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Overview: An academic internship is to be a structured out-of-class learning experience that takes place on or off campus. The internship should be a new, substantive experience rather than be a continuation or repeat of a current or previous work experience. The intern works and learns under the joint supervision of a faculty supervisor and site supervisor. The internship will have clearly defined learning objectives.
Course designations: An academic internship is any course with a 499x designation.
Qualifications: The student seeking to enroll in an academic internship must be in good academic and disciplinary standing, classified as junior or senior, be a declared major or minor in the department of the internship, meet the minimum grade point average and have satisfied the internship prerequisites. All requirements must be established in writing by each academic department.
Approval: All academic internships must be approved by the faculty supervisor of the department offering the major, minor, emphasis and/or concentration. The faculty supervisor must approve the internship based on criteria established in writing by the academic department. Variation from established criteria must be approved by the department chair.
Academic Internship Criteria: Each academic department will establish, in writing, (1) the minimum and maximum number of course credits; (2) the course prerequisites; (3) the length and minimum # of hours per credit; (4) the criteria for the approval of the internship including internship site, credentials of site supervisor, job duties, compensation, and location.
Approval of International Academic Internships: If an intern travels outside the United States as any part of an academic internship, it is considered an international internship. The student will inform both his or her faculty supervisor and the Career Development Center at least 2 months prior to the start of the planned internship. Prior to registration, the student will provide evidence of (1) international health and accident insurance; (2) registration of travel with the US consulate; (3) travel plans; (4) information related to emergencies (exit strategy, hospital information, and emergency contacts); (5) other info as needed. The university must receive confirmation of the internship with both the sending organization, if applicable, and the on-site staff BEFORE the student can be registered.
Registration: A student must have received confirmation from the internship site and approval from his or her faculty supervisor before they can register for the internship. Students enrolling in an internship must complete the Academic Internship Registration Form and the Liability Release Agreement. Hours logged before the completion of the Liability Release Agreement cannot be used to satisfy the course “minimum hours” requirement. Students must enroll in an internship for the term they do the internship. In the event that the internship overlaps with two terms, the student must register for the minimum number of credits required for the course for each term. If a student needs to register for internship credits before they have finalized the internship, they may register for GST 4095. This course functions as a credit placeholder course.
Faculty Supervisor: Students enrolling in an internship will be assigned a faculty supervisor. This faculty member is the internship course instructor of record. The primary duties of the faculty supervisor are (1) to approve the internship based on established criteria; (2) to work with the intern to develop learning objectives; (3) to make at least one contact (site visit or phone conversation) with the site supervisor during the internship; and (4) to assess the intern. Each department will establish in writing the faculty supervisor’s specific duties.
Site Supervisor: The site supervisor will be informed by the university that the intern is receiving academic credit for the internship. An Agreement of Responsibilities will be sent to each internship site after the student has registered. It should be signed by a representative of each internship site. The student and/or faculty supervisor must inform the on-site supervisor of the evaluation criteria, learning agreement and the need for site visits near the beginning of the internship. The on-site supervisor must not be directly related to the intern (i.e. immediate family).
Learning Agreement: The faculty supervisor and the intern will develop a learning agreement that is customized to the internship experience.
Evaluation: Students enrolled in an academic internship will be evaluated. Institutionally approved evaluation forms are to be completed by the student and the site supervisor near the end of the internship. If the internship site does not complete the evaluation, the faculty supervisor may still assign a grade for the internship. Additional evaluations required will be clearly established in writing by each academic department.
Grading: All internships will be graded using one of the grading scales included in the Faculty Resource Manual. The grading of an internship will be clearly established in writing by each academic department. An Incomplete grade is given only by prearrangement with the faculty supervisor when s/he is satisfied that there is valid reason. The Incomplete grade must be removed within ten calendar weeks from the end of the term. By the end of the eighth week of the internship (or comparable time for shorter internships) students receiving a grade of C- or less should be informed.
Tuition: Charges and eligibility for financial aid will follow established university policy.
Transfer of Internship Credits: Senior-level internship credits required for a University of Northwestern major may not be transferred from another institution unless written prior approval is obtained from the appropriate department chair to allow such a transfer. No internship credits can be given for past experiences.
Discipline: A student who is on academic or disciplinary probation will not be permitted to enroll in an internship. The university reserves the right to remove a student from an internship if the student is placed on probation during the internship period. Appeals will follow established university policy for academic or disciplinary probation. Tuition refunds will follow established university policy.