Internships

Students curious about the relevance of psychological science in everyday contexts can register for PSYC 388 Individual Internship and work in a setting related to their interests in psychology. Internships are available in public and private school settings, industry, medicine, mental health, counseling, human resources, athletics, the arts, ESL and international contexts, and natural settings, such as local parks and recreational programs (see examples below).

Psychology works collaboratively with UR’s Career Services and the Center for Civic Engagement to place students in internships that will extend their knowledge of psychology beyond the classroom and laboratory. Students work closely with an on-site supervisor at the internship site and earn .5 or 1.0 unit of course credit for the semester. Course requirements often include submitting regular summaries of activities and observations based on work at the internship site, and a final presentation to the Department of Psychology.

  • Translating English to Spanish for families receiving medical care.
  • Creating peer-counseling and stress-relief programs for college students.
  • Working with children with autism and Asperger’s syndrome (and their families).
  • Working with elderly adults with Alzheimer’s disease in residential settings.
  • Working in classrooms with children with developmental disabilities.
  • Shadowing and assisting athletic directors and sports psychologists.
  • Exploring the ecology and psychology of the James River with a park ranger.
  • Working in human resources on developing performance assessment measures.
  • Assisting and working with teens at a juvenile detention center.
  • Assisting at shelters for women and children; handling crisis center hotline calls.

PSYC 388 Individual Internship

Supervised independent work in field setting designed to give student applied experience after completion of appropriate coursework in psychology. Requires consultation with and approval by department chair. No more than 1 unit of internship in any one department and 3.5 units of internship overall may be counted toward required degree units. Available as pass/fail only.

Prerequisite(s): Psychology 299 appropriate to the internship setting.

Unit(s): .5-1