Internships

There are many ways to find an internship, and students are encouraged to use all available resources to search for them. However, before a student can start an internship, it must first be reviewed and confirmed for academic credit by the Internships & Career Services team. Students should not accept any internship offer until it has been confirmed for credit by ICS.

To ensure that an internship is educational, and thus eligible to be considered a legitimate internship, we have adopted industry standards criteria for a quality internship:

• The experience must be an extension of the classroom: a learning experience that provides for applying the knowledge gained in the classroom. It must not be simply to advance the operations of the employer or be the work that a regular employee would routinely perform.
• The skills or knowledge learned must be transferable to other employment settings.
• The experience has a defined beginning and end, and a job description with desired qualifications.
• There are clearly defined learning objectives and goals related to the professional goals of the student’s academic coursework.
• There is supervision by a professional with expertise and an educational or professional background in the field of the experience.
• There is routine feedback by the experienced supervisor.
• There are resources, equipment and facilities provided by the host employer that support the learning objectives and goals.

ICS will not approve for academic credit any internship that is:

• Virtual/remote or not located in a professional setting (e.g., home offices, cafes)
• In a family-owned business or in an organization where a family member is supervising you or is in a position of authority over you
• In an organization where you have previously volunteered, interned, or worked
• Incompatible or not aligned with the internship seminar schedule
• Does not meet the total hours on-site requirement
• On-campus