Sociology Internship Program

The Program

Sociology is one of the few departments that offers majors and minors an internship opportunity that also counts for elective credit. The department understands that internships create important pathways toward your future employment and skill development. It also allows you apply your sociological skills to real-life settings.

We have created this program to help expand your skills, experiences, and networks. This is a chance for you to “try on a career” for a semester, and in some cases, a full academic year. You will also be able to discern how a sociology major or minor offers skills that can be great assets in the workplace.
The program is oriented around your professional development. In addition to your internship site mentor(s) you will also have the advantage of being part of a sociology department program which offers one-on-one mentoring with Professor Litt. You’ll also meet a community of other interns. In essence, the department’s mentoring is designed to complement the mentoring you will receive from your site manager.

We offer you two tracks in which to identify your internship 1) You can choose a site that interests you and is aligned with sociological perspectives (and we can help you with this) or 2) You can choose a site developed by the sociology department. We list opportunities that have been vetted and try to fit your interests and skills to an appropriate site.

The final grade for the course will be determined by the evaluation of your department mentor (Jackie Litt), the presentation, the evaluation of your site supervisor, and the quality of your reflection papers. 

What you need to do

1. Contact Kevin McCarthy, Undergraduate Program Coordinator at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
2. Fill out the application form when it arrives via email from DocuSign.
3. Participate in professional development workshops
4. Participate in class meetings to review your celebrations and challenges
5. Write 1 page reflection papers about your experience (prompts will be provided) for 13 weeks.
6. Complete a final presentation about your work site.

Sociology undergraduates can earn up to three academic credits by working at an internship.  Students who participate in an internship program for credit must have a GPA of 3.0 or higher, have junior or senior class standing and be approved by the Internship Director (Dr. Jacquelyn Litt) prior to the semester in which they wish to intern,  Second-year students may be considered on a case by case basis.

Enroll in 01:920:482 for either 1.5 or 3 credits once the internship has been approved by the department with SPN supplied by Kevin McCarthy, Undergraduate Program Coordinator. Fulfill a minimum time commitment in the work setting. To receive 3 academic credits, students must work about 8 hours per week or a total of 112 hours over the course of the semester. To receive 1.5 academic credits, students must work about 4 hours per week or a total of 56 hours over the course of the semester. Time sheets from the internship are required, and students must earn a favorable work evaluation from their supervisor. 

Complete an end-of-semester project in which the setting and experiences are systematically analyzed. The final project will be determined in coordination with the faculty adviser. We allow a variety of options, recognizing that different internships may emphasize different skills. Typical options include a writing assignment, a podcast, a poster or a recorded interview. The final project must integrate what the student has learned in the classroom with the work they completed in the internship.

The final grade in the internship course is based on the quality of the final project presentation, and the evaluations of the Internship Director and the site supervisor. The course will count as a 300-level elective towards the Sociology major.

Students may take no more than two internships for course credit. 

The Career Explorations in Arts and Sciences Course (01:090:210)

Open to Sophomores, this 1.5 credit, graded elective course will help you develop the skills and knowledge to pursue a purpose-filled life and career. The course helps students connect their education to careers and to search/prepare for internships. It is a great prep for students before they begin an internship. See here for more information.