Supervised Field Placement Requirements
PSY 1900 Supervised Field Placement is internship experience in which students will earn credit for volunteer work in a supervised setting which has been approved by the Department of Psychology. The purpose of this course is to provide practical experience related to other course work in the department and to help students decide upon possible career paths.
Prerequisites: Minimum overall GPA of 2.75, 12 credits of psychology (including current term), and any additional requirements of the specific site.
Registering for PSY 1900: Once accepted, you will complete the PSY 1900 Learning Agreement with the Site Supervisor. You are responsible for providing the Learning Agreement form to the Site Supervisor, in person, not via email. The Site Supervisor will complete page 2 of the agreement, sign it and return it to you. This completed form is required to register for PSY 1900. Email the completed learning agreement to psyadvis@pitt.edu. The permission code for self-enrollment in PSY 1900 will then be provided to you via email. Students will receive an “I” for the first term, and once the second term is completed, the “I” will be changed to either an “S” or “NC” (no credit).
Students must be registered for PSY 1900 during the semester in which the Supervised Field Placement hours are begun.
Credit Options: Students may take a maximum of 3 credits of PSY 1900 in any one term. Credits are determined by the number of hours spent at the site throughout the term:
1 credit = 55 hours 2 credits = 85 hours 3 credits = 120 hours
Also note that only 12 credits of PSY 1900, PSY 1902, PSY 1903, and 1907 combined may be applied toward the B.S. degree, with a maximum of 9 credits under one course number.
Receiving Credit: In order to earn credit, the student MUST submit a Mid-term and End-of-Term evaluation form as well as a Mid-term and Final journal to the Advising Office by published due dates each semester. No electronic submissions are accepted.
Daily Journal: Students must write a journal entry for each day spent at the placement site. Journals are due at mid-term and at the end-of-term. Students are to consult Canvas for PSY 1900 announcements, due date reminders and their grade book status throughout the course of the semester.
JOURNAL GUIDELINES
PSY 1900 Supervised Field Placement may be used to fulfill the general elective for the psychology degree, and because of this you are expected to produce a journal of upper-level quality to satisfy the academic component of the experience. This is a required part of earning the credits and is in addition to any requirements of the site. Supervised field placement is meant to give you experience in the field of psychology as well as contribute to your professional and personal goals and awareness. Journals give you the opportunity to pull together thoughts, feelings, insights, likes/dislikes, and ideas about future careers or education.
Do not include the actual names of clients/patients. Indicate in your journal that names have been changed.
Journal Cover Page
Please do not turn in your journal in a folder/binder. Include only a cover page with the following information:
Name
Email address
Phone number
Term registered and date
Placement site and supervisor’s name
Journal Entry Format
Your journal should have one cover page and daily journal entries. Please use bold headings to indicate the sections outlined below. he length of your comments for each section will likely vary from day to day based upon your activities but should be no more than one page typed in 12 pt. font, double spaced with 1” margins and be as thorough as possible. .
Date:
Hours completed for this entry: (e.g., 4 hours)
Description: (how your time was spent: responsibilities, interactions with clients and/or staff)
Observations: (client improvements, theories/techniques observed that were discussed in one of your classes, what you learned today, your view of how the organization functions, interesting dynamics between clients or between clients and staff, etc.)
Personal reflection: (how you felt about the day’s experience and observations, what you are getting from this experience, how is this experience relating to your own life and potential career aspirations, any insights about professional goals, insights into personal strengths/weaknesses or skills/interests, do you like this type of work, any situation you would’ve handled differently, etc.).
* We recognize that at some sites, students may do many of the same things most days. Feel free to discuss how your comfort level has changed, any new responsibilities, any questions that come to light for you, etc.