Spring 2026 Term Research Assistant InternshipAt — CSUF - Social Science Research Center

The goal of the SSRC internship program is to provide students with practical, hands-on experience in a real-world research setting, equipping them with skills and knowledge to contribute to research projects and prepare them for future careers or graduate studies. The overall objectives of the internship program are skill development and contributing to meaningful projects.  Under the supervision of the Center Director, SSRC interns will contribute to ongoing research projects and make tangible contributions. The role of the Intern is multifaceted, balancing learning with contributing to real-world projects.  This includes but is not limited to understanding the scope of research projects, conducting literature reviews, programming surveys in Qualtrics, gathering and organizing data, data analysis, and report production.

Major Responsibilities of the Intern:

• Gather and organize data, which may involve conducting surveys or collecting information from various sources.
• Programming surveys in Qualtrics.
• The development of data files in SPSS or Excel.
• Cleaning and preparing data files.
• Coding open-ended data.
• Perform simple descriptive statistics, as well as t-tests and chi-square tests.
• Interpret the results of data that is analyzed.
• Produce tables and graphics depicting analyzed data.
• Assist in report production.
• Proofread final reports.

Educational Requirements:
Students should be enrolled at CSU Fullerton as an undergraduate seeking a degree in Social Science.  Preferred majors include Sociology, Psychology, or Political Science, but may also include other fields such as Health Science. Must have completed one of the following and completed or be currently enrolled in:   

• Required research method course for major
• Required statistics course for major
• Enrolled in internship courses (like Psych495)

Skills, Training, or Qualifications:
Interns should have excellent oral and written communication skills. Knowledge of statistical software (such as SPSS, SAS, or R) is highly preferred but may be minimal if the candidate possesses other desirable traits. Must be dependable.

Time Commitment:
The SSRC's business hours are Monday to Friday between 9AM and 5PM.        Minimum 8 to 10 hours per week for at least one semester.                                 Must be available from 10 AM to 3 PM Fridays/ Additional 4-5 hours are flexible.

Application Procedure:                                                                                        If students fit these criteria, we request the following:

• A cover letter directed at SSRC explaining qualification for and interest in the SSRC’s program specifically. Cover letters directed at a general audience are not acceptable.
• An updated resume
• A Word or PDF copy of student’s most current Titan Degree Audit or transcript

Eligible candidates will be invited for an interview and potentially asked to complete a brief analysis task.

To be considered an applicant, must apply through our online applicant portal found on the following site:

 http://asc1app.fullerton.edu/Finance/applicant/public/default.aspx

Please include an attachment with your availability when applying through the portal.

Training:

1. Provide standard SSRC Policies and Procedures Training to the intern.
2. Provide learning materials and exercises that demonstrate the concepts to be learned during the internship.
3. Allow the intern to shadow the SSRC staff to provide them with a comprehensive overview of issues arising during the research process.
4. If the intern is not already proficient with statistical software (such as SPSS, SAS, R, etc.), provide one-on-one training to attain this proficiency.
5. Conduct ongoing reviews of the research products created by the intern and provide feedback to increase the quality of the work done.
6. Provide overall guidance and mentorship from SSRC staff to learn from their experience and expertise.

Learning Outcomes:

1. Apply theoretical knowledge gained in academic settings to real-world projects and to understand how research concepts translate into practical solutions.
2. Develop and refine specific technical skills relevant to the research process (e.g., data collection, programming, and data analysis) and gain proficiency in using industry-standard tools and software.
3. Learn and apply research methodologies, including data collection, analysis, and interpretation, as well as understand the process of designing and conducting research studies.
4. Contribute to ongoing research projects and make tangible contributions, as well as to understand the impact of applied research on real-world problems.
5. Gain exposure to potential career paths in applied research and to network with professionals in the field.