What is an internship?

An internship is a short-term, supervised, career-related work experience. Any university student can participate in an internship. As an intern, you can work part-time, full-time, off-campus or on-campus in either paid or unpaid positions. In addition, you can receive academic course credit for your participation in an internship. 

“I know I want credit for my internship.”
For credit internship paperwork click here

“I’m still looking for more information about my options.”
Continue reading information below

How do I get academic course credit for my internship?

Here are the HIGH POINTS: 1. You MUST register for the internship course during the semester you are participating in the internship. 2. You can’t register UNTIL you get faculty approval, get a faculty override into the course, AND attend an internship orientation. 3. There is only ONE faculty member per department who gives approval to interns and it’s the department chair in most departments. 4. Attending an INTERNSHIP ORIENTATION is MANDATORY.

Remember, the internship is like a class but it is self-directed learning that takes place outside of the traditional classroom. We give you specific, professional development assignments along the way and together we work to track your progress. Since you are gaining academic credit, you will register for the course and pay the same cost per hour as you would for any other course on campus.

TIME COMMITMENT:

TYPES OF CREDIT:

• You can get credit in your major or minor but approval and an override into the internship course can only be given by the Departmental Internship Coordinator, that’s almost always the department chair.
• You might choose to pursue elective credit for participating in an internship. This option allows you to earn up to 6 hours of academic credit toward your 132 hour graduation requirement without the hours being applied to any specific academic department. Talk with a member of the CDC staff for additional details about the elective credit option.

REQUIREMENTS:

• Line up an approved internship placement: either locate pre-approved internships by major in eRecruiting OR talk with your Departmental Internship Coordinator about an opportunity you are pursuing.
• Attend an INTERNSHIP ORIENTATION: interns seeking credit during Summer 2010 should attend one of the following sessions: 
  
  
  

 At the orientation, we will discuss the university administrative requirements which include an Agreement, Objectives sheet, Initial Review, Monthly Logs, and a Final Evaluation. Your faculty may have additional academic requirements for you to complete as well.

· At the end of your internship, you will complete a PORTFOLIO that will tell the story of your professional development during the internship. You will get additional details and can see samples at the orientation and in the CDC.

Where do I find an internship?

ACADEMIC CREDIT or JUST GAINING EXPERIENCE:

· Visit eRecruiting to search for internships. Some have already been pre-approved for certain majors. The job title will say “Credit Internship In [Academic Department Name]”.

· If you line up a pre-approved internship, just attend the orientation then get faculty override to add the internship course to your schedule.

· If you find an internship on your own that is RELEVANT to your major or minor and want credit for it, just talk with your department chair about gaining approval of the opportunity or with the CDC about elective credit.

· SEARCH THE INTERNET or talk with a member of the CDC staff about other internships that are relevant to your career goals! There are so many opportunities available to you if you just look.

· If you aren’t looking to get academic course credit for your internship, your options are wide open. There are no restrictions on the limit or types of experiences you can gain.

· Whether you intern in Nashville, DC, New York, Hollywood, or your hometown, DREAM BIG.