Academic Internships
In partnership with the Academic Internship Program, students can apply one quarter of Psychology-related Academic Internship (AIP 197) credit toward their upper-division (UD) Psychology Elective credit for any of the majors in our department. Remember that AIP 197 may only be taken P/NP. Internships must be approved by the Psychology Department in advance.
How to request to use AIP 197 toward your Psychology Major requirements
- Locate an opportunity through the AIP portal, then create a Learning Contract with an AIP advisor and internship supervisor.
- Find a Psychology faculty member to be your advisor.
- After completing #1 and #2, submit it for course pre-approval through the Psychology Department online petition portal. You must include:
- Write-up about the company and internship
- Summary of daily tasks and responsibilities
- Work schedule
- How the internship relates to the field of psychology
- How are you connecting what you learn in the internship to supplement your psychology courses at UCSD
- Share how you see this internship helping you with your future plans
- Your faculty mentor must sign the pre-approval form
- Once you have received a final grade in AIP 197, you must submit a formal petition to the Psychology Department through the online petition portal for a final review with our department. You must submit a copy of your required AIP paper. If your AIP paper demonstrates the outcomes outlined in your course pre-approval, you can apply your AIP 197 toward one upper-division (UD) Psychology Elective for your Psychology major. Remember that you may only use one four-unit AIP 197 course toward your major requirements.
For more information about Curricular Practical Training (CPT), you should contact the International Students & Programs Office (ISPO), as the CPT requirement is not in our degree area of oversight. If you have questions about CPT, please email iemployment@ucsd.edu or join their Zoom Advising.