Internships in Psychology

Teaching Internships

Some psychology faculty work with undergraduate students in teaching internships. These internships involve the intern assisting students enrolled in the professor's courses. These are especially valuable experiences for students who might have graduate school or academic careers in mind.

If you have done well in a course and are interested in becoming a teaching assistant, approach the professor about potential opportunities to work with them. You may be able to earn credit for experiences like this through Psy 402 or 403, or complete this for no credit with Psy 404.

We recommend approaching professors for a teaching internship prior to the registration period for the next semester. You cannot add these classes on your own; you must receive instructor approval and be added to the class.

Internship Assistance

Need more information about getting an internship in Psychology? I'm here to help.

Jeff Bednark

Instructional Assistant Professor of Psychology

• jbednark@olemiss.edu
• 662-915-7383

Psy 401: Internship in Psychology

Find out what you need to know about internships. Learn about the credit hour expectations, how to find an internship, and how to create a work arrangement with a supervisor. 

Course Overview

Psy 401: Undergraduate Internship in Psychology

• Internship in approved work settings under professional supervision.
• May be taken for a maximum of 6 hours credit.
  This means that within the psychology major you can only receive course credit for a maximum of 252 hours spent at an internship site. You can only receive a maximum of 3 credit hours per semester for Psy 401.
• Z grade
  This means that the grade is pass/fail. It will not positively impact your GPA if you earn a Passing grade but will impact your GPA negatively if you earn a Failing grade.
• 1 - 3 Credits
  This means you could enroll in Psy 401 for 1 credit, 2 credits, or 3 credits depending on the number of hours you plan on working at the site during that semester. See hour expectations below.

Prerequisite:

• Instructor Approval Required
  This means once you have set up an internship experience, you need to seek approval of your internship experience from a psychology professor who agrees to sponsor the experience.

Hour Expectations

Psy 401 credits are based on the number of hours obtained in the internship experience in addition to the expectation that you will spend an hour per week meeting as a class¹ and engage in at least another hour per week reflecting on your experience and reading relevant material. More information can be found in the Course Catalog.

Credit Hour(s)	Minimum Hours of Work for the Course per Semester	Hours of Work at the Site per Semester	Hours per Week at the Site for a 15-Week Semester
1	45	30	2
2	90	60	4
3	135	105	7

• The hours would be higher per week if the internship is being completed during a shorter period of time.
• The hours per week may vary based on site needs but the total hours of work for the course per semester needs to accumulate to the required number by the end of the semester.
• This includes finals week; if you do not want to do work on site during finals week, you must work more hours per week earlier in the semester.
  
  

¹ If your internship is located outside of Oxford, virtual weekly meetings will be arranged.

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Course Catalog Description of Credit Hour Expectations

A semester hour is a unit of credit earned for academic work that includes no less than one hour of classroom or direct faculty instruction AND a minimum of two hours of out-of-class student work for approximately 15 weeks for one semester (or the equivalent amount of work over a different amount of time); OR a semester hour is a unit of credit earned for an equivalent amount of work, as required above, for other academic activities as established by the institution, including laboratory work, internships, practica, studio work, and other academic work leading to the award of credit hours. A typical 3-hour course requires a minimum of 2,250 contact minutes each semester. For courses taught in an online and/or asynchronous format, the amount of instruction and student work must be equivalent to that for a traditional course.

Step One: Finding an Internship

1. Contact Dr. Bednark via email, jbednark@olemiss.edu, to express your interest and obtain a current list of the potential internship sites for psychology majors.
2. Review the current list of the potential internship sites for psychology majors. You may also provide suggestions for internship sites not on the list to Dr. Bednark (e.g., an internship out-of- state in your hometown during the summer).
3. Decide where you would like to seek out an internship experience. Alternative placements should be approved in advance by Dr. Bednark.
4. Follow the directions provided for that location for interested students or contact your proposed internship site (if they are not on the list) and express your interest.

Step Two: Expectations and Agreements

If you are accepted as an intern at a location, you need to create an understanding with the site about the expectations and you and your supervisor at the site both need to document this agreement by completing the two forms linked below. Please note in your conversations about your responsibilities at the site that you should be doing more than simple clerical tasks while there but you cannot be expected to provide services that require a professional license either.

Form 1: Student Internship Application    Form 2: Supervisor Internship Agreement

Final Steps

• Follow the potential internship site’s expectations to prepare to perform the expected duties (e.g., completing a background check)
• Complete the expected hours and responsibilities for the site and the course objectives and expectations (provided by Dr. Bednark).

Confirming Professional Goals

Dyamon Brown completed a summer internship in Atlanta at Synapse, a patient care facility that focuses on neuroplasticity, the field of helping the brain heal itself. She found that opportunity with the UM Internship Experience, which helps students gain the kind of career-building internships that distinguish them as they apply for jobs and graduate programs.  

 

"I had the opportunity to work with actual patients measuring brain waves, administering personality tests and reviewing symptom checklists with each of them. My internship made me realize that I wanted to be a clinical psychologist so that I could help adolescents and young adults who struggle with their mental health."

Dyamon Brown (B.A. in Psychology, minor in Legal Studies '21)

Earning her Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology at Texas A&M University.