Computer Information Systems Internship Information

To name a few the professional or intellectual level of the required work and/or job responsibilities, required technical, professional or corporate background or skills, and managerial or strategic focus on activities (as opposed to technical, line-level or task-level responsibilities).

The minimum length of an internship is no less than eight (8) weeks. The maximum length of an internship is no more than sixteen (16) weeks. Long-semester (Fall and Spring) internships are expected to run the entire semester. In any case, the required minimum number of work hours must be satisfied (see below).

No, but you must work consistently and preferably no less than half time, completing the required work hours.

No less than 150 hours of work on the approved job must be completed in the internship semester. Under certain special circumstances, a student can request in advance to extend the internship period into the next academic semester to be able to accumulate the required work hours. The grade of “Incomplete” will be issued (if the intern is making satisfactory progress) until all requirements are met.

Not necessarily, but it should be a bona-fide employment arrangement. Most companies will need to have you set up on some kind of contractual relationship and pay to “get you on the books.” You should be treated and feel as though you are a regular employee, with all the pertinent responsibilities.

The employer should make a good faith effort to provide you with relevant work experience in sufficient quantity to satisfy the time and quality requirements. As previously stated, the employer must provide you with professional IT/IS supervision and mentoring. As part of the approval process, the employer must timely complete and submit the required application form. As part of the completion process, the job supervisor must timely complete and return your performance evaluation at the end of the internship semester before your grade can be issued.

You do. The Internship Coordinator does not operate a placement service. We do not have a list of jobs waiting for interns, nor do we act as a broker in any way placing students in internships or finding employers for prospective student interns. From time to time we do receive requests from companies for interns. When that occurs, we attempt to publicly communicate these opportunities to students. But, you must take the initiative to inquire and follow up. We WILL help you with general advice on appropriateness of an opportunity for you, developing your application strategy, working on your approach to a company, refining your application letter and resume, as well as coaching for interviews. The internship experience is the best preparation possible for getting your first job after graduation. The internship job search process is an important element of that overall experience. Almost all interested students who follow through with the process do find a good internship opportunity.

You must satisfy all periodic progress reporting requirements as stated in the Internship Guidelines. You must communicate with the Internship Coordinator (1) prior to, (2) within the first week of the semester, (3) during the semester, and (4) near the end of the internship semester, in addition to all other required reporting. It is your responsibility to get timely feedback to make sure everything is on track on the academic side; your grade depends on it! You will help coordinate any on-site visits that may be requested by the coordinator. Also, you must complete the Final Summary Report paper and submit during the Final Exam week for that semester. It is also a good idea to make sure that your supervisor submits your performance evaluation to the Internship Coordinator in a timely manner. In order to get a grade in the course, you need to make sure that the Internship Coordinator has all of your materials prior to the grade submission deadline for the semester.

Typically, the answer is ‘no’. An internship is designed to expose students to new, practical knowledge within their discipline. An existing job typically does not provide that kind of experience. If you have an opportunity for a significant change in your current job function where you work and that change is specifically related to your academic discipline, consult with the internship coordinator before such a transition occurs to determine whether or not your new functions will satisfy the internship requirements.

Yes. Your advisor has the last word. Advisors sometimes prefer that you take other coursework to strengthen your program rather than an internship. Your regularly-assigned advisor must send some kind of notice of authorization or denial of your internship to the Internship Coordinator. The Internship Coordinator cannot override the advisor’s decision. Any appeal must go to the Department Head then Dean, as needed.

Again, the advisor may or may not think a second internship is in your best interest compared to other coursework. The advisor may allow a second internship if he/she deems it valuable to your degree plan. If the second internship is allowed by the advisor, it must be in a different employment setting and consist of significant and distinctly different learning experiences from the prior internship. The Internship Coordinator has the last word on whether these criteria have been met, even if the advisor approves the second internship “in concept.”

No. This does not meet the above definitions and criteria of internship. HOWEVER, it could qualify as a Special Project independent study course. With your advisor’s approval to do such a course, you may approach any of our full-time faculty to help you develop and supervise you in such a project. Guidelines of a Special Project are approved through written contract with the supervising faculty member. These courses are not approved nor supervised by the Internship Coordinator.

No — not work that was done before the application is made. In special cases it might be possible to request to do all internship work one semester but enroll for the grade in the next semester. If approved to do that, you would make all the arrangements and get approval, do the entire internship and required reporting, complete all the requirements in one semester, but enroll and receive the credit in the following semester. This must be requested and approved well in advance. Because this calls for extra work and responsibility for both the student and Internship Coordinator, approval is not guaranteed.

No more or less than any other outside job. It is subject to all the guidelines stated above, particularly related to “IT/IS organization” and “supervision by an IT/IS professional to mentor and supervise”.

You will normally be graded by the Internship Coordinator. Internship academic supervision and grading can be done by other faculty member(s) as appointed by the department head. Your reporting and communication must be done with the Internship Coordinator AND the other faculty member, when assigned.

It is possible to make a low or failing grade in an internship by not satisfying the criteria above, or if you are dismissed before the end of the internship for inadequate performance (from the perspective of either the employer or the Internship Coordinator). Termination of an internship prematurely for issues other than performance (e.g., personal emergencies or employer problems) may be eligible for a grade of “incomplete” and completion under different circumstances. The intern must responsibly communicate and work closely with the Internship Coordinator if such a situation arises.