Internships and Student Experiences

Cooperative Field Experience

The Cooperative Field Experience is highly recommended for all psychology majors. Graduating seniors consistently say the CFE is one of the most worthwhile experiences of their college careers. The CFE experience enhances professionalism and allows students to apply what they have learned in classes to the workplace.

CFEs have the potential to transition into paying jobs post-graduation and greatly enhances students' chances for successful admission to graduate school. Click here to download the CFE Guidelines.

The CFE is available to qualified students. To apply, you must meet the following criteria:

• Completed at least 60 credits.
• Have an overall GPA of at least 2.5.
• Have 15 credits of appropriate coursework in psychology, with a GPA of 3.00.
• Completed all general requirements in English, speech, and mathematics, as stipulated by the College of Liberal Arts and Education.
• Obtained supporting signatures of psychology CFE supervisor, department chair, academic advisor, and one other faculty member.
• Obtained the permission of the agency and on-site supervisor for the CFE.

Detailed information about the CFE program is available from the department office. Please also consult the CFE bulletin board outside room 226 Warner.

University Placement Services is another resource for internship information. Visit the Career Center to learn more.

About CFE

The CFE can be done at any site mutually agreeable to you, the CFE supervisor, and the site supervisor. Many students do CFEs at schools and agencies in the Platteville area, but some students do them in the summer, closer to home.

The number of CFE hours you complete will depend on your schedule and the needs of the agency. You may not count more than eight CFE credits toward graduation. For each 40 hours of CFE, you earn one credit. Many students enroll for two or three CFE credits in a semester, some do only one, and others take a summer CFE for up to eight credits.

Some CFEs are paid positions, but most are not. If the CFE is a paid one, different rules apply regarding hours and requirements. If you are interested in doing the same CFE for two semesters, this may be possible.  You would enroll in CFE for both semesters, and would have to redo the paperwork the second time around.

Comments from recent CFE students:

• “It helps you get experience with the setting and population you want to work with.”
• “You gain knowledge about how information from classes applies in the real world."
• “It helps you gain focus, to see if this type of setting is where you really want to work.”
• “It can point you in a new direction.”
• “Experience looks good on job and grad school applications.”
• “It helps to have more people who can write letters of recommendations for you, for jobs after graduation.”