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Internships for Course Credit

What is an Academic Internship Learning Work Plan?

Students may develop a course for credit with their internship by submitting an Academic Internship Learning Work Plan (POLI 192). CAPE has developed a sample syllabus that can be used to develop your individual learning plan with the supervising faculty member. Students are allowed to enroll into up to 18 units per semester (12 units during summer session), and any additional units beyond that would require a Petition of Excess Units.

Packets for the Fall 2024 semester should be completed and submitted by September 3, 2024

For assistance in identifying a Political Science faculty member to supervise your internship course, please contact our CAPE office at cape@ucmerced.edu

 

Fall 2024 Checklist:

  • Secure an internship site.
  • Review the checklist on the Academic Internship Learning Work Plan to ensure eligibility.
  • Identify a faculty member you'd like to supervise your internship course and ask if they are willing to supervise the course.
    • Must be a full-time Senate Faculty member
    • Political Science Faculty can be found here
  • Work with the selected faculty member to develop your learning work plan to identify course readings, assignments, and schedule.
  • Complete the Academic Internship Learning Work Plan form
  • Submit completed packets by September 3, 2024 to:
  • Be sure to check all required signatures have been completed.

 

Unit to Contact Hours:

For Semester Units
1 unit = 48 hours (or 3 hours/week)
2 units = 96 hours (or 6 hours/week)
3 units = 144 hours (or 9 hours/week)
4 units = 192 hours (or 12 hours/week)   
 
For Summer Units
Six Week Session:  1 Unit =  8 hours/week
Eight Week Session 1 Unit = 6 hours/week
Twelve Week Session 1 Unit = 4 hours/week
 

Forms:

More forms can be found here: https://ssha-advising.ucmerced.edu/forms

 

Internships with The Maddy Institute:

CAPE partners with The Maddy Institute at Fresno State to make sure students are on the path to get what they need and help answer questions. As part of the Maddy program requirements, you should expect to set up an independent study course for the duration of your internship through an independent learning plan agreement. This means each student will work with a faculty member to oversee their internship and develop the objectives, assignments, and schedule in the learning plan agreement. You should plan to enroll in a minimum of a 1-unit independent study course.

Maddy internships (Legislative Intern Scholar and Ag Policy Intern Scholar programs) are considered paid internships since students receive a stipend upon the completion of the internship. To properly set up the internship learning agreement, plan to have contact hours outside of the internship for your credit hours to be counted. This could be meeting directly with your supervising faculty member, or other academic activities (ex: reading assignments, independent research outside of internship, etc.) as defined by the instructor and student.