Undergrad Internships & Co-ops
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What is a co-op or an internship?
A co-op or internship is a short-term work-based learning experience for students in a professional setting and is typically related to the student’s major or career goal. The opportunity generally involves a student working in a setting under the supervision and mentoring of a business professional. The work can be paid or unpaid and may or may not be eligible for academic credit.
If a co-op or internship is unpaid, it must meet the 7-factor primary beneficiary test published by the Department of Labor.
What are the benefits to doing an internship before graduation?
- Gain “real world” experience related to your career goals
- Determine what you want and do not want in a future career
- Test job responsibilities and work environments
- Strengthen your resume
- Be competitive in the job market. Stats show that candidates with internship experience receive offers at a faster rate and with a higher starting salary than their counterparts
- Receive direct job offers
- Potentially receive college credit
An internship is an opportunity to test the waters. You’re determining what you want in a future career and employers are determining whether an intern could be a long-term employee with the company. Many employers use co-ops and internships as recruitment for potential future employees and may offer full-time employment at the end of the internship.
How do students receive academic credit for internships?
Internships could be eligible for academic credit if certain criteria are met:
- Must be a new learning experience. Credit must be requested before the student starts an internship or within their first two weeks of working.
- Job responsibilities must be 75% related to the discipline you want to receive credit, see below.
- A structured supervisory practice must be in place. Typically this is an on-site supervisor that the intern works with regularly.
All majors and some minors in the College of Business allow academic credit for an internship. An internship for academic credit is a degree requirement for Accounting and Computer Information System majors. Students are eligible to receive academic credit for an internship after taking and passing the pre-req course for their discipline and must be in good academic standing at the start of the internship.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Internships are learning experiences for students. Although interns are students and still in the learning process, they are expected to behave as employees of the company and to adhere to the company’s policies, guidelines and privacy procedures. Professional expectations of the interns include behavior, time commitments and dress codes.
Students complete a co-op/internship during the fall, spring and summer semesters. Since we know that employers do not work on semester schedules, we allow students to start at any point in the semester and can work with employers to establish start dates.
Yes, the majority of co-op and internship students receive hourly compensation, ranging from $11-25 per hour.
An intern’s schedule is determined by an intern and their internship site, and many students work more than the minimum hours required. Students receiving academic credit must work at least 75 hours per credit hour they are receiving. Most students request 3 credit hours, requiring a minimum of 225 hours.
Students receive a Pass/Fail grade based on the reports submitted at the end of the internship, an evaluation completed by the site supervisor and the completion of the minimum number of hours required.
Students will complete two forms on Cardinal Careers under Experiential Learning. The first form is a policies and procedures form that must be completed by all students. The second form, once students click Add New under Experiential Learning, is the form that indicates a student has an internship that they’d like to pursue academic credit for.
Yes, regular tuition costs will apply. Tuition will be based on the number of credit hours the student receives.