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Internship FAQ- Updated 2/10/2014
Frequently Asked Questions about Internships in Psychology
The Basics
Q: What is an Internship?
A: An Internship in Psychology involves working alongside psychology professionals in human services, business, or other work setting. The intern’s on-site work experience is supervised by an employee of the organization providing the Internship. An intern may or may not be paid for the on-site work by the placement. Because the Internship earns academic credit, the Internship also has an academic component, which an intern develops in conjunction with a faculty sponsor. An Internship, therefore, is an individualized hands-on learning experience.
Q: Why should I do an Internship in Psychology?
A: Internships offer valuable exposure to applied work in Psychology, enable you to apply and expand your knowledge of Psychology, and assist you in testing your interests and developing your skills. Internship experiences can distinguish an applicant for a graduate program or job. Finally, a 4-credit Internship is one way to satisfy the field experience requirement of the Counseling & Clinical Specialization and the ELOPsy course requirement of the I/O specialization.
Q: What is the difference between an Independent Internship (PSY399 or PSY499) and the Counseling & Clinical Field Study Course (PSY383)?
A: All three of these courses involve intensive field experiences. PSY399 and PSY499 are appropriate for field experience in any discipline of psychology (e.g., counseling or clinical, developmental, I/O); PSY383 is appropriate for field experiences involving counseling or clinical work and is the recommended means for students in the Counseling & Clinical Specialization to obtain their required field experience. The amount of time required on-site is similar (2-3 more hours per week are required for PSY399 and PSY499) and the on-site duties are the same. The courses differ mainly in the academic component and in the application process. PSY399 and PSY499 are individual internships with individualized academic components that are developed jointly by student and faculty sponsor; the student is responsible for securing the internship placement, arranging for a faculty sponsor, and completing the online application (described below). By contrast, PSY383 is a regularly-scheduled course with 12-15 students that meets for three hours per week, with registration through PAWS. The course has pre-determined learning objectives, readings, and writing assignments. To support work in counseling and clinical field placements, the course has prerequisites of PSY216 and PSY217. The course provides a forum for group supervision, and opportunities for students to learn about the field placement experiences of other students; this is an advantage of the field study course relative to Independent Internships for students in counseling or clinical field placements. Students in PSY383 do not submit an internship application but do arrange their own field placements, as do students in PSY399/499. Thus, the application process described in this document is required for Internships but not for the Field Study Seminar. Because PSY383 is not designated as an ELOPsy course, it does not count toward the maximum allowed ELOPsy courses.
Q: What is the difference between PSY399 and PSY499?
A: There are two additional requirements of PSY499. Because all 400-level courses in Psychology are writing-intensive, PSY499 requires development of a 20-25 page paper in multiple drafts, with response to faculty feedback in subsequent drafts. PSY499 also requires an oral presentation to an appropriate audience; the presentation might take place at TCNJ (such as a presentation to a class or at the Celebration of Student Achievement), at the placement site, or elsewhere. For PSY399, a written paper of 10-15 pages is required; an oral presentation is not typically required. Because the field placement objectives conflict to some degree with the objectives of the writing-intensive course, PSY399 is preferable to PSY499 in most cases.
Q: How is an Internship (PSY399, PSY499) different from an Independent Study (PSY393, PSY493)?
A: An Internship involves a field placement in which the intern performs work that requires the application of psychological knowledge and principles; the work is overseen by an on-site supervisor. An independent study is an academic learning experience, supervised by a member of the Psychology Department faculty. If there is a hands-on component to an independent study, it usually involves conducting psychological research to expand the knowledge base of psychology, rather than applying the principles of psychology to practical problems or situations in work settings. For further clarification, consult the learning objectives for Internships versus Individual Study, or speak with your academic advisor or faculty sponsor.
Q: How is an Internship different from a paid job or a volunteer position?
A: There are similarities between these different work experiences. All are valuable for gaining real-world experiences and can set you apart from other applicants for employment or graduate study. That said, an Internship is unique in that it involves an academic component that is integrated with the on-site work experiences. For an Internship, a student reads relevant literature, discusses on-site experiences and developing ideas with a faculty member, and writes a paper integrating the professional literature with the experiences at the placement.
Q: What requirements does an Internship fulfill in the Psychology major and minor?
A: PSY399 fulfills a Specialized course requirement and PSY499 fulfills either a Specialized course requirement or the Senior Experience course requirement. Either course can also count as the Psychology Option or as a free elective.
Q: How many credits are requiredfor PSY399 and PSY499?
A: PSY399 and PSY499 can be taken for any number of credits between one and eight. Most students take these courses for 4 credits. The number of credits is determined by the number of on-site hours worked and the amount of related academic work expected. An intern must perform 40 hours of work at the internship site for each academic credit. For a 4-credit Internship, interns are required to complete 160 hours of on-site work; for a one-semester (14 week) Internship, this would be approximately 11 hours per week. To count toward the Psychology major or minor, the Internship must be taken for 3 or more credits. To meet the field experience requirement of the Counseling & Clinical Specialization, the Internship must be taken for 4 or more credits. Although the Psychology Department allows Internships of fewer than 4 credits, most internship sites do not offer placements for just a few hours per week. Finally, the Internship can extend beyond a 14-week semester; if so, credits for the Internship course must be taken in the semester during which the majority (60%) of the work is completed and the academic component must span the entire duration of the on-site internship hours.
Q: Who is eligible to take PSY399 and PSY499?
A: For PSY399, you must have a GPA of 2.5 or higher and have attained at least sophomore status. There are no prerequisite courses for PSY399. For PSY499, you must have a GPA of 2.5 or higher, have taken PSY 299 (C- grade or better), and be in the second semester of your junior year or in your senior year. If you are a first-semester junior with a compelling reason to take PSY499, you and your faculty sponsor must attach a brief explanation and request for permission to the internship application.
Q: What is the maximum number of internship credits that can be counted toward the 128 credits required for graduation?
A: There is no maximum. However, a maximum of three ELOPsy courses can be counted toward the Psychology major as Specialized, Senior Experience, and Option courses. The decision to do multiple internships should be discussed with your academic advisor. Minors can count only one internship toward their minor course requirements.
The Internship Field Placement
Q: For an Internship, who sets up the field placement, my faculty sponsor or me?
A: You do. Of course you can consult with your faculty sponsor for suggestions about appropriate sites.
Q: How do I find an internship site?
A: On the Psychology Department Internship webpage (http://psychology.department.tcnj.edu/internships/index.html) you will find an “Intern sites” link to a spreadsheet of potential internship sites. This spreadsheet contains information about the location of the sites, types of work interns can do, and contact information. We update this list annually. If you find obsolete information in the spreadsheet, please inform the Chair of the Internship Committee. Students can also find internship sites through LionsPro, the online job network maintained by Career Services (http://www.tcnj.edu/~career/). Or you can find a placement on your own.
Q: Can I do an Internship at a site that is not on the current list?
A: Yes, you may seek out your own site for the Internship. The site must provide you with an on-site supervisor and appropriate intern duties that can fulfill your learning objectives in Psychology. If you have a site in mind, you can discuss the possibility with your faculty sponsor or the Chair of the Internship Committee.
Q: Can I do an Internship at a site where I am already employed?
A: This depends on the type of work you do at your job. If you are able to perform appropriate intern duties and receive regular, in-person supervision from another member of the organization, then you may be able to create an Internship using your current job as your internship site. Consult with your faculty sponsor or the chair of the Internship Committee.
Q: Can I get Internship credit for past work experiences?
A: No. You must complete the academic component at the same time you are completing
your on-site hours at the internship site. If you did not have an academic component in place at the time of the work experiences, those experiences cannot be counted toward an Internship.
Q: Will there be a required training period prior to the beginning of the Internship?
A: Some internship sites do require training or hold an orientation. You must check with your site supervisor about specific site requirements.
Q: How often will I meet with my on-site supervisor?
A: You should meet with your on-site supervisor each week of your Internship. In addition, your on-site supervisor should be available to you for consultation regarding your intern duties as needed.
Q: What other requirements might I have to fulfill prior to beginning my Internship?
A: Internship sites vary in terms of application procedures, required documentation and training. Some sites require such things as fingerprinting, a background check, and a TB test. These processes may take three to six weeks. Check with your on-site supervisor and make sure to take care of any such requirements before the start of your Internship.
Q: What counts toward the required on-site hours?
A: All time you spend at your internship site counts toward your on-site hours. This includes any orientation or training you receive, and your supervision meetings. The time you spend on the academic component, including meeting or communicating with your faculty sponsor at TCNJ, does not count toward your on-site hours.
Q: Can I begin my on-site work before the semester in which I am officially registered?
A: Once your proposal has been approved, you can begin your Internship. However, you must begin your on-site hours and the academic component simultaneously. Thus, you must have the approval of both the on-site supervisor and your faculty sponsor to begin the Internship before the official start of the semester.
Q: Can I do multiple Internships at the same placement?
A: Yes. But separate Internships must involve a distinct set of on-site duties. If you would like to propose a second Internship at a placement, you must: 1) provide a written statement (a paragraph or so) stating how your duties differ across the Internships, signed by you and your faculty sponsor; 2) provide a letter from your on-site supervisor that briefly states the differences in your duties across the Internships; and 3) append the upload the application for the first Internship with your application for the second Internship.
Q: Will the internship site require any documentation from TCNJ?
A: This varies widely by internship site. Some sites require no documentation from TCNJ. Some need a copy of your internship application or registration as evidence that you are registered for an internship experience. Some placements require evidence that The College has liability insurance that covers you in case of accident at the internship site. Some sites will provide you with an Affiliation Agreement to be signed by TCNJ. Before you begin your Internship, ask the site supervisor about required documentation. If your site requires any documentation, please speak with your faculty sponsor or with the Chair of the Internship Committee about obtaining the needed information or signatures.
Q: How will I get to my internship site?
A: You must provide your own transportation to the internship site.
Q: What happens if I am unable to complete all of the required on-site hours?
A: You must complete the number of hours required for the credits you have registered for. If you are unable to complete the hours, you will be given a grade of Incomplete until you have completed the requisite hours. If the site is unwilling to extend your internship experience, or if you otherwise do not complete the hours, you will receive a failing grade for the course.