Internship/Practicum

Students in the Early Childhood Education Certificate program complete a preschool teaching practicum in an approved early childhood program in the Pullman area. In preparation for this experience, students must complete a practicum class (HD 446).

Students in the Family and Consumer Sciences program (teacher preparation) complete an approved student teaching placement in a Washington State public school. In preparation for this experience, students must complete a student teaching preparation class (HD 499).

Unless you are specializing in Early Childhood Education or certifying in the Family and Consumer Sciences Education option, all other human development students complete an internship in a faculty-approved placement with a human services agency or organization, supervised by an on-site mentor and a WSU faculty member.

• Students progress from observation to independent experiences while completing periodic reflection papers as part of their internship coursework.
• Internships must last at least 10 weeks and students must complete at least 135 hours of direct service experience.
  • Most students plan for 10-12 weeks at their placement and serve about 12-15 hours a week as interns.
• The internship is expected to be a culminating experience, completed near the end of the degree program. Internships occur as students approach the completion of course work.
• While incredibly valuable in real-world experience and rich networking opportunities, most internships in human services are not paid.

Students will a) identify their own professional interests, skills and accomplishments, educational training and expertise, work values, and personal considerations (family, timing, location, income), and b) create a professional portfolio which includes a well-designed resume, professional references, and cover letter/email. They also learn how to present themselves in face-to-face interviews.

Relying on the expertise and highly-developed networks of human development faculty, students learn about a wide variety of human services specific career options, and where to start in directing their own internship experience. Students will:

• Learn details about program missions, services offered, staff positions, salaries, and educational requirements.
• Complete research on actual community agencies of interest for their own career or internship. Students can utilize the Human Development Online Agency Database to identify potential sites.
• Use materials and interview skills gained during the self-discovery phase of the process to arrange and complete actual meetings or what we call “informational interviews” with potential internship sites.

Once internship offers or options are on the table (many students receive more than one offer), students must evaluate their personal and professional interests, skills, experiences, education, and work values in order to select the best placement for their future career goals. Once students have committed to a university-and faculty-approved site, students are required to work with their site mentor and human development faculty to develop a detailed Internship Learning Agreement that reflects the goals of the organization, mentor, and intern. These agreements:

• Detail how mentorship and training will be provided and what activities the student intern will engage in to achieve learning goals and objectives.
• Outline specific start and end dates as well as proposed work week schedules.
• Plans are reviewed, edited, and approved/signed by the site mentor, WSU intern coordinator, and student (signatures must be complete prior to the start of the student’s placement)

In their final preparations for entering the field, students complete any required WSU or site-specific tasks (e.g., obtain professional liability insurance or complete additional background checks). The final weeks of HD 497 are used to increase understanding and application of important professional topics such as ethical practice, effective listening, motivational and intake interviewing, assertiveness and taking initiative, networking, client boundaries, and teamwork. Also during this time, the human development internship faculty contact the site mentors to discuss the plan, send sites relevant materials, and arrange legal WSU-agency contracts (contracts must be signed prior to the start of students’ placements).