Register for Internship and Off-Campus Research Credits

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 Director of Community Engagement & Career Development
Meet with Bridget Tetteh-Batsa, Director of Community Engagement & Career Development to make sure that your proposed experience is appropriate for academic credit and which type of experience (internship or research) is correct. Attend this meeting with the details of your experience. The Director 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. This form will automatically be routed to the necessary approvers. The Director, Supervisor or Instructor may return the form to you for revision if needed.

The number of credits you earn depend on the number of hours worked, both on-site, approved work off-site, and academic work required for the internship course:

• 1 credit = A minimum of 45 hours per semester, including 15 hours on course materials (avg. 2-3 hours per week on-site)
• 2 credits = A minimum of 90 hours per semester, including 15-20 hours on course materials (avg. 5-6 hours per week on-site)
• 3 credits = A minimum of 135 hours per semester, including 30 hours on course materials (avg. 8-9 hours per week on-site)

Internships and research experiences for 3 or fewer credits for one semester are the norm. Internships or research experiences with more than 3 credits of effort, or repeated for two or more semesters, need to demonstrate new/additional learning to justify the academic credits beyond a regular class.

• 4 credits = A minimum of 180 hours per semester, including 30-40 hours on course materials (avg. 12 hours per week on-site)
• 5 credits = A minimum of 225 hours per semester, including 30-40 hours on course materials (avg. 15 hours per week on-site)
• 6 credits = A minimum of 270 hours per semester, including 30-40 hours on course materials (avg. 18 hours per week on-site)

Step 5: Review by Director, Supervisor, and Instructor

Your registration form, once completed by you, will be reviewed by the Director of Community Engagement & Career Development, your off-campus supervisor, and the off-campus research or internship course instructor. At each step, the application will be reviewed for accuracy and completeness and will either be approved or returned to you for revision. It will be your responsibility to respond to revisions in a timely manner. 

Step 6: Confirmation

Your registration will be confirmed by the Registrar. This means you are enrolled in CLI 3496 or 4394.

• 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.

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.