Internships in Psychology
Students who are interested in completing a Psychology-related internship may either pursue an internship on their own or earn credit for completing a Psychology-related internship by enrolling in Psychology 405 – Internships in Psychology (Formerly known as Fieldwork in Psychology).
Students who wish to complete an internship on their own may consult the Internship Resources located within the Psychology Resource Office or the current internships listed on CareerLink which is available through their CSULB single sign on.
Students who wish to earn course credit for completing an internship may apply for Psychology 405 – Internships in Psychology. Further information about this class and the application process are provided below.
What is the Internships in Psychology Class?
- Psy 405 is a 400-level class that provides 3 units of course credit for completing an undergraduate internship
- Students enrolled in the class complete approximately 6 hours per week at their internship site and attend one 75 minute class per week
- This class is graded as Credit/No Credit only, and there are NO exams or research papers
What Types of Internships Can I Complete?
- Students complete internships in a wide variety of areas, including youth mentoring programs, school-based programs, mental health programs, crisis intervention programs, medical or criminal justice programs, and programs within human resources or business settings
- Students may also locate their own internships in settings of their choice
How do I Obtain an Internship?
- Students will be provided a list of potential internships, but they may also research their own internships
- Students are responsible for contacting potential interview sites and completing all application procedures required by the site
- This process can take quite some time, so students are encouraged to begin applying for internships at least 6 weeks in advance
What Happens in Class?
- Class meets in person once per week; students are also required to attend 4 additional workshops (or complete alternate assignments)
- Class time is spent supervising internships and engaging in professional development activities
- See the Sample Syllabus: Fieldwork_Syllabus_Sample.
Are There Any Prerequisites?
- Students must have at least a 3.0 both Overall and in Psychology to be admitted into the class
- Students must also have completed at least 12 upper division units (300 or 400 level classes) by the first day of class
- PSY 301
How do I Get Admitted into the Class?
- Admission to Psy 405 is by application only: Internship Class Application
- For the Fall semester course, applications will be accepted on a rolling basis starting on March 1
- For the Spring semester course, applications will be accepted on a rolling basis starting on October 1
- Unofficial transcripts should be submitted to: courtney.ahrens@csulb.edu
Who Do I Contact for Additional Information?
- Contact Dr. Courtney Ahrens for additional information about Psy 405
- courtney.ahrens@csulb.edu
- 562-985-2191
