Undergraduate Internships
Internships for Psychology students are not as common at the undergraduate level as they are at the graduate level. However, a number of different opportunities are available to ECU psychology majors that can allow them to apply some of the skills and knowledge that they have acquired in their courses. Some of these opportunities (Undergraduate Research Experience) are coordinated and managed by faculty members within ECU’s psychology department. Others (Field Experience) involve a collaboration between one or more ECU Psychology faculty members and external organizations. Finally, there are some internships that are neither affiliated with nor managed by ECU but may be sought out by students individually. Please visit the links below in order to access more information about all of these opportunities.
Note that students may complete any of these opportunities in exchange for psychology elective credit at ECU. However, while this will be automatically arranged for Research Experience (PSYC 4501) and Field Experience (PSYC 4990), students must find a faculty mentor within the psychology department who would monitor their work on an external internship in order to receive credit.
North Carolina State Government Internship Program
This program funds student to complete summer projects in state government agencies. Interns are paid $8.25 an hour. To be considered, students must have completed their high school diploma and second year of college (or first year of community college); be enrolled in a college, community college, law, or graduate school in- or out-of-state, currently and for the semester following the internship; be a permanent resident of North Carolina; and have at least a 2.5 grade point average on a 4.0 scale. Interns are selected through a competitive process overseen by the N.C. Internship Council. The internship offers optional tours, site visits, and get-togethers, and an internship reception at the Governor’s Mansion.
Check website by November for application due date (usually in January). The Internship Council screens intern applications by mid February and supervisors conduct interviews by the end of February. Applicants are informed of placement in the beginning of March and internships begin in late May
Previous psychology majors have had very positive experiences with the Internships in State Government. For example, one student gained experience in developing behavior change interventions for patients at Iverson Riddle Developmental Center, a facility for people with developmental disabilities. Another worked in Raleigh with the Department of Health and Human Services, on a project with the child fatality prevention team, doing research on the legal outcomes of child homicides.