Department Requirements

  • The student must have completed IFMG 352 and IFMG 390
  • The student must have a major QPA of 3.00 and a university QPA of 2.75

Catalog Description

Prerequisites: IFMG 352 and 390, consent of department chairperson

Positions with participating business, industry, or governmental organizations provide the student with experience in systems analysis. Note: Course can be taken as a three-credit major-area elective requirement.

Work Experience

As part of the internship, the student will assume roles and responsibilities that will complement, supplement, and enhance his/her skills gained through the academic curriculum. The student will apply his/her skills in a real-life setting and gain the experience of working in a real organization with the aim of being better prepared in assuming job roles and responsibilities upon his/her graduation.

The internship in Information Systems and Decision Sciences should involve any combination of the following experiences:

  • Application Development and/or Maintenance
  • Quality Assurance and Testing
  • Database Development, Management, and Administration
  • System/Network Administration
  • System/Business Analysis
  • Project Management
  • Infrastructure Management and Provisioning
  • Information Assurance and Security
  • Business Intelligence and Decision Support
  • Business Process Management

University Supervisor

The duties and function of the departmental supervisor involve the following activities:

  • Assisting the student in finding the internship location
  • Preparing the student for the professional assumption of internship duties
  • Developing and approving a job description for the internship position
  • Establishing a visitation plan to be implemented during the internship period
  • Providing advice and soliciting feedback from the student during the experience
  • Working with the organizational internship supervisor to coordinate the student's work plan and to obtain an evaluation of the student's work experience
  • Determining the format and time schedule for providing all interim and final reports related to the internship experience
  • Evaluating the internship experience and assigning a final grade

Site Supervisor

The organizational supervisor is responsible for the following activities:

  • Selecting the student who will meet the company's requirement for the internship position
  • Developing a job description associated with the duties to be performed during the internship period
  • Establishing the time frame of the internshipSummer, Fall Semester, Spring Semester, etc.
  • Supervising the day-to-day activities of the intern
  • Providing an evaluation and feedback to the intern relative to his/her performance of duties on a regular interim basis
  • Consulting with the university supervisor to establish meeting times and to provide feedback and evaluations relative to the intern's work
  • Providing a report which summarizes the intern's work, including strengths and weaknesses, preparation, and appropriateness of specific courses and skills needed for job performance

Prior to beginning formal employment, the supervisor will provide to the department a letter stating the student's pay rate, hours, and task-specific duties per the items listed under "Work Experience" detailed above.

Steps Required to Obtain an Internship

The student will follow these steps in obtaining an internship:

  • Visit the Eberly College of Business and Information Technology and the Information Systems and Decision Sciences Department internship administrators to obtain internship and site information.
  • Prepare a resume detailing education and experience related to Information Technology.
  • Meet the prerequisites for an IUP internship:
    • 2.75 university overall QPA
    • 3.00 Information Systems and Decision Sciences major QPA
    • Passed IFMG 352 and IFMG 390
  • Work individually with a college and/or departmental coordinator to select a potential internship location.
  • Submit resumes to organizations which have been approved as internship locations.
  • After selection, work with the organization to develop a statement of internship goals and objectives and a specific job description to include with the internship application form.
  • Complete and submit the Student Internship Information Form and Employer Data Internship Information Form (available in Eberly 203).