The Human Development Major Internship Program is comprised of 7 credits total:

• All students will take a 1 credit pre-internship course (EDHD 390) and then complete 3 internship credits (EDHD 398) at either an applied or research internship site.

• Students may choose to fulfill the remaining 3 Internship Program credits through 1 of the following options:

  • Completing an additional 3 internship credits (EDHD 398).

  • Taking an upper 400-level Human Development elective course.

Human Development students have the opportunity to gain hands-on experience by exploring career paths at organizations and agencies that integrate the study of human development across multiple disciplines. 

Applied internships allow students to find sites that fit their individual interests:

• Students interested in working with children may consider completing internships in educational, clinical, or counseling settings.

• Students in interested in pursuing careers in human resources may consider completing internships at a variety of professional organizations, agencies, or businesses.

We offer students information about a wide variety of applied internship sites, including sites at which previous Human Development students have completed internships. However, students are not limited to completing an internship at one of these sites, and they may reach out to additional organizations on their own to find the internship site that is right for them. 

Human Development students have the opportunity to complete research internships directly with Human Development faculty members, within other UMD departments, or at external research organizations.

Through the research internship, students will learn to critically evaluate existing research literature, demonstrate an understanding of methods used to study change across the lifespan, and communicate effectively about human development research.

Human Development research internships will provide students with valuable skills and experiences that will enable them to be competitive applicants to graduate programs.

Learn about the exciting research being conducted by the Human Development faculty by exploring their individual lab webpages found here.