Internships are a great way to get experience and network professionally. Queens College allows you to earn credit while doing internships.
Information
The Sociology Department Internship Program offers students the opportunity to gain work experience and earn credits toward the major and the minor by working in a public agency or private business. Former Department of Sociology Interns have worked in schools, hospitals, nursing homes, homeless shelters, substance abuse agencies, community mediation agencies, youth recreation centers, libraries, police departments, probation departments, crisis hotlines, law firms, research firms, and marketing firms. Students have also interned with Sociology faculty members, assisting them with their research.
The Internship Program is open to Sociology students and is listed as Sociology 325.3 or 325.2 and 325.1 (Field Work). You cannot register on line; you must first obtain approval from Professor Strickland to participate.
Requirements 325.3 (3 credits):
- 90 hours of field work (6 to 8 hours per week for the duration of the semester).
- Assignments tailored to your fieldwork.
- A short paper based on a weekly journal -written while doing the fieldwork- evaluating your overall experience.
- A Supervisor’s evaluation of your performance in the internship.
Final grades will be calculated on the basis of the four factors listed above.
There are two ways for students to obtain an internship:
Students can apply for a preexisting internship slot. Placement opportunities, with application information, will be posted on the Internship Bulletin Board in the Sociology Department as they become available. Students can also visit the Office of Career Development and Internships in the B-Building. This office has a list of available internships in several fields.
Most students find their own placement by contacting organizations or businesses in their communities and asking if they are interested in having a Queens College intern. A list of organizations that have had interns in the past is also available. Ask for suggestions of organizations to call when you register with Professor Strickland.
Interested students must obtain permission to register from Professor Strickland and also fill an application form. For more information contact Professor Strickland, Powdermaker Hall, Office #252, or by E-mail:suzannesophiastrickland@gmail.com
How Much Credit?
Students who participate in the undergraduate internship program earn three academic credits per semester. They work for approximately one day a week for a fifteen-week semester. If sociology majors and sociology minors have not completed their elective requirements, the three-credit-internship- program replaces an elective.
If students have completed their electives, the internship will be distributed into the category of “floating credits.” At the end of the college career (when students have completed their Pathways, major and minor requirements), most students have approximately ten (10) “floating” credits left to fulfill their graduation requirements. For these students, the internship credits will distribute into the “floating category.”
To Apply
To apply for an internship, please contact Professor Suzanne Strickland at suzannesophiastrickland@gmail.com
Frequently-Asked Questions
Can an internship help me get a job later? By giving you work experience and references to add to your resume, an internship can improve your chances of getting a job after graduation. Following completion of an internship, some students have been offered employment at their internship agency.
What if I don’t know what kind of job I want later? If you are having trouble deciding between a couple of different career paths, an internship may help point you in one direction or the other. Having some ideas about what you might like to do after graduation will make it easier to find an internship that can aid you in making the decision.
I’m thinking about going to graduate school. Is an internship right for me? An internship experience can be a valuable addition to your graduate school application, particularly if your internship is tailored toward the kind of graduate program you will be applying to (for example, criminal justice, education, social work, social research, etc).
How do I find an internship placement? Placements for the next semester will be posted on the Internship Bulletin Board in the Sociology Department as they become available. Most students, however, find a placement on their own, through family members and friends, or by contacting organizations in their community and asking whether they might consider taking on an intern. For more information or help in generating ideas about organizations to contact, see Professor Suzanne Strickland (Powdermaker Hall, Room 252). Her email address is: strickmcaul@msn.com.
If I’m currently employed, can I use my job as an internship placement? Since the purpose of the internship program is to provide you with new opportunities, your regular job does not qualify as a good internship placement.
Can I get paid for doing an internship? Most students earn only credits–not wages. However, paid internships are occasionally available.
How do I get credit for doing the internship? Students can earn 3 credits by registering for Sociology 325 Written permission to register for Soc 325 must be obtained from Professor Strickland (Powdermaker Hall, room 252) or from the Sociology Department Chair.
Can Soc 325 be used to substitute for Soc 381 in the Sociology major? No. But students can use Soc 325 as one of the major’s four other required electives.
How do I begin the process? Whether you plan to apply for an existing internship placement, or find an internship on your own, you must complete the Department of Sociology Internship Application Form, which will be available around the time of pre-registration. Information and Application forms are posted and can also be obtained from Professor Strickland. Look at Application forms are available either