What is the Department of Psychology Undergraduate Internship Program?The Department of Psychology coordinates an internship program where undergraduate students can obtain real-world experiences that enhance their career development and skill acquisition. Community agencies benefit from the energy and enthusiasm that college students bring to their organizations. Every year, approximately 150 undergraduate students participate in an internship.
What are the benefits of participating in an internship?
College students are open to learning in innovative ways and often want to put their knowledge into practice (Roberts & Buzinski, 2011). However, many undergraduate classes are lecture courses (Lammers & Murphy, 2002) that provide little opportunity to apply newly acquired information outside of classroom settings. Also, many undergraduate students struggle with what to do after graduation from college (Nauta, 2012). In a languishing economy and competitive job market, undergraduate students benefit from developing marketable skills for jobs or graduate school.
What are some examples of internship sites?
The internships that our students receive are in five areas: (1) counseling, clinical, human services, (2) education, (3) research, (4) human resources, industrial organizational psychology, and (5) social justice/advocacy. Our most popular internship sites include Cornerstone Montgomery, Every Mind, Kennedy Krieger, and Little Leaves Behavioral Services.
A description of over 70 sites where UMD Psychology majors have interned can be found at the following link:
https://go.umd.edu/psycinternsitesspring2018
Do students receive course credit for their internship experience?
Students have the option of enrolling in our PSYC389 online course titled Experiential Learning and taught by Steve Young. Students reflect on their internship experiences and complete a three-part internship poster project where they demonstrate acquired knowledge, skills, and abilities. The following link contains example posters from students who completed internships:
https://go.umd.edu/psyc389internshipposters
How do students find an internship?
The Department of Psychology has developed a “Help Me Find a Psychology Internship” site that provides helpful information about the internship process. In addition, Steve Young serves as our Undergraduate Internship Advisor; he meets with students and coordinates the internship process.
Help Me Find A Psychology Internship:
http://go.umd.edu/helpmefindapsycinternship
