PAUS 4981/PAUS 8981: Practicum

To complete a practicum a student must apply theory and skills acquired from academic coursework to an applied problem, for a client, under faculty supervision. The course is graded Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory, and is normally taken for 3 hours of credit.

Prerequisites: consent of instructor and a cumulative GPA of at least 3.0.

What is a practicum? How does it differ from an internship?

Like an internship, a practicum requires 300 hours of work for three hours of academic credit. The student must document the nature and extent of the work performed.

Unlike an internship, which normally must be completed at the site of the host organization as if the student were an employee, a practicum project does not have a specified location. It is defined by the student with the client’s input and supervised by a PAUS faculty member. Practica offer means for students with substantial work experience to explore new areas of practice or to enhance skills already acquired. For example, MS-UPS students completing practica supervised by PAUS faculty have located a clinic to serve Spanish-speaking mothers and children, assembled data on toxic releases for a citizen group, and done background work to help a local government prepare for changes to their zoning policy.

Practicum students are accountable to 1) a client for whom the work will be done, 2) a faculty practicum adviser who will approve the proposal and evaluate the work for a grade, and 3) an instructor-of-record (departmental coordinator) listed in the semester schedule, who submits grades for all practica. Students must engage a faculty practicum advisor in addition to the departmental coordinator (Dr. Katherine Willoughby) in order to complete the course.

Why is a proposal required? Why can’t I just register for the course?

Because each practicum is highly individualized, you will profit from having a faculty adviser who is interested in your topic and your plan, and who can make suggestions that will add value to your experience. However, you are the one who must take the initiative to identify a client who will benefit from your work. With input from this client and your faculty adviser, define the scope of your project, and specify the intended outcomes and deliverables. The practicum is not a “taught” course. It requires self-directed learning.

Is a practicum a required part of my program?

Undergraduate public policy students are required to complete an internship.  However, in some special cases, a practicum may be an acceptable substitute. In the MS in Urban Policy Studies, students may choose to complete a practicum, an internship or a thesis. These are not required. MPA students are required to complete an internship, unless they have successfully waived the requirement, given substantial public or nonprofit administrative or military service. In some cases a practicum may be an acceptable substitute for the internship, however.

Grading

University rules state that no letter grades will be given for a practicum except “S” (satisfactory), “U” (unsatisfactory), or “IP” (in progress). IP grades are fairly common, because a practicum often does not completely coincide with the semester time frame and completion may occur in a later semester.

Your faculty practicum adviser will evaluate your work and report your grade to the departmental coordinator, who will enter that reported grade on the GoSolar grade roll. When an IP grade should be changed to an “S” or a “U”, the faculty practicum adviser must notify the departmental coordinator, who will complete a grade change form accordingly.

How do I register for a practicum?

Registration can be accomplished during any semester if you start well in advance, and follow this checklist:

1. Give serious thought to your practicum topic and a client for this work. The responsibility for defining a practicum belongs to you, not to your faculty advisor.
2. Locate a faculty advisor whose specialty area matches the content of the practicum you propose, and who agrees to supervise your work and grade it. (Grades are “Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory” only). Speak with this person well in advance of when you need to register, so you have time to draft and refine a proposal they will accept. You may not register until your faculty advisor approves your proposal.
3. Complete the form provided on this website, summarizing your proposal, and ask your faculty advisor to sign it, approving your proposal. Make three copies of the signed form, and give one to each of the following people:
• The practicum coordinator, Dr. Katherine Willoughby, is listed in the course schedule as the "instructor" for PAUS 4981 and 8981. (You may leave the form in her PAUS mailbox, but please also send an e-mail to kwilloughby@gsu.edu identifying yourself, your intention to complete a practicum, and your practicum faculty advisor.)
• The faculty advisor who will supervise your work.
• Yourself.
• Give the original, signed form to the Office of Academic Assistance.
4. You may not register until the steps above are complete. Specifically, the Office of Academic Assistance will not authorize your registration until they have received this completed approval form, signed by your faculty advisor, and an authorization from the departmental coordinator.

Where can I get the form?

Download the Practicum Proposal and Approval Form in Word format or pdf format.