Internships

• Gain valuable real-world work experience that complements your academic education and improves your chances of securing full-time employment after graduation.
• Enhance your marketability by developing essential communication skills in diverse work settings.
• Earn academic credit towards graduation while earning money to defray the cost of education.
• Develop important skills such as self-confidence, responsibility, and professional competence.
• Expand your professional network and gain exposure to the working world.
• Set short-term and long-term career goals based on your internship experiences.
• Integrate your work experiences with classroom instruction to reinforce your learning and gain a more comprehensive understanding of your field.

Credit internships are structured internships that require a student to complete a course for college credit (3–6 credit hours). Internships that extend beyond one semester may be considered for additional credit hour registration in future semesters. Coursework for credit internship courses includes:

• Daily Journal (identifying areas of learning)
• Employer Evaluation
• Student Evaluation
• Discussion Forums
• Site Visit (by the Internship Program Director/Instructor)
• Executive Summary (of internship experience)
• A minimum of 45 working hours per credit hour
• Related professional duties and responsibilities must align with the internship course of enrollment

You may seek credit for paid or unpaid internships. It is up to the student to seek credit for curriculum fulfillment or in response to an employer requesting an internship to be taken for credit. Courses are taught via Canvas so in-class time is not required.

Full-time employment related to your degree and research may also be used for internship credit. Both are experiential learning within the industry where you are directly applying the skills you have learned in your program.

For most majors, yes, you can do an unpaid internship. There are extra protocols and policies for students pursuing unpaid internships. Unpaid internships must be domestically based. This means the company has to be based and have a physical office in the United States. We will not approve any unpaid internship positions located outside of the United States. This was a decision made by the departments and supported by Career Services to improve internship experiences and career outcomes. All unpaid internships require additional documentation the supervisor fills out including:

• Learning outcomes;
• Rationale on why the internship is unpaid;
• Supervisor credentials; and
• An understanding of the National Association of Colleges and Employers stance on unpaid internships.

NOTE: For any student in the Applied Data Science Masters program, the department has decided to not allow their students to do unpaid internships for credit. This was a faculty led decision to help support student career outcomes.

We encourage employers to pay their interns. Pay can average $10–15 per hour with an overall range of $8–25+ per hour depending on major, industry, and demand.

Credit and non-credit internships typically last the duration of a summer, spring, or fall semesters, but may depend on dates set between the employer and student.

• Keep in mind the purpose for doing an internship is to gain experience, so pay should be viewed as a benefit. The employer is providing a means to gain well needed experience by allowing you to work directly with managers in your chosen career field.
• For unpaid positions, always look at the duties and responsibilities of the position to make sure the tasks are worth pursuing. If you are unsure of the credibility of the position, you may bring the description to the Career Services Office for review.
• Employers should be aware that unpaid internships may impact the quality and quantity of students that apply.

• A part-time internship consists of 10–30 working hours per week.
• A full-time internship consists of 40 working hours per week.
• Summer internships tend to have full-time working hours.
• Employers typically provide flexible work hours to help work around class schedules.

Yes, it is required! Once an internship is obtained, an internship form will need to be filled out. The mentoring supervisor will need to sign off on the form to acknowledge the internship and verify that all information is correct. You will be contacted with a course number for registration should your internship qualify for credit.

The student and site supervisor also must sign-off on the Internship Policy Acknowledgement and submit it on Canvas.

Non-Credit Internship Recording on Transcripts—INFO I490 Professional Practice

International students on visas are generally not eligible for non-credit internships.

Students may apply for a “Milestone” to be designated on their transcript for internships that are not taken for credit. Milestone internships are a good way to show experience on a transcript to employers or for applying to graduate programs. To obtain a Milestone designation, a student must fill out and return an internship form and indicate a Non-Credit Internship at the top of the form. This form must be submitted prior to the start of the internship.

All Milestone Internships must meet the minimum non-credit internship standards as stated on the form to be considered for transcript designation. Internships reported for credit will not be marked as Milestones. Credit-bearing internships are recorded as a course on the transcript under the appropriate internship course number upon registration.

All Milestone Internships must meet the minimum non-credit internship standards as stated on the form to be considered for transcript designation.