Requirements of For-Credit Internships

In order for an internship to be eligible for academic credit at UIS, it must meet the following requirements:

• Internships must provide a learning experience, with the opportunity to apply knowledge gained in the classroom. It may not simply advance the operations of the employer, or be work that a regular employee would routinely perform.
• Skills or knowledge gained from the experience must be transferable to other employment settings.
• Routine feedback must be provided by an experienced supervisor (Field Supervisor).
  • The Field Supervisor should not be a member of the intern’s family.
• There must be clearly defined learning objectives/goals related to the professional goals of the student’s academic coursework (will be developed in IPL300 course).
• Resources, equipment, and facilities must be provided by the employer to support learning objectives/goals.
• The internship must meet the minimum length and total hours requirements:
  • Fall and Spring – minimum of 8 weeks (average 15 weeks)
  • Summer – minimum of 6 weeks
  • All semesters – 50 work hours = 1 credit; 2 credits (100 hours) minimum
• Students must be enrolled in IPL300 internship course at the same time as their internship experience to earn academic credit.
  • Note that regular tuition and fees will be assessed for this course.
• A position may be a traditional internship, a part-time job, or a full-time job. Both paid and unpaid internships are eligible for academic credit.
  • In some cases, volunteer work may be eligible for internship credit if it is highly structured and supervised similar to a job.
• Internship at Current Employer – students who already work in a role or organization related to their major/degree field may be able to earn internship credit at their current employer. Students earning credit this way must take on additional responsibilities, projects, or tasks in order to achieve a learning experience. All other criteria must be met.

Field Supervisor Responsibilities

• Sign off on your IPL300 application. When you are ready to register for the internship course, you will need to fill out a course application online. Your Field Supervisor will be asked to sign off on your application to confirm that the information provided is correct.
• Meet with you at least once a week to provide guidance and feedback, answer questions, and discuss challenges.
• Participate in a Midterm Conference between you, your Field Supervisor, and your UIS Faculty Supervisor. This is usually a 30-minute Zoom call that happens about midway through your internship experience.
• Submit an evaluation at the end of the semester (collected via online form).

If your Field Supervisor has questions about the internship process, please encourage them to reach out to OEL@uis.edu.

Next Steps

• Start an internship search on Handshake
• Schedule a meeting with OEL staff for questions about the internship process
• Complete IPL300 application on EngageU (once you have an internship lined up)

Questions?

If you have questions or need additional support with finding an internship opportunity or signing up for IPL300, please email OEL@uis.edu or schedule a meeting with us.