Internship in Psychology Syllabus

Overview

Welcome! If you are looking to step outside of the classroom and use your psychology major in the real world or to try on aspects of a future career, then this course is for you. PSYC 498 is a pass-fail only course involving field work or research under the joint supervision of the Psychological Sciences department chair and agency/site personnel. Students majoring in Psychology and have completed 60 units are eligible to enroll in PSYC 498. Students must not be on academic probation and must obtain department chair consent to enroll. Course content will include an internship agreement between the student and the site supervisor, routine check-ins, time/activity logs, a supervisor performance evaluation, and a student reflection/self-evaluation.

Pre-requisite: PSYC 101.

Internship Selection

There are two primary ways students select their internship sites:

1. Work at an internship site that has sponsored USD internship students in the past. The department of Psychological Sciences maintains an agency Field Placement List that provides the names and contact information for community internship sites that have recently sponsored USD student interns. You must contact and interview at the site on your own. It is not automatic, and we don’t do it for you. Contact the department chair for the current list.
2. Arrange your own internship experience. The proposed internship site must be sufficiently psychology-related and must receive approval from the department chair. Approval of an internship will be based on whether the opportunity is consistent with the learning outcomes for the psychology major:
   1. Describe key concepts, principles, and theories in different subfields of psychology.
   2. Apply psychological principles in the service of improving quality of life, such as strengthening communities, fostering inclusion and equity, or addressing societal challenges.
   3. Demonstrate proficiency in scientific inquiry using psychological research evidence and statistics.
   4. Demonstrate written communication skills focused on scientific writing.

Once a student has identified an internship site, they should contact the department chair and complete the PSYC 498 Internship Work Plan, which outlines 3 goals of the internship and a short statement about how an internship at this site will be a learning experience that aligns with the psychology major learning outcomes. This plan will be reviewed by the department chair who will then contact the supervisor at the internship site to complete the PSYC 498 Internship Agreement Form. The student must communicate to the internship supervisor: 1) the semester applicable for the internship, start date (first day of the semester) and end date (last day of the semester); 2) the number of hours during the semester to be completed for the internship. This information will be collected on both the Internship Work Plan and the Internship Agreement and must match on both. Once these forms are completed and approved, the student can register for PSYC 498 (see Registration information below).

Course Requirements and Conditions

The following points highlight the Internship in Psychology course.

1. While types of volunteer work vary greatly across settings, the determined activities should be at a level appropriate for an undergraduate psychology major and should provide a practical learning experience in the broad areas of applied psychology or psychological research. The internship should represent an educational experience; however, all professionals must engage in some degree of routine work.
2. The student intern must be supervised and mentored by a professional employed at the internship site. The direct supervisor of the intern at the agency/site must complete the
3. Internship Agreement prior to beginning your volunteer or work hours and being enrolled in the course.
4. The internship hours must be completed by the end of the semester, and it is not acceptable to wait to complete all of your internship hours toward the end of the term.
5. As in any course, communication is a key element, particularly with your on-site supervisor and with the department chair. It will be beneficial to you to ask questions and establish clear expectations with your supervisor.
6. In your work at the internship site, be sure to conduct yourself in a professional manner. Remember, you are representing USD and the Department of Psychological Sciences. Please familiarize yourself with the APA code of ethics that describes professional guidelines both at your work site and in terms of how you represent your work outside of your work site (competency, confidentiality, and professional relationships).
7. The organization that agrees to accept you plans its workload to include the time you agree to work there. If you fail to appear, the work of the agency is affected. View your work as a professional commitment. Make this a priority and fulfill your obligations. The future relationship between the University and the agency can be enhanced or damaged depending on your performance. If at any time an intern poses a problem of any sort for the organization, the department chair should be notified and, if necessary, the student will be withdrawn from the internship and the course.
8. If you encounter any difficulties at your placement during the term, notify the department chair immediately. If you have a need for additional services, please contact resources available at USD such as the Counseling Center or Wellness.

Earning a Passing Grade

In order to earn a passing grade in the Internship course, the student must:

1. Complete a minimum of 40 hours of volunteer or paid field work or research per academic credit during the semester. The number of hours is dependent on the number of course credits the student is enrolled in (40 hours=1 unit; 80 hours=2 units; 120 hours=3 units).
2. Participate in check-ins with the department chair (on Canvas/email) on a regular basis throughout the term. c) Maintain a time log of the internship experience and submit to the department chair (via Canvas) each week by Friday at 11:59 PM. The log contains dates, start and stop times, total time, and description of tasks/activities.
3. Obtain a satisfactory supervisor evaluation. At the end of the semester, the agency supervisor will be asked to verify the intern’s attendance and provide an assessment of the intern’s performance by completing a brief confidential online evaluation form.
4. Submit a self-evaluation/reflection of the internship experience (via Canvas) of how they have applied knowledge of psychology within their experience.

Registration

There are three sections of Psyc-498. The sections correspond to the number of units that correspond to the number of semester hours you intern.

• PSYC 498-01 = 1 unit = 40 hours minimum during semester
• PSYC 498-02 = 2 units = 80 hours minimum during semester

The three sections of 498 are not separate classes. They just indicate different unit allocations. Keep in mind that you can count no more than 6 experiential units total towards graduation (taken in any departments), and no more than 4 combined units of PSYC 491, 496, or 498 towards the psychology major.

Registration is by department chair approval only. You should meet or communicate with the department chair first and then decide upon the section in which you wish to register. To be enrolled in the course, your internship site must have submitted the Internship Agreement Form and you must complete the PSYC 498 Internship Work Plan. The department chair will then let you know when the internship is approved and you are able to enroll in PSYC 498.