The Office of Engaged Learning - Internships and Prior Learning supports active learning for UIS students, including internships, service learning, projects, and prior learning assessment.

Move beyond the traditional learning space to engage in career-education experiences. Students explore applied, professional, and career-driven opportunities, such as internships, professional projects, and research projects. These work-integrated learning experiences are designed to expand knowledge, develop skills, and enable students to acquire relevant work experience. Service experiences combine learning and community action goals with enriching reflection opportunities to study social and civic responsibility, develop multicultural understanding, and discover career paths, while contributing to the common good. Students can earn credit through prior learning assessment if they demonstrate substantive learning gained from extensive work and training experiences. Potentially, this process can save time toward degree completion and reduce education costs. 

Office Hours: Monday – Friday: 8:30 AM – 5:00 PM

Internships and Prior Learning Services

IPL is a program under the Office of Engaged Learning and consists of 4 categories of experiences: Internships, Projects, Prior Learning Assessment, and Service-Learning.

• Internships enable students to obtain real-world exenable students to obtain real-world experience in their area of study. Students earn credit by completing a course concurrently with a field experience: either an internship (IPL 300) or a project (IPL 301).
• Projects allow for students to do a Project instead of a traditional internship. The project (IPL 301) is very independent in nature, requiring good organizational skills and attention to self-imposed deadlines. Projects should relate to your major and must be approved by both the student’s department and an IPL Coordinator.
• Prior Learning Assessment gives students an opportunity to earn credit for past college-level learning. Students earn credit by completing an online course (IPL 305 or IPL 501) and developing a portfolio about their experiences.
• Service-Learning courses allow students to engage with the community and develop an understanding of civic responsibility by providing community service to non-profit agencies as part of their coursework.

Contact IPL - Complete this online form to schedule an appointment or seek assistance from the IPL Office.