LU students can gain internship experience in any combination of the following options: paid, unpaid, for academic credit, or for experience only while not gaining academic credit.   If your organization seeks an intern who is gaining academic credit, faculty approval is required. (See specific details below under Academic Credit for Internship Participation.) If a student is earning academic credit for the internship, he or she will be required to pay for the hours earned.  For this reason, internships that are “unpaid and for credit only” receive the least amount of interest from students.

Academic Credit for Internship Participation

Often employers wish to target students who seek academic credit for internship participation.  If this is the case, you must be willing to comply with university guidelines while offering the student a variety of opportunities that are relevant to the academic department granting credit.  For interns receiving academic credit, the internship duration should coincide as closely as possible to the semester in which the student is receiving credit.

Semesters:   

 Fall

mid August through early December

 Spring

January through early May

 Summer

June through end of July

The following basic requirements must be met for a student to receive academic credit for internship participation:

•  
  The university gives credit based on learning outcomes, we call them “objectives”, and the overall value to the student completing your internship.  These objectives should describe the skills, activities, and professional development opportunities relative to the academic major you are targeting with the opportunity.  For example, a marketing internship might offer new client identification, marketing collateral development including content development, research and execution, and sales training prior to entering the field to call on new clients.  
• You must be willing to follow the university requirements in order for a student to earn credit for the internship. This includes allowing the intern to attend a required internship orientation held on campus during the first week of campus as well as you completing paperwork including an agreement and two reviews of the intern.
  
•  Any intern seeking academic credit must meet the total number of required hours that coincide with the amount of academic credit they seek. See chart below for required number of internship hours worked.

 Academic Credit
Granted

Internship Hours
Per Week

Total Hours
Interning

1

10 for 13 weeks

130

2

12 for 13 weeks

156

3

15 for 13 weeks

195

For Fall and Spring Interns

For Summer Interns

For academic credit to be granted to an intern, you must submit your internship for review of the appropriate faculty members.  Complete the internship submission form paying close attention to the “objectives” section when describing the activities and professional development opportunities the intern will receive.  Your internship will be reviewed and posted on eRecruiting where interested students can view the opportunity and apply directly with you.

Salt: Service-Learning Internship Participation

Lipscomb students may also participate in an internship opportunity as a part of The SALT (Serving and Learning Together) Project.  SALT is an academic service-learning program where students enhance and develop skills and knowledge by engaging in service work in the community.  The SALT Project is an intentional approach to educate students more holistically through service-learning.  Enhanced academic understanding, increased civic engagement, a lifelong commitment to service, spiritual and personal development are all expected outcomes of this project.

 The following are basic criteria for a SALT Internship:

• The internship will have concrete and specific learning and service objectives. These goals will be identified by the employer and the student before the internship is approved.
• The internship work will positively impact the wider community and be
  in an area of public interest. 
• The internship may be a paid or unpaid experience.

• The student will complete specific reflection exercises during the internship experience and at the culmination of the internship work.

Click here for more information about The SALT Project.  If you have program specific questions, contact Christin Shatzer, Director of Service-Learning at (615) 966-7225 or via email at christin.shatzer@lipscomb.edu.

Only one form is used to evaluate internships for academic and SALT approval.  Submit your internship for review by completing the Internship Submission Form online.  After submission, your opportunity will be reviewed by the appropriate departments for approval and will be posted in eRecruiting accordingly.