Real-World Learning
Take your learning beyond the books and gain invaluable hands-on education through service-learning courses.
Service-learning courses provide the experience, knowledge and skills that make college graduates more marketable in the helping professions. These courses allow students to:
- Interact with a diverse group of individuals with special needs
- Build and put into practice communication and problem-solving skills
- Take psychology out of the textbook into interactions with real people in structured and supportive environments
Past opportunities have included assisting nonprofit human services organizations, mentoring children at risk, and mentoring and tutoring youth involved with the legal system.
Service-Learning Opportunities
Through our service-learning courses, you'll gain an appreciation of community needs and assets, a deeper understanding of yourself, and an awareness of career options.
Interested students should come to PSYUGRAD Advising for consultation prior to contacting the instructor of record. You may apply and participate in more than one course.
PSYC 493: Fieldwork in Human Services
This three-credit course requires students to apply to register, typically as a junior or a senior. The course offers students the opportunity to spend 120 hours in a nonprofit human services organization in conjunction with a weekly class component that combines theory and experiential processing.
Psyc 493: Mentoring Children at Risk
This three-credit course offered during the summer includes one week of intense classroom training and then one week mentoring children at the All God’s Children camps. The camp is for children of incarcerated parents and aims to provide a weeklong sanctuary from the challenges they face. Read more about the course.
PSYC/CRJS/SOCY 491 and 493: Youth in Corrections
This three-credit course provides an opportunity to mentor and tutor youth involved with the legal system. The course is open to students with a junior standing or higher. Coursework focuses on at-risk youth and the court system. Students participate in the service project, Project ACE (Assisting Correctional Education).
PSYC 492: Independent Study
There are special sections of PSYC 492, Independent Study, which add a one-credit service learning opportunity in conjunction with a developmental content course.
Research Fair
Every spring and fall semester, PSYUGRAD Advising hosts a PSYC 492/493/494 research fair that advertises the available independent study, research internship and service-learning fieldwork opportunities in the Department of Psychology.
Representatives from various psychology research labs who are actively looking for research assistants attend the event, and many psychology majors obtain research internships for credit after attending.