Independent Study Internships

This page is for students who are interested in pursuing an independent study internship through the Department of Psychology. Independent study internships are academically supervised/sponsored by a Department of Psychology faculty member who creates a personalized syllabus for you. In order to pursue an independent study internship, you must meet the following requirements:

1) Completed 57 completed credits with a 3.0 overall GPA
2) Completed PY310 Psychology Internship course

Note that requirement #2 may be waived if a) PY310 is full (no remaining slots in the courses offered) or b) you have a very compelling reason to complete a requirement outside of a traditional course

If you do not meet these requirements, visit this page to explore other options. If you think that you're a candidate to have requirement #2 waived, please email Dr. Goodwin with your explanation. Also include how many credits you wish to complete through the independent study (1 credit = 50 hours at your site) and if you have a faculty sponsor for the independent study. Your faculty sponsor will be your on-campus supervisor and assign you academic work related to your internship.

To familiarize yourself with the internship process, read through the tips before beginning the steps to secure an internship.

Top 10 Tips

1) The majority of ex-ed sites (internships) require that you are enrolled in a college or university AND receiving credit for the experience. This is why it is important to be completing your internship for credit.

2) If you want to work in a forensic setting or with children, start your search and application process 4 weeks before your start date. Background checks and fingerprinting is usually required. This process can take up to a few weeks. If you want to intern in a public school, apply 6-8 weeks before your start date which should accommodate any school district's policies.

3) Plan to complete at least TWO internships during your undergraduate career. This will make you more competitive for graduate school and for the job market. Employers want new hires to have had at least two internships!

4) Don't limit yourself by distance, by insecurities or by challenges. Pushing yourself beyond your comfort zone, pursuing challenging work and being willing to keep your options open now may lead to an amazing experience and job opportunity later!

5) Knowing what you DON'T want to do is as important as knowing what you DO want to do. If you have been deciding between different career options, pursue an internship in one of those areas. Then pursue another internship next semester in another area!

6) Consider pursuing an internship in an area that you've never considered before as a career but sounds interesting or rewarding. Now is a great time to explore. You never know!

7) Follow the rules. Internship sites are BUSY! Their first priority is not hiring interns. Follow the directions for applying for the internship listed on their pages, give them a few days to respond and then respectfully follow up through phone or email.

8) Don't apply to more than a few internships at a time and only apply to internships that you would feel comfortable accepting. Be respectful of an internship site's time and resources. Once you hear back from a site and begin a formal process (interview, etc.) of getting the internship, be honest about where you are in the process if another site contacts you. For example, some sites require background checks. Once you have initiated a background check, the site is spending money on your application process and will most likely offer you the position if you pass. If offered the internship, you have an obligation to accept the position unless you have a good reason to decline.

9) Take your internship seriously. Internships can provide invaluable career-related experiences and lead to stellar letters of recommendation and employment. Make the most out of your opportunity.

10) Take your coursework seriously. College isn't just about passing exams. Your courses provide you with knowledge and skills that you may need to apply to be successful in your internship and in your career. What if
you're working at a mental health facility and missed the lecture on Schizophrenia? Or you're interning for MTV in their market analysis department and you have forgotten how to analyze data?

Now that you know the top 10 tips, you can begin the internship process!

Steps for Securing an Internship

1) Review the internship site list and select a few potential opportunities. Sites are divided by category and are also searchable (right hand frame of wiki).

IMPORTANT: Ex-ed is an educational experience with learning goals and objectives and coursework that you complete as you grow professionally and progress towards your goals. An internship/job/volunteer opportunity that you are currently completing or have completed in the past cannot be used to fulfill this requirement. It's also in your best interest to complete an internship at a different site for grad school and future employment purposes.

Once you have identified your sites of interest from the provided list, proceed to step 2a.

If you have located a NEW site on your own (i.e. one that is that is NOT listed in this wiki) and where you might be able to complete an internship, proceed to step 2b.

2a) Contact [Goodwin]and let her know which semester you'd like to pursue an internship, how many credits you wish to complete (50 hours per 1 credit), potential sites of interest from the list and whether or not you have a faculty sponsor in mind. Your faculty sponsor will be your on-campus supervisor and assign you academic work related to your internship. If you don't have a faculty sponsor, don't worry. Proceed to step 3.
2b) Contact [Goodwin] and let her know which semester you'd like to pursue an internship, how many credits you wish to complete (50 hours per 1 credit), the name of your proposed site, the name and contact information of your potential supervisor and possible duties that you will perform at your site. Also indicate whether or not you have a faculty sponsor in mind. Your faculty sponsor will be your on-campus supervisor and assign you academic work related to your internship. Dr. Goodwin will contact your potential supervisor and approve the site if appropriate. New sites must be approved in writing by Dr. Goodwin before proceeding to step 4.

3) Utilize the Top 10 Tips you read above begin the application process to secure a placement. Don't begin the application process if your start date is 8 or more weeks away unless the directions on the site page instruct you differently.

4) Once you have secured a placement, either contact your faculty sponsor or request one from Dr. Goodwin.

5) Your assigned faculty sponsor will help you complete the paperwork to register, develop your learning goals and objectives and assign you academic work to enhance your internship experience.

6) Begin your internship and be awesome!