Internships

Internship experiences allow students to reinforce skills and principles learned through their coursework as well as to develop additional practical expertise. Consequently both master's and doctoral students in the IP&T program are required to be involved in internships.

The internship is a "real world" work experience under the supervision of a qualified professional. The student performs work on a professional level for a client who may or may not be within the university community. The internship may or may not involve remuneration.

Current employment may count towards internship credit provided you explain in writing as part of your contract how you will augment your normal experience during the semester/term in which you receive credit. Your internship supervisor will also certify that you completed these supplements as part of the grading process. This is to ensure that you are receiving academic credit for a learning experience that stretches you (similar to students who receive internships for new work experiences), and not just for work you would have done regardless of your student status. In exceptional cases, and with prior approval of the internship coordinator, your standard work assignment(s) may count for internship credit without additional modification.

Examples of how you could extend your current assignments include (but are not limited to) the following: seeking additional mentoring from your supervisor or a more experienced employee with whom you do not normally interact; contributing to a project outside your common work assignments; meeting with a member of the faculty three to four times throughout the semester to help connect your work experiences to the academic side of the field; or coaching other members of your team on knowledge/skills learned in your IP&T courses.