Internships

Home Undergraduate Program Internships

Why Intern?

By far the most common and successful experiential opportunity available to any college undergrad is participating in an internship. An internship can be so important to getting a job that it is cited by many alumni as "the most valuable aspect of their undergraduate experience".

An internship can bridge the difficult transition between completion of an undergraduate education and the job market. Internships are a great mechanism for students to explore and apply their course work to real world situations. It also provides an opportunity to see if a particular career or industry is what they really want to pursue after graduation. The skills and experiences obtained prove invaluable in securing a job after graduation or being accepted to graduate school. Most importantly, student interns gain valuable experience and prove to themselves and potential employers that they can survive in the professional workplace.

For field study or internship opportunities, check:

• the Politics Department's bulletin board (outside Merrill 25)
• Community Studies Field Coordinator Mike Rotkin, 459-4601, 203 College Eight
• the UCSC Career Center, 459-4420, 125 Hahn Student Services Building.

Intern in Washington DC with UCDC!

Spend Fall, Winter or Spring quarter studying and interning in Washington DC through the UCDC program. Open to undergraduate juniors and seniors in all majors, the UCDC Program allows students to take classes and intern at one of the many organizations or agencies in the DC area while fully enrolled as UCSC students. UCDC students who take an upper division Politics course while in DC may use that course for one of the upper division electives required for the major.

For more information, contact Marianna Santana, UCDC Program Coordinator at 831-459-2855 or email ucdc@ucsc.edu

Course Credit via POLI 198

It is possible to earn academic credit for internship or field study work via Independent Field Study (POLI 198). While not automatic, you can arrange for course credit by having a Politics faculty member act as your sponsor for Independent Field Study. You and the faculty sponsor will need to agree upon the type and amount of coursework to be completed for credit. This agreement is spelled out on the Independnet Study Form (available from the Undergraduate Program Advisor in Merrill 27), and is signed by you and the faculty sponsor. When the form is complete with all of the necessary signatures, the Undergraduate Program Coordinator will issue a call number to enroll. 5 credits earned in POLI 198 may fulfill an upper-division elective in the Politics major.