Hands-on experience is a clear path to success
Whether you are planning to attend graduate school in psychology or will seek employment after completing your BA or BS in psychology, you should consider some of the advantages of experiential learning while you are an undergraduate. These opportunities can help you:
- Learn first-hand about a field of work you may have only read or heard about
- Gain specific experience and skills that might be applied to later paid employment
- Acquire references for graduate school or employment applications who can document success-related attributes such as reliability, diligence, independence, and professionalism.
Experiential learning may be referred to by several different terms- i.e, volunteering, internship or practicum. Whatever the title of the experience your decision about where to pursue your experiential learning depends on your own interests, goals, and career plans.
A partial list of hospitals, health care facilities, social service organizations, and other facilities which may offer such opportunities in the Iowa City and surrounding areas is available at the link below.
Volunteer and internship opportunities
Common Iowa City Volunteer Placements
Additionally, students may want to visit the Pomerantz Career Center to discuss ideas with a career advisor or peruse the following websites:
www.idealist.org
www.volunteermatch.org
volunteer.unitedwayjwc.org
You may be able to earn course credit for your volunteer work or receive transcript notation for completing an internship via CCP:1201 Academic Internship or CCP:1005 Internship in Liberal Arts. Students interested in either option should visit the Pomerantz Career Center for more information.
Enrollment options
Internship in Liberal Arts and Sciences CCP:1005
This is a zero-credit hour course offered to students who would like to have a transcript notation for their internship. The work must be relevant to psychology but could occur in many different settings. Because students do not earn credit, their work may be either paid or unpaid. The Career Center can help students clarify their career objectives, select related internships, and complete the required application materials. Each internship lasts a full semester and can be full-time or part-time. Internships are available throughout the United States, and some international appointments are available, but many opportunities are also available locally. To qualify for an internship, a student must have completed at least 12 s.h. in psychology and have an overall GPA of at least 2.0. Students interested in having their job/volunteer work registered as an internship should see the Career Center (C310 Pomerantz Center).
This is a credit earning internship course offered through the Pomerantz Career Center. Because students earn credit through this internship, all work must be unpaid. The internship must include at least 80% professional work and be related to their career interests or Psychology major. The Career Center can help students clarify their career objectives, select related internships, and complete the required application materials. Each internship lasts a full semester (for a minimum of 6 weeks), can be full-time or part-time and is repeatable for up to 3 credits. Internships are available throughout the United States, and some international appointments are available, but many opportunities are also available locally. To qualify for an internship, a student must have completed at least 12 s.h. at the University of Iowa and have a minimum UI GPA of at least 2.0. Students interested in having their volunteer work registered as an internship should see the Career Center (C310 Pomerantz Center).