Internships and Course Credits

The Department of Political Science encourages students from all majors to enhance the practical side of their education by engaging in an internship experience. 

Political Science 4191, Internship, (3 credit hours) is a full-term course. Political Science 3191, Political Science Internship, (1 credit hour) is a second session course. Both 4191 and 3191 are offered during Autumn, Spring and Summer semesters. There are no pre-requisites for these internship courses, and they are open to students from all majors.

You may only earn political science credit(s) once per workplace and you cannot earn credit from different departments (like Communication or International Studies) or a different college (like The John Glenn College of Public Affairs) for the same workplace and term that you seek to enroll in 3191 or 4191.

Students debrief on their internship experiences
Students debrief their spring 2024 internship experiences

Enroll in Political Science (PS) 4191 or 3191

To enroll in an internship course, you must provide a position description or a short paragraph about your internship duties, complete the Internship Information Form and the Terms of Agreement Form (including the signature of your evaluating supervisor) and submit them to Troy Markham via email at markham.4@osu.edu. Not sure where to find an internship? Start here.

Once these forms are received and approved, your internship will be added to your schedule* and you will have access to the appropriate Carmen site where you can find the syllabus.

*PLEASE NOTE: you will need to complete a petition if the addition of those credit hours puts you over the 18 hours maximum load permitted by the University. Contact Troy Markham for help with this by calling Arts and Sciences Advising and Academic Services at 614-292-6961 or emailing askascadvising@osu.edu

  • PS 4191 
    • Students earn 3 credit hours for completion of any of the 4191 internships. These courses are graded A-E. In addition to your work experience, there are several required academic assignments. These assignments are designed to enhance your learning and assist in your career development. Carmen is used to manage all assignments and course communications. There are no in-person requirements for this course.
    • PS 4191 is repeatable up to a maximum of 9 hours and counts as upper division credit in the College of Arts and Sciences. Up to 6 hours from 4191 can count toward the requirements for a major in Political Science or World Politics. Three (3) hours of credit from 4191 can count toward the requirements for a minor from the Department of Political Science.
    • Sample syllabus for PS 4191
  • PS 3191 
    • Students earn 1 credit hour for 3191; it is repeatable up to a maximum of 5 credit hours and is graded S/U. While 3191 is an upper division course and can count toward your 39 hours of required upper division credit, it DOES NOT apply toward a major or minor in political science. 3191 has fewer academic requirements and also utilizes Carmen and has no in-person requirements.
    • Sample syllabus for PS 319

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