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.
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.
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.