Students must be in academic good standing and have received degree candidacy in order to elect an internship. No more than six internship credits may be applied to a graduate degree without written permission from the department and the graduate dean. All ILR majors are urged to elect an internship, and the department advises students that the ideal time for undertaking an internship experience is after substantial progress (24 credit hours) in the program of study has been made but prior to the completion of course work. An internship can be taken in any term.
Internships can be arranged to suit nearly any student preference and have in the past been arranged with a variety of private firms, government agencies, and labor unions. The most critical step in the development of an internship assignment is for the student to meet with the department’s internship director as early as possible to allow sufficient time for the necessary contacts and arrangements to be made. The primary obligation for arranging the internship rests with the student, but assistance from the department’s internship director is available. A student planning an internship is advised to prepare a draft resume and to review it with the internship director, Dr. David Piper.
Students doing an internship are supervised by an on-site supervisor as well as by the department’s internship director with on-site visits. Students must complete a weekly log of the experience and a formal internship paper at the conclusion of the experience.
Internships may be arranged for virtually any length of time and are not governed by the traditional university calendar. However, in calculating the amount of time which a student should spend working on an internship experience, the following formula should be used as the base: a three-credit internship requires 150 hours of work, and a six-credit internship requires 300 hours. The weekly expectations are adjusted according to the duration of the experience.
Students deciding to do an internship for elective credits are to use the following forms to assist them in recording the activities that they performed during the entirety of their internships.
Internship Log (Excel)
Internship Log (Word)
Internship Performance Review Form
