Department of Political Science

Internship Program

The faculty of the Political Science Department encourage students to have a direct involvement with the political process as a way of testing for themselves the theories and ideas taught in our courses. For current internship opportunities please check LEARNLINK at Political Science Dept / Internship.

The Department does not award academic credit based solely upon work experience. In order to receive academic credit for an internship in Political Science, a student must enroll in the appropriate Emory course, and pay the tuition for the course. This includes summer internships. Seventy percent of the final grade for every internship comes from research papers the student will prepare for the course.

ACADEMIC CREDIT FOR INTERNSHIPS

I. Students *must* receive approval from the Internship Director before registering for the Political Science Internship Program course (POLS 496WR). Students do not have to be Political Science or International Studies majors in order to apply for credit if they contact the Inter ship Director. Acceptance to the program is contingent on meeting five criteria.

Class standing: Junior or Senior status at the time the internship begins.
Enrollment in good standing in Emory College.
Academic standing: a minimum 3.0 GPA overall.
Prior academic work. Students must have satisfactorily completed ("C" or better) one 300 level (or above) Political Science course relevant to the area of internship.
Appropriateness of the proposed internship and research area to Political Science.

NOTE: An internship placement for credit obligates you to work regular hours outside of the classroom for a minimum of thirteen weeks. You need to be aware of the time commitment.

II. To apply to the program, complete the following steps before the conclusion of the Emory College add/drop period for the semester:

Obtain an application packet from the Political Science Departmental Office (Tarbutton 327) or access the forms below.
Complete and sign the "Application for Internship in Political Science."
Return the application form to the Internship Director's box in the Political Science Main Office (Tarbutton 327). The application will be declined or approved provisionally. You will receive an e-mail a notice from the Director.
Students admitted provisionally must see that the proposed sponsor completes, and returns a "Certification of Political Science Internship" before the Emory College deadline for add/drop. This form is part of the application packet available from the Departmental Office (Tarbutton 327).
Work at the internship placement itself must begin before the conclusion of add/drop.

Note: During preregistration, you should register for semester courses as if you will not receive an internship. All registration for internship credit during the normal academic year will occur during the add/drop period for Emory College at the beginning of each semester.

III. The work and research requirements will vary according to the amount of academic credit the intern wishes to gain. All internships must last for at least thirteen weeks unless explicitly approved by the Internship Director. The minimum course requirements for 4, 8, and 12 credit hours are:

Credit Hours

4
8
12

Work per Week

15 hrs.
25 hrs.
35 hrs.

Research Paper

20 pp
25 pp
30 pp

Assessment paper

5 pp
8 pp
11 pp

NOTE: For Credit in the summer, the minimum duration of the internship in ten weeks.

IV. To receive academic credit for an internship during the summer term, YOU MUST register in summer school and pay the appropriate summer school tuition for the internship course.

For more information contact the Internship Director for Fall 2009, Spring & Summer 2010: Dr. Judd Owen

Copyright © Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia
The Department of Political Science, 327 Tarbutton Hall, 1555 Dickey Drive, Atlanta, GA 30322, 404-727-6572 phone, 404-727-4586 fax
For web comments or questions, contact polisci@emory.edu. Last update November 12, 2009