling concentration students are required to complete PSY 484: Mental Health Practice as part of their concentration requirements. PSY 484 is a 3-credit course that includes a classroom group seminar class and a 120-hour internship. Counseling internships are supervised by the PSY 484 instructor. Internships for counseling concentration students could include placements in mental health agencies, hospitals, outpatient facilities, youth services, drug and alcohol services, correctional facilities, geriatric service agencies, educational settings, etc.

The second type of internship is presented as an option (not a requirement) for students in the applied and research concentrations. For this type of internship, students register for PSY 486: Field Experiences and Internship. These internships are supervised by one of the faculty members in the Psychology Department. Internships for applied psychology could include placements related to forensic psychology, sports psychology, industrial/organizational psychology, etc. Internships for research psychology could include placements in organizations with an emphasis on research, such as government agencies, marketing firms, research organizations, etc.

FAQ: Registering for an internship

For counseling concentration internships, students must be at least a senior and must have had all of the required classes for a counseling degree up to this point. Permission from the PSY 484 instructor is needed in order to register. For applied and research concentration internships, students must be at least a junior and must have permission of the faculty internship supervisor in order to register.

For counseling students, 3 credits of PSY 484 are mandatory for the counseling concentration requirements. If a counseling student wants to do additional internship credits, they may be able to add 1 to 15 additional credits of PSY 486 with instructor permission. Also, with instructor permission, students in the applied and research concentrations may register for up to 15 credits of PSY 486. Each registered 1-credit hour equates to 40 hours at the internship (e.g., 3 credits = 120 hours; 4 credits = 160 hours, etc.).

Yes, it is okay to split internship credits between semesters as long as students do not exceed the maximum limit for internship credits.

For counseling internships, students must have satisfied all of the counseling prerequisite requirements and should have in mind a place in which they would like to do their internship. Upon approval, they will be registered for the internship credits by the PSY 484 instructor.

If a student is having trouble finding an acceptable internship placement, they can stop into the Psychology Department and pick up a copy of the Counseling Concentration Students Internship Site List, which is a summary of places in which previous students have done their counseling internships.

For applied and research internships, students need to find a psychology faculty member to serve as their faculty internship supervisor. Students should have a location in mind in which they would like to do their internship. Upon approval, they will be registered for the internship credits by the faculty internship supervisor.

For a list of internship placements from previous applied/research concentration students, stop into the Psychology Department and pick up a copy of the Applied Concentration Students Internship Site List for suggestions of potential internship sites.

Psychology Internships

What are the prerequisites for doing an internship?

What are the minimum and maximum number of credits that may be obtained by an internship?

Can internship credits be split between semesters?

How does a counseling concentration student go about finding and registering for an internship?

How does an applied or research concentration student go about finding and registering for an internship?