To be eligible for an undergraduate internship, the student must have junior or senior standing and have completed five courses which provide an appropriate academic preparation for the internship.  The internship programs are intended to provide an eligible student with the opportunity to test academic learning against practical experience and observation.  The student is expected to make a valuable work contribution to the provider of the internship.  The student is also expected to keep a log or record of internship activities and to write two papers under the direction of one of our faculty members.  One of the two papers is a traditional research paper on a topic related to the internship work.  The other is a career report that details what the student has gained from the internship.

The internship provider at the work site is expected to assign the student meaningful work in keeping with the student's level of competence and to provide supervision as needed.  We recognize, of course, that the types of opportunities that an organization can offer an intern are constrained by the mission of the organization and the capabilities of the student.  At the end of the internship, the internship provider will be expected to complete an evaluation form on the student's performance.  We would encourage the internship provider to discuss the evaluation with the intern, but we will not share the evaluation with the student unless the provider specifically directed us to do so.

Since experiential learning provides an important balance to classroom study, the Political Science Department awards a grade and academic credit to a student completing the internship program.  This grade is based largely on the internship provider's evaluation of the intern's performance and the faculty member's evaluation of the student's papers.

We are very appreciative of provider assistance: the opportunity for a student to play a supportive role in work-world projects or activities is very valuable.

Return to Internship Home Page at Undergraduate Section

Inquiries concerning internships should be directed to: