Students are selected for the programs during winter quarter. The Psychology Field-Study Program provides qualified students with an opportunity to apply and integrate what they have learned in the classroom with direct experience in a community agency. Students develop new skills and clarify personal and professional goals by working as volunteer interns in schools, criminal justice programs, corporations, and mental health and other social service agencies, where they are supervised by a professional within that organization. Psychology faculty members also supervise students' field placements, providing guidance by helping them to synthesize their intern experience with psychology course work and to produce an academic project. Junior and senior psychology majors are eligible to apply.
Accepted students select a placement and develop a learning contract and an academic project plan.
Program supervises and supports students who pursue internships and academic study in the nation's capital. The program is open through a competitive application process to upper-division students in all majors. Courses are taught by UC Santa Cruz, Berkeley, Davis, Los Angeles, San Diego, and Santa Barbara programs in Washington along with visiting faculty from the Washington area. Applicant selection is based on academic record, a written statement, letters of recommendation, and a personal interview. Students live in UC-arranged housing, together with students from all of the participating UC campuses.