Students seeking academic credit for internships should follow the Internship Steps.

Internships to earn academic credit are available to undergraduate students who have completed at least three 300-400 level courses in their major.

• The internship is required by the College of Business & Management (minimum 3 credits), Criminology & Criminal Justice (min. 6 credits), Legal Studies (min. 3 credits), and Political Science (min. 6 credits) programs.
• Note: The Teacher Education Program, Clinical Laboratory Science, and Social Work Programs do not participate in the IPL internships and those students should contact their department.

The internship course (IPL 300) can fulfill a student’s ECCE Engagement or ECCE Elective requirements. Internship credit can also be used within the major and for general electives at the discretion of the student’s academic advisor and the department of the student’s major. A petition may be necessary.

It is the student’s responsibility to find and apply for an internship. The IPL office maintains a list of internship positions and can assist students in identifying potential internships and completing application materials.

The student must arrange to work, at minimum, 50 clock hours at his/her internship for every credit he or she attempts to earn.

Internship Course Application

The Internship Course Application should be completed after the student secures an internship position.  The form requires the signature of two parties:

1. The field supervisor, or the supervisor at the internship site, and
2. a department faculty member. The department representative should determine that the student is academically prepared for the internship and that the credit will be used for degree progress. In addition, the signature indicates that the internship is appropriate for the college-level learning required of the student’s course of study.

Once the application is complete the student must submit it to the IPL office. The IPL staff will then issue the student course approval to register for IPL 300. The course application must be submitted no later than the end of the first full week of classes.

The UIS supervisor

The UIS supervisor is the student’s faculty advisor or another faculty member who has volunteered or been assigned to serve as a mentor for the internship. When the department faculty member approves the internship course application, he/she has the option to serve as the UIS supervisor for the internship.

• Note: CBM, CCJ, PSY, and CSC have specific processes regarding the assignment of the UIS supervisor.  Please contact your department chair or the IPL Office for more information.

The UIS Supervisor has three duties:

1. To attend (in person or via phone or video call) one midterm conference about halfway through the semester. At the midterm conference, the UIS Supervisor meets with the student and the Field Supervisor. The student is responsible for scheduling the midterm conference at a time convenient for all.  Please review more information about the midterm conference.
2. To review and endorse the student’s learning contract at or immediately after the time of the midterm conference.
3. To review and assess the completed internship materials and endorse awarding the credit (or not).

To earn academic credit, the student must enroll in the internship course, IPL 300, during the semester in which the student is interning.

• The course is a variable credit course offered for 2 to 12 credits. Students must work 50 internship hours for every 1 credit hour they seek.
• The course is a non-graded, credit/no credit course.

The student will have an instructor for the course. The instructor will guide the student through the course assignments that require the student to reflect on the learning that has occurred during the internship.

Students may also complete an internship at their place of current employment if they can coordinate with their supervisor to create a learning experience by identifying new tasks, responsibilities, projects, etc. Generally speaking, the internship should run concurrently with UIS academic semester, but students may propose an early or late start if an opportunity has presented itself.

Internships can be completed abroad in coordination with the Study Away Programs.

Students may also earn credit by completing the Project course (IPL 301), service-learning courses, or the Prior Learning Course (IPL 305).

Students who wish to complete an internship, but not earn academic credit, should review internship listings on the Career Development Center’s Career Connect.