Credit-Based Internship Program – Undergraduate Policies & Guidelines
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Department Chairperson Responsibilities (Continued):
2. Be responsible for maintaining the academic standards of the programs for which credit is
awarded in the department. This will include:
Ensuring that an appropriate faculty sponsor has been chosen by the student for each
program and will help the student reach his/her learning objectives.
Approving the Learning Agreement prepared by the student, employer, and faculty
sponsor.
Communicating with Career Center staff when there are issues, questions of
appropriateness, or updates to department requirements.
Career Center staff will:
1. Maintain a list of potential sites and resources to help students with an internship search.
2. Work with faculty and employers to expand the current list.
3. Assist and advise departments and faculty sponsors as necessary.
4. Develop and maintain the Learning Agreement and all formal program documents.
5. Instruct and inform students about application and registration procedures.
6. Assist students in identifying appropriate positions.
7. Review and approve agreements between students, the university, and employers.
8. Submit all credit information to the Registrar’s Office on a timely basis.
9. Submit to the Human Resources Office a finalized payroll list of faculty sponsors at the end of
each semester.
10. Maintain all student internship records.
Credit Approval Process
In order for a student to register academic credit for an internship experience, the student must follow
the following process.
1. The student must search, apply for, and obtain an internship experience that has a learning
focus and be oriented towards the internship definitions listed in this document (the position
may be called a full- or part-time position, seasonal work, or specified as an internship).
2. Once the position is obtained (the student has received confirmation and is hired for the
position), the student must complete the Credit-Based Internship Learning Agreement form,
available online at the Career Center’s website www.msmary.edu/career and
https://www.msmary.edu/internships) and begin gathering information to complete the
Learning Agreement.
3. Ideally, the student will first fill out their “Student Information”, then proceed to fill out the
“Internship Site Information” and “Internship Description / Learning Objectives” sections while
being in conversation with their internship site. Upon the completion of the section and
obtaining the signature of the site supervisor, the student will then proceed to the “Faculty
Sponsor and Course Information” section. Discuss with the chosen faculty sponsor the number
of credits, how the internship will fit within their academic schedule, and any “Grading Criteria”
which the faculty sponsor will assign.
4. Once all areas of the form and signatures are collected, the student must meet with or speak
with appropriate Career Center staff to review the Learning Agreement. The credit-based
internship is not finalized until Career Center staff approve and send the information to the
Registrar’s Office for processing.
5. The Career Center then forwards the information to the Registrar’s Office for official course
registration if all registration information is in order.
6. Students exceeding normal semester credit hours and registering overload credits must obtain
permission from the associate provost.
Internship Credit and Assessment Guidelines
Guidelines for determining the number of credits that can be earned for an internship experience have
been established to ensure that a standard university policy may prevail. As part of this, each academic
department has final approval of the number of credits permitted for each internship experience and
reserves the right to further limit the number of credits allowed towards major requirements.