In the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, students can get academic credit for approved internship courses. The specific nature and educational objectives of internships vary widely: Some are intended as preprofessional learning experiences; others offer opportunities for applied research; still others provide practical application of principles learned in the classroom.
To search for internship opportunities, visit the Center for Career Development’s HuskyCareerLink. You can also review the list of majors and programs that offer internships for course credit.
Some frequently asked questions and policies about CLAS internships:
How can I get credit for my internship?
To receive credit for an internship, a student must enroll in an internship course prior to undertaking the work. No credit may be given, retroactively, for internship work undertaken without being properly enrolled in advance.
How many internship credits can I take?
A student may count up to 15 internship credits towards a bachelor’s degree in CLAS. Each credit for internship work must entail at 42 hours of work per semester or term.The required number of hours of work must be stated clearly in the contract for the internship (see below).
What is an internship contract?
All internship courses must include as an integral part a learning contract, or work plan that is signed by both the instructor of record and the internship supervisor.
The instructor of record for all internship work must be a University of Connecticut faculty member or a person approved, in writing, to serve in that capacity by the Head or Director of the Department or Program offering the internship. The instructor of record is responsible for assigning the grades.
Each student also must have an assigned internship supervisor at the work site. The internship supervisor must agree (by signing the contract) to supervise the work and to participate in the evaluation of the student’s performance at the end of the internship. Interns may not be supervised by undergraduate students.
How do I know if I am eligible for an internship?
Students on academic probation will not in most cases be allowed to register for more than six credits of internship course work.
How will I be graded?
Internships in CLAS may be offered under two different headings:
- “Internship: Field Study,” involving the line or staff operation of a business or agency. Grading in a course titled “Internship: Field Study” must be on an S/U (satisfactory/unsatisfactory) basis.
- “Internship: Research/Seminar.” Letter grades may be assigned in courses titled “Internship: Research/Seminar.” Departments may require concurrent enrollment under both titles (field study and research/seminar).
Will I get paid?
The College does not forbid monetary payment for internship work, provided that such payment is incidental to the experiential learning to be gained from the work.
What about political lobbying?
Some internships allow students to participate in organizations and advocacy groups that perform or disseminate research, or engage in legislative lobbying, in order to affect the content of legislation or budgetary decisions. The College recommends that internship supervisors not assign student interns to activities on behalf of legislation or budget decisions directly affecting the University of Connecticut. It is especially in the best interests of the University that none of its interns be engaged in face-to-face legislative lobbying for the University.
Other questions? Please see the CLAS Committee on Courses and Curricula’s website.
