Undergraduate Experiential Learning
We encourage students to take advantage of our wide range of opportunities to gain practical, real-world experience, which include our field study program, research internship, senior thesis, and study abroad.
Organizations interested in partnering with the department to provide field study opportunities can find more information on our Partner with Us page.
Field study program
The Psychology Department’s field study program is a for-credit academic internship program designed for psychology and cognitive science majors. Field study allows students to put classroom knowledge to use in a professional setting, resulting in a deeper understanding of the psychology curriculum. The program is especially beneficial for students interested in exploring a field of interest before committing to graduate school or pursuing a specific career path.
How it works
For two consecutive quarters, students devote 10 hours per week to a community-based internship. The Psychology Department’s field study director will match each student with a faculty member (faculty sponsor), with whom they complete an academic project each quarter connected to their work in the field.
Students are supported through meetings with their faculty sponsor, two required skill-building workshops each quarter, and journaling exercises. Students earn academic credit through PSYC 193: Field Study, a 5-unit, upper-division psychology course offered P/NP.
Eligibility and application requirements
Senior and junior declared psychology and cognitive science majors are eligible to apply to the program if they are in good academic standing and have passed PSYC 100. We also recommend that students complete some upper-division psychology coursework before applying since this will result in a richer field study experience.
Students must apply to the field study program the quarter before they plan to begin their internship. To apply, students must attend an information session. All session attendees will receive a link to the program application. Students must submit an application and a resume to be considered for the program.
Applicant selection
Eligible students with senior standing are prioritized, followed by those with junior standing, as space permits. The number of students accepted varies from quarter to quarter, depending on the number of internships and faculty sponsors available.
Course and scheduling considerations
It is recommended that students take no more than two other courses alongside field study. Though only 10 hours/week are required at the internship, students should also factor in time spent commuting, meeting with their faculty sponsor, attending workshops, and working on their academic assignments for field study.
Internship opportunities
Internship availability varies each quarter, depending on the needs of the various organizations. Samples of past internships can be found in the categories on this page.
Working with children and adolescents
- Instructor: Assist in implementing and evaluating instructional programs for individual students ages 5-22 with autism and developmental disabilities.
- Teacher’s aide: Assist teachers in preschool or grade school with various tasks, including but not limited to: monitoring play/recess time, assisting with and/or preparing lessons and activities, supporting student learning, etc.
- After-school program aide: Implement recreational, educational, social, and character-building activities that support the development of youth ages 6-18 and provide other support as needed (e.g., assisting with snack time, cleaning, etc.).
- Resiliency trainer: Be supported, coached, and supervised by a school psychologist in arranging regular one-on-one and small group sessions with youth at elementary, middle, and high school sites. The sessions aim to build relationships and resilience, develop self-esteem, and improve social skills through games, art, play, and communication.
- Residential counselor intern: Responsible for supporting the therapeutic milieu and the treatment of all adolescents in foster care. Plan, organize, and implement therapeutic recreational activities. Assist residents with academic requirements and teach independent living skills.
- Community impact intern: Support coordination for implementation of various initiatives centered around youth leadership and advocacy in Santa Cruz County through research on best practices, event support, and small group discussion facilitation. Intern works with stakeholders, youth, and community members.
Working with adults
- Mental health worker intern: Assist in social service assessments, co-facilitate program groups and activities, document treatment progress, and hold one-on-one meetings with residents in treatment who are diagnosed with severe mental or emotional illness (e.g. schizophrenia, borderline personality disorder, etc.).
- Health and wellness coach: Assist in gardening activities, teaching/aiding cooking classes, and utilization of nutrition education curriculum. Support a small group of participants in achieving their individual wellness goals focused on healthy exercise, nutrition, and diet.
- Public defender investigator intern: Work with the investigation unit to request records, help prepare and serve subpoenas, locate and conduct interviews with witnesses, write reports, and interpret/translate as needed.
- Direct support professional: Work one-on-one with individuals with developmental and intellectual disabilities and support the implementation and teaching of skills identified by the client and their team.
- Treatment program intern: Learn and experience the complexities of a community health center that provides a variety of services (e.g., integrated behavioral health, medication-assisted treatment, SUD counseling, etc.) to the unhoused and low-income population of Santa Cruz County. Assist in direct care under the supervision of experienced staff.
- Advocate for survivors of domestic violence: Provide strength-based intervention support and advocacy to individuals who have experienced domestic violence via a 24-hour domestic violence hotline.
International field study
Psychology and cognitive science majors interested in going abroad in the summer to explore their career goals and expand their professional network and skills can apply to the Psychology and Cognitive Science Global Internship program. For 8 weeks, students devote 25 hours per week to an internship aligned with their career interests and skills related to their major. The Psychology Department’s field study director will match each student with a faculty member (faculty sponsor), with whom they meet virtually, and complete an academic project connected to their work in the field. Students earn academic credit through PSYC 193I International Field Study, a 10-unit upper-division course offered P/NP.
Eligible students are declared psychology or cognitive science majors in good academic standing, with a 2.5 cumulative GPA or higher, junior or senior standing, and PSYC 100 completed at the time of application. Information sessions are held in the fall and winter quarters and attendance is required to access the program application.
Research Internship
Our PSYC 194: Research Internship courses allow students to work as undergraduate research assistants supporting a faculty member’s research. Students who are interested in a research career or are planning to go to graduate school should take advantage of this opportunity, ideally by their junior year. The work’s specific content and student commitment length varies with each project. However, students should expect to work 15 hours per week.
Typically, students will meet regularly in groups with a faculty research supervisor or graduate researcher, who guides them in the research activities and discusses progress. Students help with things like reviewing literature, designing studies, preparing experimental materials, conducting empirical research (such as working with human participants in studies), scoring, coding, and analyzing data, and producing APA-style research reports. Grades are based on participation in the research.
Available research internship projects are posted online.
Eligibility requirements
Most faculty members require that students complete PSYC 100: Research Methods in Psychology before enrolling in PSYC 194. Students working in labs that conduct experiments using human research participants must complete ethical training in human subjects research online during the first quarter in which they are enrolled in PSYC 194.
How to apply
Interested students should review available research projects posted online and check the required prerequisites, qualifications, and length of commitment for each.
Course enrollment
Once a student receives an offer to join a research lab, they will be provided with a code to enroll in PSYC 194. Students will enroll in the 194 course that corresponds with the specific area of research.
There are four courses that each focus on a different area of research:
- PSYC 194A: Research Internship in Developmental Psychology
- PSYC 194B: Research Internship in Cognitive Psychology
- PSYC 194C: Research Internship in Social Psychology
- PSYC 194D: Research Internship in Clinical Psychology
These courses are not sequential; each is five credits and may be repeated with faculty approval.
Senior Thesis
A senior thesis project (PSYC 195) is a major independent research project carried out under the supervision of a Psychology Department faculty member (faculty sponsor). Completing a senior thesis project typically takes about one year. At the end of that year, students submit a copy of their thesis to the Psychology Department undergraduate office, their faculty sponsor, and a second reader, who is also a UCSC faculty member.
Students interested in a thesis project should follow the nine steps to complete a senior thesis.
Steps to complete a senior thesis
- Step 1 | Speak with your potential faculty sponsor: Students can bring an idea for a senior thesis to their potential faculty sponsor or develop ideas in collaboration with a faculty member they already know, typically from working in a lab. Start the conversation no less than a year before intended graduation.
- Step 2 | Discuss expectations with your potential faculty sponsor: Sponsors may expect you to have completed some coursework or gained other expertise, before starting or completing your thesis project. You should also ask for their specific guidelines regarding your thesis proposal (e.g. content, length, formatting) prior to writing it.
- Step 3 | Draft a title and proposal: The proposal should describe the topic, main questions/hypotheses, and if appropriate, the proposed research methods. Proposals are typically 1-2 pages, but you should adhere to the guidelines provided by your faculty sponsor.
- Step 4 | Find a second reader: Your second reader may be a faculty member from the Psychology Department or another UCSC department. In some cases, your faculty sponsor may suggest another faculty member who can serve as a second reader for your thesis.
- Step 5 | Complete the Senior Thesis Application via DocuSign: You will also be required to attach copies of your most recent transcript and your thesis proposal. Recommended formats for these attachments are Adobe (PDF) and Word (DOCX). The Psychology Undergraduate Office will automatically receive a copy of your application and submitted documents for record-keeping purposes.
- Step 6 | Enroll in PSYC 195 Senior Thesis: Once all parties have e-signed the application, you will receive a class number in the completed form from DocuSign, which will allow you to enroll in the course. For each subsequent quarter in which you plan to work on your thesis, you will need to obtain a class number from the Psychology Undergraduate Office (psyadv@ucsc.edu). Email to request this in advance of your scheduled enrollment appointment.
- Step 7 | Set a due date: Early in the final quarter of the thesis project, ask your faculty sponsor and second reader when they would need to receive an electronic copy of the thesis in order to read and approve it prior to the grade deadline.
- Step 8 | Submit your final project: Email your thesis to your faculty sponsor, second reader and the Psychology Undergraduate Office (psyadv@ucsc.edu) by the agreed-upon date.
- Step 9 | Complete your Thesis Signature Page via DocuSign: This is to obtain approval signatures. Once submitted, celebrate!
Global Learning
Study abroad program
Many of our majors choose to study abroad during their time at UCSC, the most popular times being the fall quarter of their junior or senior year. Both the Cognitive Science and Psychology majors are flexible in accommodating study abroad plans.
Generally, a maximum of 10 quarter credits from other four-year universities and colleges (internationally or in the U.S.) may be completed by current UCSC students and substituted for the upper-division major requirements, based on department pre-approval. The exception is courses completed through the UC Education Abroad Program (UCEAP), which allows for a maximum substitution of 15 quarter credits.
Completing major requirements abroad
If you are interested in taking courses abroad to fulfill major requirements, begin this process by checking the Psychology Department’s pre-approved course list at least 3 weeks before the deadline to submit your study abroad application to see what courses have already been approved (if any) for your selected program. A maximum of three major requirements can be fulfilled abroad with the department’s approval, according to the following policies.
Cognitive Science
Students are allowed to take two upper-division cognitive psychology courses and one upper-division interdisciplinary elective to satisfy major requirements. However, courses taken to satisfy the disciplinary communication requirement must be taken at UCSC, without exception.
General Psychology and Intensive Psychology
Students are allowed to transfer two upper division psychology courses (must be from 2 different subfields) and one Upper Division Outside Course. to satisfy major requirements. However, courses taken to satisfy the disciplinary communication requirement and at least one upper-division class in developmental psychology, cognitive psychology, and social psychology must be taken at UCSC, without exception.
Course review and approvals
If no courses have been pre-approved for your selected study abroad program, or a specific course you’re interested in has not been reviewed yet, you’ll need to submit your desired courses for the course review process. The process can take 7-10 business days.
Steps in the course review process
| Step 1 | Step 2 | Step 3 |
|---|---|---|
| Submit a course description or syllabus (preferred) for each course via the Major Course Review form. Once your petition is reviewed, you will receive an email from an advisor with the results of the review. Keep this email as proof of the Department’s decision. | After you have received approval for your global learning courses, you may include them in your proposed academic plan on the Global Learning Approval Form. | Once you’ve completed all required sections, share your Global Learning Approval Form with psyadv@ucsc.edu. Be sure to provide edit access and include a comment indicating that you are requesting an advisor’s signature. We will respond within 5 business days to any signature requests. |
If your courses change once you are abroad, you should contact the department again via email and submit any new courses for review via the Major Review form linked above.
Psychology Advising cannot review potential GE courses. If you are interested in fulfilling General Education requirements abroad, you must complete a Student Petition: Substitution of GE Requirements through the Committee on Courses of Instruction (CCI). For more information on this process please, see Global Learning’s Academic Planning.
Getting your grades
Grades can take up to 4 months after the official end date of your UCSC Exchange or UCEAP program to be posted to your UCSC transcript. Once your grades have been posted on your UCSC portal, contact your major advisor at psyadv@ucsc.edu to have your Degree Progress Report updated. Make sure to attach the email that shows proof of your course(s) approval.