Students interested in earning academic credit for their internship experience must obtain a faculty sponsor for academic credit. The following details include information and guidelines to support faculty with the academic credit internship process.
How can an internship benefit my students?
- Internships provide experiential learning opportunities that help students develop professionalism by applying their education, knowledge and skills into the workplace.
- An Internship is a high-impact practice that “enhances student engagement and increase(s) student success” (Kuh, George D., 2008).
Academic Credit
An academic credit internship would be arranged between the intern, employer and sponsoring faculty if an internship class is not available within the student’s major of study. The prospective intern must take the initiative to prepare the paperwork and documents necessary for academic credit. Academic credit for internships is available only as arranged on an individual basis by students and their academic department. This is a contractual agreement between the prospective intern, sponsoring faculty member, and internship supervisor.
The following guidelines will help students initiate Academic Credit:
- Intern is offered a position by the internship supervisor.
- Intern identifies a faculty sponsor within their academic discipline and obtains all necessary paperwork on the CI Risk Management website.
- Intern and faculty sponsor develop internship agreement for academic credit.
- Intern presents the internship agreement to the internship supervisor.
- Intern coordinates with sponsoring faculty and internship supervisor to complete and submit all required paperwork to earn academic credit.
This process can take any length of time depending on how quickly the student decides to initiate the process to earn academic credit. Traditionally, there are three specific times throughout the academic year when students will have the opportunity to enroll in an academic credit based internship. Please reference the chart below to plan in advance.
Projected Deadline to Submit Academic Internship Agreement
| Semester | Date |
|---|---|
| Fall Semester | Prior to August 31 |
| Spring Semester | Prior to January 15 |
| Summer Term | Prior to May 1 |
Legal Considerations
A non-paid internship can be in violation of The Department of Labor Fair Labor Standards Act, and all faculty/staff and students should understand laws surrounding internships.
Department of Labor Requirements:
- The U.S. Department of Labor has created guidelines for employers who utilize interns to determine whether an intern must be paid. These guidelines dictate how interns must be compensated.
- All interns must be paid, UNLESS ALL criteria outlined in The Department of Labor Fair Labor Standards Act is met.
- The Department of Labor Fair Labor Standards Act is available at http://www.dol.gov/whd/regs/compliance/whdfs71.pdf
Locating Internships
All internships are self-sought and secured individually by the student. However, if you are unable to assist a student or you want them to obtain additional support or information, please feel free to refer them to resources provided by Career Development Services: