Internships for Academic Credit

• Internship courses are offered for 0-4 credits, depending on the major.
• Each credit will require 45 hours of work at the internship site, so a 1 credit internship course = 45 hours of work at the internship site, 2 credits = 90 hours, 3 credits = 135 hours and 4 credits = 180 hours.
• A zero-credit internship course requires 30 hours of work at the internship site.

In order to recognize the learning that occurs in internships, academic departments may award credit for an internship if a student gains approval from a faculty internship sponsor within the department they wish to receive credit from and the internship is related to a student's major or career goals. Internship courses are implemented at the departmental level. Each department has established internship courses that are specific to their department with distinct prerequisites and academic requirements.

Follow these steps to apply for academic credit:

1. Read the Internship Information Sheet (PDF) and the Internship Policies.
2. Review the ILA Sample Form (PDF) to become familiar with the form.
3. Confirm eligibility to receive credit by meeting with your Academic Advisor.
4. Secure an internship and discuss responsibilities, expectations, and supervision plans with an internship Site Supervisor.
5. Discuss internship with faculty member in department from which you are seeking credit and request they become the Faculty Internship Sponsor for the internship course. Ask what the faculty member is requiring for academic work to demonstrated your learning . It is the faculty internship sponsor's responsibility to decide if the internship warrants academic credit.
   1. If you are applying for zero-credit, you will skip this step.  Zero-credit internship courses do not accrue credit and do not satisfy any requirements, and therefore do not require any academic work.
6. If applying for credit for an independent international internship, that is, not part of your study abroad program, meet with the Office of Global Education to gain information and approval.
7. Complete the Internship Learning Agreement (ILA) by Submitting an Experience in Handshake.  
   1. From the Handshake home screen, go to Career Center > Experiences > Submit an Experience
   2. You will see the Internship Learning Agreement (ILA) as an Experience Type.  

It is important to have all of the above-mentioned conversations and all necessary information before starting the Internship Learning Agreement (ILA) because you will not be able to save a draft.  Use the ILA Sample Form (PDF) to gather all  the necessary content, then cut and paste into Handshake when you're ready.

The CEO will review your submitted ILA and start the approval process, which is all managed in Handshake.  Handshake will send an email to your Academic Advisor to review the experience. After they approve it, it will continue to the next approver (Faculty Internship Sponsor) on the list, and follows that sequential order for Site Supervisor and the Office of Global Education (if applicable).  If the approver misses their deadline or chooses to not approve the experience, the approval process will be halted and “Needs Review”.

You will be able to track the process via Handshake to determine the status of the process.

September 1, 2023 – Early deadline to submit an ILA for Fall internships.

October 6, 2023 - Final deadline to submit an ILA for Fall internships.

December 8, 2023 - Work due to Faculty Internship Sponsor for Fall internships; Final deadline to submit an ILA for Winter internships. 

January 24, 2024 - Work due to Faculty Internship Sponsor for Winter internships.

February 2, 2024 - Early Deadline to submit an ILA for Spring internships.

March 15, 2024 - Final Deadline to submit an ILA for Spring internships.

May 9, 2024 - Work due to Faculty Internship Sponsor for Spring internships.

Please review first: 

• ILA Information Sheet (PDF)
• ILA Sample Form (PDF)
• Internship Learning Agreement (ILA) - Submit an Experience in Handshake

Student Reflection on Internship Experience

Performance Evaluation - Will be emailed to the internship site supervisor

During the fall and spring semesters, most full time students build their internship course into their course load.  If internship courses exceed the 18-hour max, students will need to 1) petition the Associate Provost to be in overload, and 2) pay any fees associated with that overload. For more information, please see the Full-Time Undergraduates section on this page.

For summer and winter internships, there is a per-credit fee associated with registering for an academic course for an internship. For more information, please see the Part-Time Undergraduate section on this page.