Policies Regarding Credit-Bearing Independent Internships
Internships may be part of an already existing program or they may be independent programs proposed by a student and a faculty member. The following procedures pertain to the latter:
Registration for Independent Credit-Bearing Internships
Prior to the term of the internship experience, students wishing to complete an independent credit-bearing internship should obtain the required internship forms (the Internship Proposal Form, Learning Contract, and Evaluation forms) from the Office of the Assistant Dean (Bunting Hall), or download them from the Web at:http://internships.washcoll.edu.
Step 1: Students shall submit the Internship Proposal Form for review and signature to a faculty member who has agreed to serve as the internship adviser and who represents the appropriate field of study.
Step 2: The student should obtain the signatures of their academic adviser and the Assistant Dean for Academic Resources. The Internship Proposal form shall include the department course number, academic term, credit hours to be earned for the internship experience, and grading scale (Pass/Fail or letter grade, A-F). The faculty adviser, the student, and the Assistant Dean shall retain copies of this form.
Step 3: Establish the Learning Contract and Supervision Schedule. Together with the faculty internship supervisor and worksite supervisor, interns shall develop a learning contract outlining skills emphasized during the internship as well as corollary learning objectives incorporating active reflection of classroom theory to practice.
Assessment: Completed internship evaluation forms (Learning Contract, Student Evaluation of Worksite, Midterm, and Final Worksite Evaluations) shall be returned to the Assistant Dean's Office and then to the faculty supervisor for consideration in final grading. It is important that these documents are submitted in a timely manner upon completion of an internship.
Administrative Policies
- Credit-bearing internships shall count toward the degree. No more than four of the thirty-two courses presented for graduation can be internship credits.
- Students should not assume that they will be able to receive academic credit for internships previously undertaken and completed without first having received approval from an academic adviser/faculty member in their discipline.
- Internships may not be used to satisfy Distribution Requirements.
- Credit-bearing internships, with the approval of the chair and academic adviser, may be used to satisfy course requirements in a major or minor.
- A worksite supervisor shall be designated for each internship. The internship adviser will communicate with the worksite supervisor on a regular basis.
- The student must submit all written work to the adviser at a time specified in the learning contract.
- Credit may be awarded for either paid or unpaid internships.
- Credit-bearing internships may not be used to fulfill the Senior Capstone Experience.
When approved academic programs require that a student be off campus during his or her senior year, the College waives the residency requirement.