Internship FAQ's
1. What are the prerequisites for internship?
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PSY Majors: Junior Standing, PSY 323
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CD Majors: Junior Standing, PSY 323, CD 230
2. How do I enroll in internship?
- Field: (local social service and governmental agencies, schools, and business organizations; on and off-campus sites)
- You MUST attend the mandatory meeting the quarter before you enroll for FIELD internship to apply (i.e., Spring for Fall Placement, Fall for Winter Placement, and Winter for Spring placement).
- At that meeting, we discuss the protocol for the field internship process, and you select your top site to interview.
- List of field placement sites are available on our department website here
- Research: (with Cal Poly Psychology or Child Development Faculty Member)
- Research internships can be found by reviewing faculty research interests and attending office hours and by asking your professors about available positions.
- If a faculty member selects you as a research assistant, they will provide you with a permission number.
- To enroll in research internship, you must have completed Research methods (PSY 329 or CD 329), and possibly Quantitative Research Methods (PSY 333) depending on your research internship supervisor.
- You do not have to attend the mandatory internship meeting.
- Faculty research interests are indicated on our department website here.
3. Do I have to attend the mandatory meeting before my second quarter of internship?
- Yes: if you will be at a NEW field internship site for your second quarter.
- No: If you will be RETURNING to the SAME field internship placement site OR you are doing a research internship for your second quarter.
4. How do I get a position at one of the internship sites?
- Attend the mandatory internship meeting during Week 4 of the quarter prior to the quarter you want to enroll.
- After the meeting, contact the faculty site coordinator who is listen next to your top choice site on the internship site list (they will give you contact information for the site supervisor who interviews potential interns).
- Let the faculty site coordinator know if you decide not to interview, if you receive a position, or if you hear from the site supervisor that there are no more intern positions.
5. When am I assigned a faculty supervisor and who will provide me with a permission number?
- Field: During the last week of the quarter before you begin internship, the internship coordinator will send you a class number and alert you to who your faculty supervisor is.
- Research: Students will pursue a match with a faculty research lab. If a faculty member agrees to supervise your research internship, they will provide you with a permission number.
6. Can I do a summer internship?
- You cannot enroll in summer internships for credit, but you are welcome to do a summer internship for experience.
7. Can I do an internship that is not on the list?
- Off-list sites are rarely approved because of the time and effort involved in reviewing new sites. We devote our efforts to establishing sites that are ongoing and available to multiple students. Childcare sites that are not NAEYC accredited will not be considered.
- To have an off-list site considered, please:
- Review this FAQ document,
- Submit an application by week 6 of the quarter prior to the quarter in which you wish to enroll
- Attend internship coordinator office hours during week 7 or 8.
8. Can I do one quarter at one location and another at a second location?
- Yes, but check the requirements for field and research internships (some sites and faculty require a two-quarter commitment for placement). Make sure to attend the internship meeting again if you are switching sites.
9. Can I do a field internship AND a research internship?
- Yes, but check the requirements for field and research internships (some require a two-quarter commitment for placement). Make sure to attend the internship meeting again id you are switching sites.
10. How do I know if an internship is right for me?
- Internship embodies the "learn by doing" motto in our department. We see this as an opportunity for you to get experience in a desired field to see if you like it. Select sites that best align with your desired career path or career options that you want to explore.
- If you are considering graduate school, especially a Ph.D. program, we strongly encourage you to do two quarters of research internship.
- If you are considering graduate school in clinical or counseling psychology you should consider doing one of our clinical field sites (and also research internships if you want to get a Ph.D. in clinical or counseling psychology)
11. What is the time commitment for fieldwork internship?
- Each internship course is 5 units and, similar to the time estimates for traditional classroom courses, requires 12 hours of work per week.
12.What do I need to do to earn credit for my internship?
- Meet with your site supervisor at the beginning of your internship to go over their expectations for your work on site.
- In addition to the 12 hours/week mentioned above, you should look over your course syllabus with your faculty supervisor and clarify expectations for communication and writing requirements.
13. For how many quarters do I need to enroll in internship to fulfill me graduation requirements?
- You must enroll in a total of two quarters of internship: two field, two research, or one of each.
Glossary of Terms
Department Internship Coordinator: the faculty member who organizes the internship process and documents; facilitates mandatory internship meeting; reviews applications for off-list internships; coordinates provision of add codes for students registration.
Faculty site coordinator: the faculty member who is the point person for the internship site (listed below the site on the internship site list); person from whom you receive contact information to set up your interview.
Faculty supervisor: the faculty member with whom you will register for the internship class; will assign credit for internship; may or may not be the same person as the faculty site coordinator
Site supervisor: the person at your internship site who will meet with you weekly and provide on-site supervision.