Internship Guidelines

Overview

IAS students may earn a maximum of 15 independent study credits at UWT. Internship may account for 10 of these credits. The internship option is available to students during their final 45 credits at UWT. Please see the Independent Study Guidelines for important information about IAS independent study options and procedures.

What is an internship?

Internships combine academics and work at a site outside the classroom setting. They provide students with a unique opportunity to work on carefully selected projects with an employer, and under the direct supervision of a faculty member who has an interest in this area of study. Internships offer opportunities for career exploration and provide IAS students with opportunities to explore employment/academic options while simultaneously receiving college credit. Internships provide valuable work experience that can be included on students' resumes.

Internships must be mutually beneficial to both the student and the employer. An internship experience is an integrated academic and professional experience aimed at growth and development. The employing agency is expected to assign the student tasks that are of interest and educational value as well as of benefit to the agency/business.

Internships may be paid or unpaid. Payment for internship work is subject to business/agency policy and is negotiated between the student and the business/agency. Whether or not the student is paid has no bearing on the granting of credit provided all requirements of the Internship Learning Agreement are met successfully.

Faculty sponsorship of internships is at the discretion of the IAS faculty. Details about the academic and work expectations are outlined in a mutually agreed-upon contract between the work site supervisor, a faculty member, and a student. In addition to working at the site, students are expected to complete agreed-upon academic requirements.

Students considering pursuing internships should prepare during the quarter preceding the one in which they plan to register for the internship.

Steps in the Process

1. Determine the type of work you wish to do and identify the learning objectives you wish to accomplish by engaging in this type of work.
2. Select the work site and identify a site supervisor. You may identify your own potential work sites within the community, or visit UWT Career Services to review the various types of internships completed by other students. Local businesses, government, non-profit agencies, and educational institutions regularly utilize interns. Some IAS faculty members know community members who would be excellent site supervisors and can help you make this connection. Contact a supervisor at the potential work site to discuss an internship for you.
3. Contact a faculty member with your plan of work and study. Consider which member of the IAS faculty teaches courses in a similar area. It greatly helps to have taken a course from that faculty member, and have a familiarity with the curriculum that parallels what you wish to accomplish in your internship experience.
4. Determine the number of credits you wish to attempt. Generally, 3 hours/week on site over the course of an 11 week quarter will earn 1 credit. In addition to working at the site, students are expected to complete academic requirements including a work log/journal, a final paper related to the work project and a self-evaluation of the internship experience. See details regarding internship meetings and course assignments
5. Check with an IAS adviser or faculty member about appropriate placement of these internship credits in your program of study. Remember, internships are offered only on a credit/no credit basis.
6. Once you, the faculty member, and the site supervisor have an agreed-upon plan, complete the Internship Form. Forms are located on the Independent Study page. FORMS MUST BE TYPED! It is your responsibility to obtain the appropriate course number and SLN from the quarterly registration guide. Sign the completed form.
7. Ask your faculty sponsor and site supervisor to review and sign the completed form. Make copies of the signed form (the original will be kept in the IAS program office) so you have copies for your faculty sponsor, your site supervisor, and for your own records. Bring the original signed form to the IAS Program Office to obtain an entry code for registration.
8. COMPLETION OF THE FORM DOES NOT MEAN YOU ARE AUTOMATICALLY ENROLLED. USE THE ENTRY CODE TO REGISTER BEFORE THE TENTH DAY OF THE QUARTER.

Meetings

In addition to the initial meetings, students are expected to confer on a weekly basis at a specified time, with either the field supervisor or the faculty sponsor to review and assess the student's performance and progress in the internship. Conferencing via email is also encouraged.

Course Assignments

• Work Log: Students must maintain a weekly work log in which they keep a record of their work and their comments and reflections on it. The log should be submitted to the faculty sponsor at least twice during the quarter and again with the final paper.
• Final Paper: Students must submit a paper at the end of the quarter. The paper should provide an analysis of an issue or issues related to the field work experience, and should use relevant books, articles, and other reference sources suggested and approved by the faculty sponsor, to give depth and a broader perspective to work experiences. The paper may vary in length according to the number of credits being earned: 1-2 credits = 4-5 pages, 3-4 credits = 7-8 pages, 5 credits = 10-15 pages.
• Self Evaluation: Students must submit an evaluation of their internship, 1‑2 pages in length, indicating whether their goals were met, how they performed their responsibilities, and whether their ideas and attitudes changed as a result of the experience.

Tips for Success

Start early! Use your connections, if you have them. Consider working at the school your children attend, at the law office of a neighbor, an agency your church supports, or visit a nonprofit organization whose work interests you, or that you read good things about in the newspaper.

Visit possible Internship sites and discuss your desire to learn about the business while working there. Stress the project-oriented feature of internships.

Speak to potential faculty sponsors, and give them as much lead time as possible. Be aware that the professor you speak to may modify or decline your request. Our faculty members have many obligations, and are not always able to take on these extra teaching responsibilities. It can work to your benefit to be flexible; the professor or business you have chosen may be available to work with you during another quarter.

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