The Logger: Student HandbookThe Logger: Student Handbook

Internship Program and Cooperative Education

Introduction
Internships and practicums place students into work-related settings where they may apply and extend knowledge acquired elsewhere in the curriculum and reflect upon their work experience within an academic context.

  • Practicums are supervised directly by a university faculty or staff member.
  • Internships are supervised at the work site by personnel of the agency or organization involved and on-campus by university faculty.
  • Cooperative education is academically related, off-campus, usually full-time paid work placement supervised by the employer, and graded (pass/fail only) by a faculty sponsor.  It is designed for students who plan to alternate semesters of on-campus study with off-campus work.

Eligibility

  • Students may enroll in an internship or practicum only if majoring or minoring in the field in which experience is desired, or if able to show other academic preparation judged by the director of internships to be appropriate to the placement.
  • Students seeking internships or practicums (a) have junior or senior standing; (b) must have the prior recommendation of their academic advisor; and (c) must have a minimum 2.50 grade average.
  • Students seeking a Cooperative Education placement should have:  (a) sophomore, junior, or senior class standing; (b) the recommendation of a faculty advisor; and (c) a minimum 2.50 cumulative grade average.

Expectations for Internships and Practicums

  • For one unit of credit, students will be expected to spend a minimum of 120 hours during the semester at the work site (or 80 hours if a thesis is required as an integral part of the experience), in addition to the time spent on the academic requirements of the course.
  • The syllabus or written agreement for each internship, course, or practicum must contain the following:  (a) a statement of learning objectives; (b) a list of the resources to be used (books, periodicals, persons to interview, and the like); and (c) a statement of the assignments that will be completed and the methods that will be used to evaluate whether the objectives have been attained.
  • Students are expected to attend a weekly seminar whose content includes analysis of the relation of liberal study to the world of work, job search techniques, and discussion of the internship placement experience.
  • Students involved in individual internships or practicums will participate in regular meetings with the faculty supervisor to discuss the experience and its relationship to knowledge previously acquired, and to meet other academic expectations specified in the written agreement.

Expectations for Cooperative Education Placements

  • A full-time employment position allows .50 unit of credit, or in special placements that include academic seminars pre-approved by the department, 1.0 unit of credit.  In some cases, students may complete a "parallel" part-time work placement for .25 unit while enrolled in other classes.
  • The learning agreement for each Cooperative Education placement must contain the following: (a) a job description; (b) specific learning objectives; and (c) the subject matter for the final written report.
  • Students involved in Cooperative Education placements will meet at least once each week with the placement supervisor to assess student progress on learning objectives and job performance.

Credit

  • No more than one unit of credit may be assigned to a practicum, internship, or cooperative education placement.
  • Where variable credit options are allowed, the department will specify the criteria applied for each variant.
  • No more than two units of cooperative education, practicum, or internship credit may be applied toward the bachelor’s degree.