Cal Poly offers course credit for supervised work experience related to student coursework in American politics, public policy and administration, pre-law, or international relations.

Internships provide students the opportunities to exchange responsible service for first-hand experiences of organizational life. Students complement classroom and laboratory learning with that of the work world. Internships may be paid or unpaid.

COURSE CREDIT
Any Cal Poly student of junior or senior standing with a minimum grade point average of 2.5 is eligible for an internship. While most students come from Political Science, some come from Journalism, Computer Science, Social Science, or other academic disciplines.

A student enrolls for POLS 386 (Government Internship) in the academic quarter of the work experience. A student may arrange for internship credit with the faculty internship coordinator in advance of the internship. This course has a credit/no credit grading.

The student may enroll for 2 to 12 credit increments per quarter. Each unit corresponds to approximately thirty hours of work experience. The credits may be earned with the same organization or with different organizations. Some students may choose to take full time internships (30 or more hours a week) and to earn 12 units during a quarter. Additionally, students may enroll for POLS 400 Independent Study (2 units) to undertake independent research related to internships.

Dr. Jean Williams serves as coordinator of the internship program for the Department. Any questions may be directed to Dr. Williams at 756-2960 or jemwilli@calpoly.edu.

ARRANGING AN INTERNSHIP
The University serves as a clearinghouse for internship placement. The Department identifies organizations willing to supervise interns and refers students to opportunities. The University has cooperative arrangements with the CSU Sacramento, which operates an internship program in Sacramento. Additionally, the Washington Center provides internship placement in the Washington, D.C. area. Information on internships, grouped by category of interest, is located in the hallway of FOB 11 and online on the Political Science Department website.

Many students arrange their own internships. A student may have contacts for internship placement and may work to develop an internship independent from the Department. At other times, a student may be employed in a position which may qualify for internship credits. The University does not provide internship credit for past work experience. The faculty coordinator must approve of the internship prior to arranging for credit.

OBLIGATIONS OF THE UNIVERSITY
The faculty advisor ensures that the academic training meets the needs of the sponsoring organization and supervises the academic part of the internship. The University grants academic credit for qualifying work experiences. The coordinator assists to help make the internship a satisfactory one for both the student and the sponsoring organization.

OBLIGATIONS OF THE ORGANIZATION
The participating organization will confirm the start of an internship in a letter to the faculty advisor. The letter states the names of the intern and of the supervisor, the position duties and responsibilities, the duration of the position, scheduled hours, and rate of pay as appropriate. Any special responsibility or project negotiated with the student may be stated in the letter which serves as an informal contract for the student, organization, and University.

When the internship is completed, the supervisor submits a letter of evaluation to the faculty advisor. The letter reflects the performance of the intern.

OBLIGATIONS OF THE INTERN
The intern fulfills the agreement negotiated with the organizational supervisor and abides by the rules and regulations governing employees. If the intern has difficulties in the internship, it is the intern's responsibility to notify the faculty advisor. The intern will submit to the academic supervisor essay progress reports which evaluate the internship experience. The evaluations should be typed and submitted by the seventh week of each quarter in which the intern is attached to an employer and receiving internship credit. Only one progress report is due each quarter. Guidelines for progress reports are also available in the Department Office and online on the Political Science Department website. Political Science internships are available in the following areas: