 |
As part of our independent study program, the USC Aiken Political Science Division offers students the opportunity to add some practical experience to the time spent in the classroom.
Why do an internship? There are several good reasons.
1. Employers prefer to hire people with experience, especially professional experience.
2. An internship can give a student a "foot in the door" or a good reference when it comes to getting a job after graduation.
3. An internship gives a student a taste of what career-related work is really like.
Students with any major may apply. Mature students (generally but not exclusively juniors and seniors) will have the opportunity to work in public, non-profit and (occasionally) private sector agencies.
All internships are assigned at the discretion of the internship
coordinator.
Our students work in a variety of settings, including political campaigns, congressional offices, city and county government, and private law offices. Internships are developed to meet the interests of the students.
Some examples of recent internships are:
- Aiken County Personnel Office
- Aiken County Planning Office
- Edgefield County Tax Assessor's Office
- City of Aiken Public Safety Office
- Democratic and Republican political campaigns
- Federal District Court
- private lawyers' offices
- Rep. Gresham Barrett's Aiken office
Course Credit and Requirements
Students may register for up to nine hours of independent study credit (APLS 399).
Normally, a student will register for three hours of internship credit, with
exceptions made on a case by case basis. Interns are expected to work a minimum of three hours per week during the semester for each hour of credit received. For example, for three independent study credit hours, a student would be expected to work nine hours per week at the agency. Interns must also meet with the internship coordinator on a weekly basis and keep a notebook or other written work.
Supervisors are asked to evaluate the student twice during the semester, but
the internship coordinator assigns a grade.
For most internships a student is expected to have a minimum 3.0 GPA. The
student should treat the internship as she/he would a job, dressing
appropriately for a professional setting, arriving at work on time, and
contacting the supervisor if there is a need to be absent. Students who fail
to meet these requirements may be removed from the internship and assigned a
failing grade for the course credit, or required to withdraw.
For more information about the Political Science Internship Program, contact:
Dr. Carol Botsch, internship coordinator
H&SS C-5
648-6851, ext. 3227
email: carolb@usca.edu
A personal interview with both the internship coordinator and the agency supervisor is required. To register during any semester, observe the usual university registration deadlines.
