Internships are intended to provide students with practical experience in their selected field of study. Generally speaking, internships are considered appropriate for students who have limited work experience in their area of study and who wish to develop greater insights into the practical applications of their university education.

CIRCUMSTANCES THAT JUSTIFY (OR ALLOW) A STUDENT TO REQUEST INTERNSHIP CREDIT

The Rucks Department of Management supports fully the value and role of internship experiences as part of a university education. However, it is philosophically opposed to awarding college credit to individuals for simply working. For an employment experience to be considered for internship credit all of the following specific elements/criteria must be met.

1. The work experience must provide a systematic learning experience.
2. The expected learning must be worthy of university credit in terms of substantive content and sophistication.
3. The expected learning is of applied nature or is of such a nature that it cannot be acquired in an existing course.
4. The organization in which the internship takes place must commit to providing a systematic educational experience for the intern, must provide a written summary of what the intern will be doing (and thus learning), and must provide an identifiable manager/employee who will be responsible for the intern’s training.
5. A faculty member must agree to accept the student as an intern and provide supervision commensurate with the student’s level of sophistication and the complexity of the internship.

EVALUATION OF STUDENT PERFORMANCE IN THE INTERNSHIP

The procedures and criteria for evaluating intern performance are similar to other university courses in that the individual faculty member involved determines the appropriate evaluative procedures.

At a minimum three written documents must be submitted to the supervising faculty member:

1. A written description of the planned internship activities must be submitted to the supervising faculty member at least 10 working days before the student begins work to allow the department advisor to review the proposed internship and approve it.
2. The organization providing the internship must provide a specific manager or business professional at the work site who agrees to provide a written report of the student’s accomplishments during the internship.
3. The student must submit a written report to the faculty member responsible for evaluating the internship performance.

Student evaluation (and thus grade determination) can be based on any number of measures, including one or more of the following:

1. Faculty-student discussion of internship activities
2. Short-papers written by the student about one or more internship topics/experiences
3. Oral and/or written examinations about substantive areas pertinent to the internship
4. A single term/internship paper critiquing the internship experience or critically analyzing a particular management challenge/issue.
5. Comments and/or performance evaluations provided by the manager responsible for supervising the student intern.

ESTABLISHING AN INTERNSHIP

There are no permanent or existing internships for which a student can register. Internships are established on a case-by-case basis, with the most internship opportunities occurring when:

1. An unsolicited request for a student intern comes into the Rucks Department of Management
2. A faculty member solicits an internship opportunity from a business and the company responds favorably to the solicitation.
3. A student approaches a particular company with a proposed internship, and the proposal meets all the requirements listed under “Circumstances that justify (or allow) a student to request internship credit.”

Other unpredictable events may result in internship opportunities. For example, businesses occupying the LA Business and Technology Center may present an opportunity for an internship or an individual faculty member may have a particular project that fulfills the previously state criteria. These opportunities present themselves infrequently, however.

LIMITATIONS AND PROCEDURAL RESTRICTIONS

All student-initiated internships must be approved before the student begins work. To ensure the department advisor has ample time to review the proposal and discuss it with the manager responsible for overseeing the student’s training, all student-initiated proposals must be submitted no later than 10 working days prior to the start of their employment. As a general rule, no student will be given credit for work performed for a business owned wholly, or in part, by their family. Any exception to this general rule must be approved by the Rucks Department of Management chairperson.

STILL WANT TO PURSUE AN INTERNSHIP?

If you are interested in discussing internship options further, please contact the Rucks Department of Management’s undergraduate internship coordinator.