Internships and off-campus research experiences are an opportunity to gain valuable real-life experience in a professional field.
You will develop marketable skills through hands-on experience, build a network of contacts and gain insight into a professional field. These experiences are an important step towards finding a career that aligns with your personal and professional goals and passions. Many BSHS students incorporate them into their Capstone experience to try out a career path they are considering and gain knowledge and skills that are not available within the academic setting. The ultimate goal is for you to become prepared for your future career and life decisions.
- Search in GoldPASS. GoldPASS is the U of M's job and internship database, which lists opportunities just for U of M students.
- Use the internship hunt guide to help you discover internship opportunities.
- Contact your Student Success Coach.
Many students often decide to earn academic credits for an internship or for off-campus research to fulfill their graduation requirements or to fulfill requirements for a future career path that requires these experiences to appear on their transcript. Before deciding to do one of these experiences for academic credit, you are encouraged to consult with your Student Success Coach to verify this experience would fit your graduation plan.
Any academic credit must be granted based on learning. Students are expected to gain new skills and knowledge about the field of interest. The duties as an intern or researcher must be beyond day-to-day administrative operations. Listed below are common characteristics that are included in these activities:
- Collaborating with current employees on a project
- Exploring new strategies
- Communicating with new sectors
- Observing and learning from current employees
- Obtaining feedback and guidance from a supervisor
Step 1: Review Eligibility
To be eligible for applying for internships or off-campus research for credit, students must:
- have completed 60 credits by the semester of the proposed experience, and
- hold a cumulative GPA of 2.5 or higher.
Under some circumstances, the instructor of CLI 3496 and 4394 may waive one or more of the eligibility requirements. The eligibility and completion requirements apply only to those experiences for which students earn academic credit.
Step 2: Meet with the Instructor
Meet with the instructor, Bridget Tetteh-Batsa. of CLI 3496 Internship Experience and CLI 4394 Off-campus Research to make sure that your proposed experience is appropriate for academic credit. Attend this meeting with the details of your experience. The instructor will assess if your opportunity is appropriate for academic credit. You will need to show your current GPA and earned credits to verify eligibility.
Step 3: Apply with the Employer/External Organization
The agreement between you and the external organization must already be established before applying to earn academic credits for your internship or off-campus research experience. You will be asked to provide the external organization’s contact information, learning objectives and evaluation plan.
Step 4: Complete the Internship & Off-Campus Research Registration Form
The responsibilities, time expectations and experience agreements are articulated in the registration form, which must be completed by the student. You must email the form to the instructor for approval/signature, at which point the form will be returned to you via email. It is your responsibility to obtain the signature of your off-campus supervisor and return the signed form to the UMR instructor.
- Spring internships: December 15
- Summer internships: April 15
- Fall internships: August 15
If you are unable to meet these deadlines due to circumstances outside of your control (e.g. external timelines, off-campus supervisor issues), contact Bridget Tetteh-Batsa as soon as possible to discuss your options.
The amount of credits you earn for an internship depends on the number of hours worked.
- 4 credits = A minimum of 180 hours per semester or (12 hours per week)
- 3 credits = A minimum of 135 hours per semester or (9 hours per week)
- 2 credits = A minimum of 90 hours per semester or (6 hours per week)
- 1 credit = A minimum of 45 hours per semester or (3 hours per week)
Step 5: Confirmation
Your registration will be confirmed by the CLI administration. This means you are enrolled in CLI 3496 or 4394.
By participating in internships and off-campus research experiences for academic credits, students are expected to engage in critical reflection and dialogue. The instructor of CLI 3496/4394 will contact you in the beginning of the semester with the course requirements and schedule.
- Time Log - The purpose of the Time Log is to document the hours you spend conducting your activities. At the end of the semester, this Time Log will be evaluated by the instructor of CLI 3496, 4496 and 4696, who will verify that your activities and hours meet the expectations set by the University of Minnesota Rochester. Insert specific information in each category. The description of each task should be a concise summary of the activity. Your Time Log also needs to be submitted to your supervisor, who will verify its accuracy in the Off-Campus Supervisor Evaluation.
- Student Critical Reflection & Evaluation (Midterm & Final) - Students are responsible for completing the Midterm and Final Self-Evaluation by the deadline set in the course.
- Supervisor Evaluation (Final) - Students are responsible for providing the Supervisor Evaluation form to their supervisors. For the final evaluation, you must provide your Time Log to your supervisor, who will confirm the accuracy of the work hours. The supervisor will return the form via email directly to Bridget Tetteh-Batsa by the deadline.
