Expand Your Resume with an Internship
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.
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 ELR 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 in the program of study has been made, but prior to the completion of course work. However, they cannot be undertaken until a student has completed or is scheduled to complete 18 credit hours (this can include internship credit hours). Students can do an internship in any term during the academic year.
Start By Meeting with the Internship Director
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, Scott Decker.
Students doing an internship are supervised by an on-site supervisor as well as by the department's internship director. Students must complete a weekly log of the experience, a formal internship paper, and portfolio at the conclusion of the internship.
Flexible Calendars Make It Work for Your Schedule
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 120 hours of work, and a six-credit internship requires 240 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.