Internship Process

Preparation

  • Reflect on your goals for an internship. How will this experience contribute toward your personal, educational and professional goals?
  • Plan ahead.  Depending on your major or an employer’s hiring timelines, internships can require 4-10 months of advance preparation.
  • Meet with a Career Development staff member if you are unsure about a career direction. Take advantage of career assessment and individual counseling to help you make better decisions about potential career paths.
  • Meet with your faculty advisor or an Student Success Center staff member about potential majors, minors and curricular requirements.
  • Review internships posted on Handshake or attend a Career Center Event to meet with employers actively hiring in your field of study.
  • Research potential internship employers through company, government and organization websites, as well as academic department web pages to review specialized opportunities.
  • Prepare your résumé

Selection

  • Review website and relevant literature of potential internship sites.
  • Conduct information interviews as needed.
  • Talk to other students who have done internships at those sites.
  • Rank preferences.
  • Contact companies or agencies of interest to determine current openings.
  • Interview for the position as required.
  • Notify Career Development about all offers and acceptances.

For Academic Credit

  • Typically, at least 90 hours of work experience over the course of a semester is required to earn three hours of academic credit. Some majors, like Exercise Science, Health & Aging Studies and Accounting, may require more.
  • Determine specific academic requirements of the faculty sponsor and/or academic department (e.g., mandatory meetings, papers, etc.)The faculty in each academic department make all decisions regarding internships for credit.
  • Review the Internship Registration directions to register your internship experience for academic credit.
  • Students have through the end of the Add/Drop Week, typically one week from the first day of class, to register for credit in that semester. The registration process can take 5-7 days for your faculty to review and approve your internship. Please take this into account when registering for your internship course.
  • Registration applications must be approved by the faculty sponsor of the internship, the chair of the department awarding credit and that department's academic dean and that department's academic dean.
  • Students pursuing a summer internship for academic credit are charged appropriate tuition and fees for the summer term, unless a student is eligible to receive the Summer Internship Scholarship. Students are not permitted to complete a summer internship for academic credit and pay for such credit in the fall or spring semester.
    • Students may receive up to six hours of internship credit within a particular major and up to an additional six hours in other areas.
    • Full-time students taking 12-16 hours can add up to three hours of internship credit without an additional tuition charge.
  • Students will receive a pass/fail grade after completion. No letter grades are awarded.
  • Students must register for the internship course during the semester in which the work hours are carried out.