The short-term internship programs offer students real world professional development through supervised learning opportunities while helping employers fill their staffing needs.
Details of Internships
Internships may occur in the fall, spring and/or summer semesters. Internship range from 2-9 months in duration although the average internship lasts about a semester. A normal workweek is usually between 10 and 15 hours, although some students are interested in working longer hours. Details about the number of hours worked, length of internship, rate of pay and other specifics are negotiated between employers and potential interns with the guidance of a faculty adviser or the career center. Normally, an intern does not receive employee or retirement benefits.
Types of Internships include:
- Paid or Unpaid
- Academic credit or Experience only
- Note: Students earning academic credit are 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.
For Credit Internships
Employers offering internships for academic credit must 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.
- FALL: mid August through early December
- SPRING: January through early May
- SUMMER: June through end of July
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.
Employers must sign an agreement that they are offering credit, complete an initial performance review, and submit a final evaluation of the intern’s performance.
Any intern seeking academic credit must meet the total number of required hours that coincide with the amount of academic credit they seek.
- 1 Academic Credit = 10 hours for 13 weeks (for Fall & Spring interns), 130 hours (for Summer interns)
- 2 Academic Credits = 12 hours for 13 weeks (for Fall & Spring interns), 156 hours (for Summer interns)
- 3 Academic Credits = 15 hours for 13 weeks (for Fall & Spring interns), 195 hours (for Summer interns)
Not all internships must be completed for academic credit if the student does not need the credit to graduate. In this case, the student would work for an organization as a part-time temporary employee. It is recommended that all of these types of positions be paid to meet government regulations for interns.
Email the position description and details to careerdevelopment@lipscomb.edu. It will be posted to Bison JobTrax where interested students can contact you directly.
We recognize this may be a new process for employers and that you have questions. We are happy to discuss your organization's individual situation. Contact Allison West, Assistant Director of Career Development and Internship Coordinator at Allison.West@lipscomb.edu. You may also contact Monica Wentworth, Director of Career Development at monica.wentworth@lipscomb.edu.
Non- Credit internships
Internships that are for experience only more like a part-time temporary work arrangement between the student and the employer. Many students may not need the additional internship credit to graduate and elect to do it for experience only. Employers must determine if that fits their structure.