These courses are for students completing non-Counseling/Clinical internships (in I/O, Bio, or Social), OR who are not able to enroll in PSY 398 during the academic year, OR who want/need to complete a summer internship. They are developed in one-on-one working relationships between student and faculty sponsor, and differ in their academic components: PSY 399 requires a 12-15 page written paper, and PSY 487 is a writing-intensive senior experience course that requires the development of a 20-25 page paper and an oral presentation to an appropriate audience.
PROCESS
Prerequisites: (1) min. GPA of 2.5 (2) sophomore status (3) for PSY 487 – completion of PSY 299 with at least a C-
- Find an internship that involves intensive field experiences. (See “Find an Internship” below for more information.)
- Find a faculty sponsor. (See “Find a Faculty Sponsor” below for more information.)
- Submit PSY 399/487 application paperwork to ELOPsy portal by no later than the last day of the semester before the semester when the internship will take place. Include a screenshot or word document with email documentation that your course has been approved by your faculty sponsor and Department Chair.
- Submit the necessary application paperwork to the HSS Dean’s Qualtrics portal by no later than the last day of add/drop in the internship semester, which can be found on the HSS Internship Courses page.
FIND AN INTERNSHIP
There are a few ways students find internship placements:
- Review sites where TCNJ Psychology students have interned in the past to identify sites of interest to you.
- Visit the TCNJ Career Center’s College Enhancement Intern program webpage for potential on-campus internships.
- Check out the Community-Based Academic Internship program at TCNJ’s Center for Community Engaged Learning and Research.
- Look on Handshake, the online job network maintained by TCN Career Services.
- Search for opportunities on Linked In.
- Consider using your current job as your internship site if you are employed and are able to perform appropriate intern duties and receive regular supervision from another member of the organization.
If you have a site in mind but are not sure if it will work for course credit, discuss the possibility with a faculty sponsor.
Things to keep in mind when searching for an internship placement:
- The internship site must provide an on-site supervisor and appropriate intern duties to fulfill the learning objectives for PSY 399/487. Students and potential site supervisors should discuss the TCNJ Internship requirements listed in the Letter to Internship Site Supervisor during an initial, exploratory conversation.
- Internship sites have varied application / on-boarding time and content requirements, including (for example) fingerprinting, background checks, and a TB test. This may impact when opportunities are available and the time it takes to confirm a position. Discuss specific timing and site requirements with your potential site supervisor early on.
FIND A FACULTY SPONSOR
Below are Psychology faculty who are available to sponsor students in Spring/Summer 2024 PSY 399 or PSY 487. Email a professor or stop by during office hours to discuss your interest and their availability. You do not need to have an established working relationship with a professor for that person to be your PSY 399/487 faculty sponsor.
- PSY399 in Summer 2024 – Dr. Onyewuenyi, Dr. Leynes, Dr. Martinetti, Dr. Bireta, Dr. Kirnan
- PSY487 in Summer 2024 – Dr. Onyewuenyi, Dr. Leynes, Dr. Bireta, Dr. Kirnan
- PSY 399 in Fall 2024 – Dr. Onyewuenyi
- PSY 487 in Fall 2024 – Dr. Onyewuenyi
APPLICATION MATERIALS
Download the PSY 399/487 Application Checklist & Letter to Internship Site Supervisor. The latter lists the required content for the Letter of Intent (see #3 below) and should be shared with a potential site supervisor.
Download and complete the application documents:
- PSY 399/487 Application Instructions & Form. Include a screenshot or word document that documents your faculty sponsor’s course approval.
- The site supervisor’s Letter of Intent. This will be provided by your site supervisor on organizational letterhead.
- Overload form (if needed) Note: Education dual majors must seek overload approval from the School of Education.
Sample Developmental Internship Application Form (PSY 399)
Sample Industrial/Organizational Internship Application Form (PSY 399)
Sample Clinical/Counseling Internship Application Form (PSY 487)
EVALUATION
Supervisor Evaluation Form (PSY 399 & PSY 487) – This form will be completed TWICE: mid-way through & at the end of your internship.