Preceptorships in Psychology

Preceptorships offer a valuable opportunity for psychology majors to apply the knowledge and skills they’ve gained in their coursework. As a preceptor, you’ll assist with various aspects of course organization. Depending on the course, your responsibilities may include, but are not limited to:

• Grading assignments and exams
• Developing and delivering course lectures
• Creating test questions
• Assisting with laboratory preparations
• Leading exam review sessions
• Holding regular office hours
• Selecting readings or discussion topics in collaboration with the course instructor
• Eligibility and Application

Macalester College has general policies regarding who is eligible to serve as a preceptor. If you’re interested in becoming a preceptor, you should contact the course instructor to learn more about the specific qualifications, availability, and the application process!

Compensation Options

There are two ways to be compensated for preceptorships: precepting for pay or precepting for credit.

Precepting for Pay

In this option, preceptors track their hours and are paid as they would be for any on-campus job. This option is generally available to students with student employment as part of their financial aid package, provided they are not exceeding their allotted work hours through another on-campus job.

Precepting for Credit

Preceptorships can also be taken for academic credit. A 4-credit preceptorship under the supervision of a psychology faculty member may count as the “wild card” course requirement for the major. In this case, you’ll work with a faculty member to create a learning contract that aligns your skills and interests with the needs of the course. Together, you and your faculty sponsor will define the goals, methods, and assignments that meet your learning objectives and deepen your understanding of psychology.

Common Assignments for Credit Preceptorships:

1. Final Paper: Typically, preceptors complete a 12+ page paper at the end of the course. This paper integrates insights from your preceptorship experience with a critical review of scholarly literature related to the course.
2. Reflection Papers: Many students are required to submit regular reflection papers (usually weekly). These papers link course readings to your precepting experience or specific assignments, as outlined in the learning contract.

Upper-Level Preceptorships:

A preceptorship can count as one of the three required upper-level courses if the learning contract specifies goals and assignments that are comparable in rigor to a typical upper-level course. Like advanced courses, upper-level preceptorships involve significant engagement with scholarly literature. You and your faculty sponsor will determine the specific readings for the preceptorship, but these typically include 20-40 peer-reviewed journal articles, along with any required course readings. The relationship between these additional readings and the final paper will be detailed in the learning contract.