Internship Requirements

Purpose:

Internship is a self-initiated, supervised work experience with appropriate private organizations, businesses, or government agencies. Students enhance their professional preparation by applying the knowledge and skills acquired in the classroom setting to the work environment.

Time Commitment:

Students must document 45 hours of internship activity to earn 1 credit.
HD 498 (1-8 credits)

Internship Requirement for HD Majors:

Students pursuing the B.A. in Human Development are required to complete a supervised internship experience. Please note:

  • A minimum of three credits are required for the major
  • A maximum of four credits will count toward satisfying major requirements.
  • Additional internship credits may be taken, but will be counted as general university elective credits that will count toward satisfying the 120 semester hours that are required of all students for graduation.
  • In special circumstances, upon recommendation of a student's advisor, the internship coordinator, and/or the department chair, an individual study may be substituted for the internship requirement. Students for whom the individual study option is deemed most appropriate, may not enroll in internship credits.

Any questions you may have about credits that apply toward completing major or minor course work should be directed to your Academic Advisor or the Academic Coordinator for Human Development, Jackie McReynolds.

Getting Started:

During the semester prior to your internship.

  1. Meet with your advisor to determine whether a Human Development internship is appropriate at this point in your academic development and fits in your degree plan.
  2. Pick up an HD Internship application from your advisor or the student pick up files.
  3. Go to the HD bulletin board to sign up for an appointment with the internship faculty advisor, Jane Lanigan.
  4. Prior to your scheduled appointment, complete a draft of your resume and the internship application. Start thinking about prospective internship sites and exploring your options.
  5. After your advising appointment, contact prospective internship sites to arrange interviews.
  6. Once you make your final selection, email your site selection reflection to the internship coordinator. You will be given the SLN to register on METRO. Internship has a controlled registration. This means you cannot be locked out of the course.
  7. This process must be completed before the 10th day of classes. Students that have not made final internship arrangements by the 10th day will have to enroll the following semester.
  8. A list of all students applying for internship placement will be presented to faculty. If a faculty member expresses concern regarding a student's preparation or the appropriateness of a field experience, a meeting will be scheduled to discuss those concerns. The meeting will be attended by the student, internship coordinator, department chairs and possibly other faculty.

Upon Enrollment:

Prior to beginning of your internship experience.

  1. Go to Blackboard where all internship forms, assignments and general information are located. Download the Learning Agreement, Participation Agreement and Release of Liability.
  2. Make an appointment to meet with your internship site supervisor to complete the Learning Agreement and Participation Agreement. Write a draft of your learning goals to present to your site supervisor, but expect to revise and develop those goals together.
  3. Fill out the Release of Liability Form
  4. Make an appointment with the HD Internship Coordinator to submit the forms and complete the Portfolio Contract for the semester. You must communicate with the HD Coordinator and have an appointment scheduled prior to the 10th day of classes. Interns who have not communicated with the internship coordinator prior to the 10th day of classes will be administratively dropped from HD 498.

During Your Internship:

  1. Contact the Internship Coordinator if you have any questions, issues or concerns regarding your placement, responsibilities, site supervisor or an incident that occurs during your internship.
  2. Adhere to the requirements in the Learning Agreement, Participation Agreement and Portfolio Contract.
  3. Keep copies of all assignments/time logs submitted.
  4. Post your introduction on blackboard. Tell fellow interns about your placement, your goals and yourself. Complete other posts as specified in your Portfolio Contract.
  5. Submit assignments/time logs on the date indicated on your portfolio contract. Late assignments will lose 10% of their point value for each business day they are late.
  6. Time logs must be signed by your internship site supervisor. Therefore they should be placed in the student drop box. A copy may be faxed or scanned and emailed to the internship coordinator to meet deadlines, but the original time log must be submitted.
  7. All other assignments may be emailed to the HD Internship Coordinator. They will be graded online and returned. A copy of the intern's final paper will be kept for the internship file.
  8. Begin collecting artifacts, taking photos (as appropriate) and assembling your professional/ internship portfolio.
  9. Students are expected to communicate with the internship coordinator if circumstances prevent completion of assignments or internship hours. Students who don't contact the internship coordinator will receive an F if they fail to show consistent progress towards completion of their portfolio contract for the semester.

Before You Leave Your Internship Placement:

  1. The HD internship coordinator will send an evaluation directly to your supervisor to complete. The results will be shared at the exit interview. A copy of the evaluation will be kept in the student's file.
  2. Consider asking your internship supervisor and other appropriate individuals for a written recommendation or to serve as a reference.
  3. Complete the site evaluation form and submit it to the HD internship coordinator.
  4. Complete the internship experience evaluation survey located on Blackboard.
  5. Students who have completed three or more internship credits and/or finished their final internship experience should schedule an exit interview. Students who have not completed a total of three credits and who intend to enroll in further internship credits do not need to schedule an exit interview. Those students need to contact the internship coordinator and request the SLN to enroll during the internship advising period.