Options for Fulfilling Requirement

As a student at Monmouth University, you are required to complete experiential education as part of your graduation requirements. Most students complete their ex-ed during their junior or senior year.

Experiential Education can be fulfilled in many different ways.

THE TWO OPTIONS THAT APPLY TO THE VAST MAJORITY OF STUDENTS ARE:

• Independent Study Internships (PY398/PY498). Internships are unpaid, academically relevant opportunities. Any of the opportunities in this wiki (except for the Six Flags course) qualify for internship credit through independent study. Students must have at least 57 completed credits and at least a 3.0 GPA to register for an independent study internship. Students who do not meet the 3.0 minimum requirement may register for Service Learning (described below) or PY310. You must complete 50 hours per 1 credit you want to earn. The Department requires that you take PY310 prior to completing an independent study internship, although this requirement may be waived for special circumstances.Learn how to secure an independent study internship by visiting this page.

AND

• Psychology Ex-ed Courses. Courses withing the Psychology Department that fulfill the University's experiential education requirement are:
  • PY 342L - Children's Play Lab must be taken with PY342 - Children's Play
  • PY 310 - Field Experience (offered every fall and spring; some summers). This is a 3 credit course which combines off-campus internships at different locations with classroom instruction, group learning and individual meetings and mentoring. Students in this course are exposed to 14 other internships through the experiences of their classmates. This is a great opportunity to learn about other career options and work settings for Psychology majors. The wiki page for this course is here.
  • PY411 - Six Flags Wild Safari Course (Animal Behavior internship - permission of instructor). The Six Flags opportunity can only be completed through this course. If you are interested in working with animals and were not able to get into this course or you are interested in animal-assisted therapy, please visit the list of animal sites in this wiki.

ADDITIONAL OPTIONS INCLUDE:

• Monmouth University Ex-ed Courses. You are not limited to the ex-ed courses in the Psychology Department For a full list of ex-ed courses at the University, click here.

• Cooperative Education (PY288, 388, 488) is similar to an internship but it's a paid opportunity. These opportunities are rare for Psychology majors. The only co-op in this wiki is at Commvault (Human Resources). Other types of relevant experience that may qualify as a co-op include working with children in a daycare or camp program during the summer. However, choosing an experience based mainly on it being a paid opportunity is usually not the best decision. Use your experiential education credits to explore career option and build skills that will help you professionally. If you have located an opportunity that you believe would qualify as Cooperative Education, contact [Goodwin] or your advisor for further guidance. If approved, you will be assigned a faculty sponsor who will assist you in registering for PY288, 388 or 488 which will be similar to an independent study. You will be required to complete 50 hours per 1 credit you want to earn.

• Service Learning. Service Learning is also similar to an internship, however these site placements are usually offered through nonprofit organizations, schools and government agencies and the work completed falls under the category of community service. Businesses and for profit organizations are excluded from Service Learning. Many (but not all) of the sites in this wiki qualify as service learning. Students needing a faculty sponsor for service learning or who wish to propose a new service learning site can contact [Goodwin]. Your faculty sponsor will assist you in completing the appropriate paperwork to register. You will be required to complete 50 hours per 1 credit you want to earn. Service Learning students can follow the steps outlined here for internships.

• Study Abroad. Monmouth provides study abroad programs during the fall, spring or summer semester in Australia, England, Italy or Spain. This is a wonderful opportunity that our Department encourages you to explore. However, we recommend that you also complete an additional experiential education experience related to your career goals before you graduate. Read more about study abroad here.