Internships

Before You Apply

Each fall, the program organizes an orientation for students who will be applying for an internship that year. Students begin applying for the internship after completing comprehensive exams, usually early in the third year of study. 

The internship application is a very time-sensitive process with fixed application deadlines, all of which can be found on the Association of Psychology Postdoctoral and Internship Centers (APPIC) website. APPIC is the source of national matching programs for doctoral internship sites to which our students may apply. Students should familiarize themselves with the APPIC site and its online directory of internship sites. In keeping with APA accreditation requirements, students must participate in the matching program to seek an APPIC-listed internship.

Before applying for an internship, students must have:

• successfully passed the comprehensive examination;
• received approval for their MAP proposal;
• satisfactorily completed all clinical requirements; and
• received no incomplete grades. 

Upon completion of these requirements, a certification of internship readiness will be filed by the director of the Professional Psychology Program through the APPIC Applicant Portal. 

Preparing Your Application

The application process typically begins after comprehensive exams, early in the third year of full-time study. The Professional Psychology Program offers these suggestions to begin preparing your application for online submission through APPIC.

1. In the late spring and summer of the second year, begin thinking about the places where you might like to apply and the people who you would like to ask to write letters of recommendation for you. Most sites request letters of recommendation from three people familiar with your work (the applications state specific site requirements).
2. Review the most recent APPIC Internship List to find internship sites of interest.
3. Keep track of all the clinical hours you do prior to the internship, including direct therapy, supervision, clinical records/reports, practicum seminars and assessment reports.
4. Update your curriculum vitae, with input from internship coordinators and your advisor.
5. Complete all clinical requirements.
6. Attend an orientation meeting hosted by the Professional Psychology Program in the early fall on the application process.
7. Review the APPIC Match timeline to make sure you are cognizant of any deadlines and significant dates.

Completing Your Application

All students applying for an internship will complete their application through the APPIC Applicant Portal. Once students create their account on the Applicant Portal, they must email the Professional Psychology Program director for certification of certain required sections of the application, which the director will file electronically through the APPIC system. 

Letters of recommendation must also be filed electronically through the APPIC system. It is best to give early reminders to your supervisors and others whom you wish to write letters about this process. There are no exceptions to materials being filed electronically. If you are seeking a letter of recommendation from the program director, two separate electronic requests must be made (one for the certification at the beginning of the process, and one for the letter of recommendation). 

• Read Full Application Guidelines on the APPIC Website

Match Day

Following completion of the application for a doctoral internship match, applicants will be informed as to whether they have matched to an internship for Phase I by February. (See full list of deadlines on the APPIC website.) If one does not match in Phase I, there is a Phase II to which unmatched students must apply. The APPIC website and the APPIC Internship Matching Program site may be useful to you as you prepare your application and complete the internship match process.

Past Internship Placements