Department of Family Studies and Community Development
Internships and Service-Learning
Service-learning and internship are required parts of a student’s academic preparation in the family and human services major.
The service-learning course, FMST 387 Community Services for Families, offers students group-based experiential learning. During this course, students work in small groups within the community for 30-60 hours while learning new skills and applied theoretical frameworks in the classroom.
Internships are individually-based experiential learning. Internship students must integrate the theory and cognitive knowledge they have learned in the classroom with community participation at an agency chosen from the Family Studies Internship Site List. Careful attention is paid to the readiness of the student to participate in an internship, the internship placement and the internship supervisor. Students must demonstrate competence in the areas of professional development as well as academic preparation. Students must choose internship sites that are suitable for the tracks they are on. As part of the internship, students are required to complete a portfolio.
During the semester prior to the one in which the student would like to enroll in FMST 397 Internship in Family Studies, the student must enroll in FMST 297 Preparing Human Service Workers. In this course students learn about ethical and professional competencies, intervention with diverse populations, reports in administrative settings, and development of learning plans, including goal setting. Students are introduced to the dimensions of human service workers, specifically how knowledge, methods, and content are used in service planning and delivery to solve human problems in various human service settings. After successful completion of FMST 397 Internship in Family Studies, a student is eligible to enroll in FMST 497 Advanced Internship in Family Studies and Community Development.
• Please review the new Family Studies policy regarding criminal background checks/drug screens for pre-internship students. Read more in Internships and Service-Learning Policies under the Additional Field Policies sub-heading.
8000 York Road | Towson, MD 21252 | 410-704-2000
Service-learning and internship are required parts of a student’s academic preparation in the family and human services major. 
