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Internship requirements - Psychology Undergraduate

Several colleges and departments within the university have designed specific internship guidelines. It is imperative and required that every student wanting to do an internship read and follow the appropriate guidelines. Students must follow the guidelines of the college/department which houses the discipline of the internship focus, which is not necessarily the college/department of the student's major.

Students will receive e-mail notification that their internships have been approved. Once approved, registration for internships will be completed automatically by the Records/Registration office.

Individual internship guidelines

All approved internships must:

  • include at least 120 hours at the internship site for three semester credits earned and at least 160 hours for four semester credits earned;
  • involve the student in new, upper-division, college-level learning in psychology;
  • offer theoretical as well as practical learning;
  • be approved by the Psychology Department resident faculty member serving as internship liaison;
  • be supervised by a qualified on-site supervisor. The evaluator must have a B.A. or B.S. degree in psychology or related field and/or relevant expertise in the internship topic areas;
  • be graded on an S/N basis only; and
  • the student must attend the Psychology PSYC 010 Internship Group Meetings.

Student Learning Outcomes

All internships must offer students the opportunity to gain the following outcomes.  The student will learn:

  • the role and function of the agency/internship site in the community;
  • the student’s role in the agency/internship setting;
  • the ethical issues related to her/his internship roles and responsibilities; and be able to:
  • successfully perform internship responsibilities;
  • have awareness of self and others, including issues of race, class, gender, sexual orientation and ability;
  • apply the basic theories related to the field in which s/he is interning;
  • communicate effectively (written and oral) including interpersonal skills; and
  • assess her/his own learning in the internships.

Approval Process

  1. Students complete the Academic Internship Agreement online, including sign-off approval by the onsite supervisor/evaluator, and submit it to the Career Center via email at Internships@metrostate.edu. The Career Center staff will secure the Psychology Department internship liaison’s signature (The liaison will sign only if an approved proposal for the student is on file). The university approval process takes approximately two weeks (longer during summer months and semester breaks) after the student submits the Academic Internship Agreement to the Career Center. The internship must be approved before the start of the internship.
  2. The student cannot be related to the on-site supervisor/evaluator or the university faculty liaison.
  3. A student can do up to two internships at a site.  However, there must be new, college-level learning in psychology and an approved Academic Internship Agreement for each three or four semester credit internship.  The contact hours must increase appropriately (240 hours for six semester credits, 320 for eight semester credits). Students may do a total of four internships, in their program, with the approval of the Psychology Department.
  4. It is not appropriate for students to spend their internship completing “clerical” type functions (e.g. filing or answering phones).  While these tasks may be a minimal part of the duties of an intern, the majority of time must be spent in educationally appropriate activities.  Ideally, the intern can observe others at work and attend meetings in which consultation occurs.
  5. Psychology internships will be graded on an S/N basis only. 

Psychology Internship Group Meetings

All psychology students who enroll in individual psychology internships must also enroll in the Psychology PSYC 010 Internship Group Meetings for the semester concurrent with or before the beginning of the internship.  The group meets twice, at the beginning and at the end of the semester. During these meetings, the following activities will be covered:

  • review internship expectations and responsibilities;
  • review the academic content of the internship with the faculty liaison;
  • share internship experiences and knowledge gained with other students;
  • reflect on the internship experience through writing and speaking;
  • write a brief final report (details provided at first meeting).

Students who include more than one psychology internship in their degree plan only need to fulfill the group meetings requirement for the first internship, but do need to complete an Internship Report for each internship (see below). There is no additional cost for the group meetings and time spent at the meetings count toward hours in the internship.  Check the current Class Schedule or contact the Center for Community-Based Learning for dates, times, and locations of these group meetings.

Internship Report

Students will prepare a brief report summarizing and integrating their internship experience. Details on the report will be provided at the first Psychology Group Internship Meeting (Psyc 010, offered near the start of each term – consult the Class Schedule).  Students will address questions such as:

  • What skills should a student have before beginning this internship?
  • What are the strengths and weaknesses of this internship?
  • What was the most significant learning experience for you in the internship?  What did you learn? Provide examples of experiential learning.
  • Do you recommend this internship to other Metropolitan State students?  Why?

Important note

The Academic Internship Agreement (AIA) must be submitted and approved before you begin your internship. The Career Center will register you for your internship course once all signatures have been submitted on the completed AIA. Check current Class Schedule for last day to register for the semester.