Once you have received an offer from an employer and determined that you qualify to get academic credit for your internship, follow the steps listed below.
*Do not start a for-credit internship until you know you have been registered. Check your account to see if the registrar has added the EXL credits.
You are responsible for asking a professor in your department (this can be your academic advisor) to be your faculty sponsor. Please provide your faculty sponsor with full details of your internship at the time of your request and provide them with at least 2 weeks notice that you will need them to sign/approve your internship application (do not assume that they are available to do so!)
It is your responsibility to submit an internship application on the student portal before seeking the required signatures/approvals. A complete application includes a typed description of the specific duties and responsibilities of the internship, and your learning goals. Be specific! After submitting the application on the portal by the deadline, turn in the completed and signed internship application to the Career Development Center to
begin the approval process. Your Faculty Sponsor and Site Supervisor may send an email stating their approval in lieu of their physical signature on the application.
Your application must then be reviewed and approved by the curriculum chair before it is sent to the registrar.
** Approval is not guaranteed and incomplete applications will not move forward in the process.**
(If you are a Non U.S. Citizen: In addition to your contract, you need to attach a CPT request form and a formal offer letter from your internship on-site supervisor / employer.)
Internship workshops are held several times throughout the year. Additionally, once registered, you will receive an email that acts as your “Internship Orientation” with details about requirements and expectations. There will also be an Acknowledgement of Risks and Safety that you must either sign and return, or email the CDC stating your understanding and acknowledgement.
Throughout and at the end of your credit-bearing internship, you are expected to document and reflect on aspects of your experience in alignment with your learning goals the following ways:
Record the dates, number of hours worked, and the activities performed on your Hours Log. It is a useful tool for tracking that you have the correct number of hours. Submit to your faculty sponsor and the CDC at the end of the internship.
Reflect back on the experiences you had in your internship as they relate to your learning goals. Essays should be two pages long and are submitted to your faculty sponsor and the CDC at the end of the internship and form part of the basis for grading.
Complete any other project requirements identified in the internship application and turn in to the faculty sponsor by the end of the internship. These projects form part of the basis for grading.
Seek out feedback from your on-site supervisor at the end of the internship, and remind your supervisor to complete the supervisor evaluation form. The Career Development Center will email your site supervisor to provide a link to the evaluation. The student is responsible for following up with the site supervisor to ensure the evaluation is completed. The evaluation is part of the student grade.