Finding a Placement
We encourage our students to think broadly when considering the internship settings they’d like to pursue. As a psychology major, you are learning to think critically and scientifically and to work effectively with diverse groups of people. These skills are relevant in virtually every setting; you can complete an internship relevant to psychology in virtually any setting that fits your professional goals and personal interests. Our majors often complete internships in healthcare, education, non-profit, and commercial business settings.
Students who need assistance locating an internship placement are encouraged to work first with their advisor to identify the skills and experiences they’d like to cultivate and then with the UT Center for Career Development and Academic Exploration to discuss specific placement options. To browse possible placement sites, we especially recommend the Handshake portal via Career Development.
The Jones Center for Leadership and Service also often has service opportunities listed that can be completed for internship credit.
Requesting Course Credit for an Individualized Internship
Once you have found a placement, you may request academic credit for the experience if you would like by applying to our PSYC 396N: Internships in Psychology course. This course lets you earn academic credit working or volunteering with a community agency. Structured assignments are designed to help you transfer learning from psychology coursework to the “real world” and to reflect on your career goals and interests. You can see a recent syllabus here.
Once you have a placement secured, fill out our online Learning Agreement to request enrollment in PSYC 396N. Students may earn up to 3 credit hours per semester for 6-8 per week at their placement site. The course can be repeated with new placement sites, with up to 6 credits counting toward the psychology major.
If PSYC 396N credit is desired, students should apply for internship credit after they have secured a placement, but before the internship hours are completed.
Contact Care, Youth Mentoring, and other course-based opportunities
Larger groups of psychology students have also earned academic credit for hands-on initiatives including working on a local crisis hotline, volunteering in Knox County Schools, and participating in a range of other university-sanctioned projects. Opportunities vary from semester to semester. Students who would like to participate in such initiatives should keep an eye on their UTK inbox for recruitment emails each semester.