Why should I do an internship? How will it be valuable to me as a Psychology student? 

Internships serve several purposes: 

• You get to “try on” a career/job that you may be considering after graduation. It is always a good idea to try something on before you buy it! Finding out that a particular field is not for you is just as important as finding out that you love it! Job shadowing can also be helpful in this area. 

• You gain real-world experience, and you can apply the principles of psychology that you have been learning at CSU. 

• It looks great on a resume or graduate school application! Employers and graduate schools like seeing that you went the extra mile to learn more about a population or area of psychology. 

• Networking! Your internship supervisor may end up serving as a reference for a future job, may refer you to another opportunity, or may even hire you post-graduation! 

Getting Started: 

• As a psychology student you may not be required to do an internship, but we recommend that you do!  

• All class levels (first year – senior) are able to do an internship, however, we find that the experience is the most impactful for juniors and seniors. 

• You may do an internship for-credit or not-for-credit. You will receive 1, 2, or 3 credits of PSY 487 or PSY 488 (total of 6 credits), depending on how many total clock hours you complete. 40 hours = 1 credit, 80 hours = 2 credits, 120 hours = 3 credits. 

• Internships can be either paid or unpaid. 

• Please note that internship credit cannot be given retroactively. If you plan to complete an internship over the summer, you will need to register for those credits during the summer and pay for summer tuition through CSU.   

Steps: 

Step 1: Choose an internship 

• Consider which semester you want to complete your internship in, work with your academic advisor on mapping this out in your graduation plan.   

• Consider factors like career and goal alignment, preferred populations, location, and background check concerns. 

• Begin researching 3-4 months prior to the semester you would like to complete your internship and reach out to the site contacts to see if an internship is available.  

o   You can find a list of approved sites on the Psychology Department website  

• You may also find an internship that is not on this list.  Here are a few other places you can look:  

• https://career.colostate.edu/ 

• http://sociology.colostate.edu/undergraduate/internships 

• If you find an internship not on our approved list, you will need to contact your internship coordinator to complete additional paperwork:  

• Clinical/Counseling Concentration:  Dr. Laura Hogan (laura.hogan@colostate.edu) 

• General, Mind Brain and Behavior, and Industrial/Organizational Concentrations:  Dr. Laura Hogan (laura.hogan@colostate.edu) 

• Addictions Counseling Concentration:  Wendy Lee (wendy.lee@colostate.edu) 

• Masters in Addictions Counseling:  Wendy Lee (wendy.lee@colostate.edu) 

Step 2: Contact Internship Sites  

• Pick a few sites you are interested in completing an internship. Email is the preferred way to contact most sites (don’t forget to include your resume!).  

• You can choose to email 2-3 sites at one time, or you can start with one site while having back-ups in mind.  

• Utilize this CSU resume guide and CSU cover letter guide 

Step 3: Prepare for your Interview  

• Interviews are a way for the organization to get to know you and see if you would be a good fit. It is also a chance for you to ask questions and see if it is a place, you would enjoy and gain valuable experience.   

• Prior to the interview consider doing the following:  

• Review the organization’s website and related sources and write down questions you want to ask about the organization, the internship, your supervisor, etc.  

• Check out this interview prep guide from the CSU Career Center.   

• Articulate why you are interested in an internship with that specific organization. 

• Dress in business casual attire.  

Step 4: Enter your internship in the system to begin the process of registering your internship at CSU. 

Congratulations! You have secured an internship and now you need to register here.  

You will need to know the following pieces of information: 

• What concentration are you enrolled in? 

• How many hours will you be working at your internship? 

• What will your duties be? 

• What is the contact information for your internship supervisor at the internship site. 

Step 5:  Start the internship! 

• Communicate directly with your internship supervisor about your start date, any necessary training or other requirements, and arrange your schedule and job duties directly with them 

• Check to see if your PSY487 or PSY488 class has a Canvas course associated with it and be sure to login to make note of any additional assignments and associated deadlines