Internship Information and Requirements
Peace and Conflict Studies (PACS) majors and minors have an opportunity to apply the skills they learn in the classroom through internships in their junior or senior year (PACS 35092, Internship in Peace and Conflict Studies).
Internship Guidelines
Students taking the Internship course need to review the Internship Guidelines (PDF) or Internship Guidelines (Word document) before they begin the course, and consult the guidelines throughout the semester. These provide all of the information that you need for preparing your internship proposal (referenced in section II of the guidelines, to be completed prior to registering for the course); it is also helpful to give a copy to your site supervisor so that they know what is expected and can ensure that you get the type of internship experience that will be most valuable to you. The guidelines describe the number of hours of work you will need to complete, as well as providing detailed information that will assist you in completing your journal entries and writing your final paper. The guidelines also outline the responsibilities of all parties involved.
Internship Evaluation form
PACS Internship students: Give the Internship Evaluation Form (Appendix B of the Internship Guidelines, or download the Evaluation Form separately) to your internship supervisor toward the end of your internship. The SPCS professor overseeing your internship needs to receive the completed form from your internship supervisor by the middle of exam week. It is your responsibility to make sure your internship supervisor has faxed or mailed the form to SPCS.
Students are responsible for finding their own internships, and are encouraged to look for them in agencies or organizations where you may wish to work in the future, or that you'd like to explore as a future career option.
Two amazing internship opportunities exist that allow students to spend a semester away from Kent and get valuable work experience at the same time. The following programs can be used to meet the PACS Internship Requirement:
Columbus Program in Intergovernmental Issues (fall semester in Columbus, Ohio)
Washington Program in National Issues (spring semester in Washington, D.C.)
Internship Funding Opportunities
The university offers some funding through Career Exploration & Development to assist with relocation expenses for internships, and to assist students who are working at unpaid internships. Check out the latest Internship Funding Opportunities.
“An internship is the single most important credential for recent college graduates to have on their resume in their job search among all industry segments.” 1
Our alumni talk about how their internships helped them
(Note: Since these were recorded, we changed our name to the School for Peace and Conflict Studies, and the name of the major to Peace and Conflict Studies)
ORGANIZATIONS AT WHICH STUDENTS HAVE COMPLETED INTERNSHIPS INCLUDE
- Advent Lutheran Youth Organization (Solon)
- Akron Catholic Worker Hospitality House
- Akron International Institute
- Akron Municipal Court Small Claims Mediation Program
- American Arbitration Association (Cleveland)
- American Civil Liberties Union (Cleveland)
- American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME)
- Associates in Behavioral Management (North Canton)
- Arizona Dispute Resolution Resource Center
- Ashtabula County Joint Court Mediation Project
- Asian Services in Action (Akron)
- Barberton Citizens Hospital
- Bellaire-Puritas Development Corporation (mediation internships; Cleveland)
- Berea Children's Home and Family Services
- Better Business Bureau (Akron)
- Bitzel Excavating (human resources intern, Canton)
- Boys and Girls Club of Portage County
- Bradley Show Horses, Ravenna
- Buckeye Local Schools (Medina)
- Cambridge Manufacturing Jewelers (Hudson)
- Canton City Schools/Kent State University GEAR UP summer camp
- Center for Conflict Resolution (Chicago)
- Center for the Homeless, Inc. (South Bend, IN)
- Cleveland Mediation Center
- Coleman Professional Services (mental health/wellness services; Kent/Ravenna)
- Colombia Support Network (works for human rights in Columbia, South America; internship in Madison, WI)
- Community Mediation Center of Stark County
- Community Pregnancy Center (Barberton)
- Community Relations Board (Cleveland)
- Conflict Resolution Center, Inc. (Westlake)
- Dayton Mediation Center
- Disney World (Florida)
- Enterprise Rent-A-Car (Streetsboro)
- Family and Community Services of Portage County
- Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service (Cleveland)
- Finger Lakes Community Mediation Program (Geneva, NY)
- Florida Department of Corrections
- Franklin County Courts (Columbus)
- General Electric Company Ohio Lamp Plant, Warren, OH (human resources)
- Global Issues Resource Center, Cuyahoga Community College
- Global Youth Connect (Rwanda)
- Herzl Camp (St. Louis Park, MN)
- Independence of Portage County (Ravenna) (serves individuals with mental retardation or developmental disabilities)
- The International Institute (Akron)
- Kent Natural Foods Cooperative
- Kent Police Department, Community Relations
- Kent State Employee Relations/Staff Ombudsman's Office
- Kent State Office of Experiential Education and Civic Engagement
- Kent State Recreational Services (summer camp for children)
- Lake Erie Correctional Institution (Conneaut)
- Laura's Home Women's Crisis Shelter, The City Mission (Cleveland)
- Lowe's (Human Resources department)
- Lutheran Metropolitan Ministry (Cleveland)
- Main Street Kent
- Miller Community House (Kent)
- Monarch Center for Autism (Shaker Heights)
- Montreat Junior College Dispute Mediation Training Program (North Carolina)
- Mountain T.O.P. (rural life ministry in the Cumberland Mountains of Tennessee)
- National Coalition for the Homeless (Washington, D.C.)
- New York Peace Institute (Brooklyn, NY)
- Ohio Attorney General's Office (Cleveland)
- Ohio Citizen Action (Akron)
- Ohio Commission on Dispute Resolution and Conflict Management (Columbus)
- Oriana House (provides chemical dependency treatment and community corrections programs; Akron)
- Pebblebrook Apartments (Kent)
- People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA)
- Petronzio, Schneier & Willis Co. (law firm; Cleveland)
- Place of Peace Center (a center for safe exchange, supervised visitation (Kent)
- Policy Matters Ohio (progressive public policy research institute; Cleveland)
- Portage Area Regional Transportation Authority (PARTA) (Kent)
- Residence Services, Kent State University
- SafeNet (Erie, PA) (provides services to victims of domestic violence)
- Safer Futures (domestic violence shelter in Kent/Ravenna)
- The State Department (Washington, D.C.)
- Summit County Juvenile Court CASA/GAL Program (court appointed special advocate/guardian ad litem, Akron)
- Texas Family Court Services
- Townhall II (social service and mediation organization in Kent)
- U. S. Department of Health and Human Services Mediation Program (Washington, D.C.)
- The Way Station (a faith-based community services organization; Columbiana, OH)
- Western Reserve Land Conservancy (Moreland Hills, OH)
- WomenSafe Inc. (Chardon)