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. 4191 is typically offered during Autumn, Spring and Summer semesters. There are no pre-requisites for the internship course, and the course is 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 4191.

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

Enroll in Political Science (PS) 4191

To enroll in the 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 Charles Smith via email at smith.3280@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 Charles Smith for help with this by calling 614-292-1484 or emailing smith.3280@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.

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