May 08, 2024  
2023 - 2024 College Catalog 
  
2023 - 2024 College Catalog

Academic Internships


Internships

(Courses numbered 398, 498)

Any full-time, degree-seeking student who will have sophomore status and be in good academic standing (2.0 GPA or higher) at the start of the internship is eligible to apply for academic credit for the internship.

A maximum of 16 credit hours of internship credit may be applied toward a degree at St. Mary’s. All 16 credit hours need not be taken in a single semester.

The number of internship credits (if any) that may be applied toward fulfillment of a student’s major requirement is determined by the appropriate academic department.

If the contractual agreement has been only partially fulfilled, the student may receive only part of the contracted number of credits, as determined by the student’s faculty sponsor and the career development staff.

The evaluation of the internship will be based on the specifics of the student’s unique learning agreement.

The mode of evaluation will be credit/no credit and is representative of the academic and professional work completed by the student. Credit for the internship will be assigned by the faculty sponsor after consultation with all appropriate parties, including the career development staff. The faculty sponsor may choose to assign a letter grade based on the academic component of the internship to appear parenthetically on the student’s academic record. This parenthetical grade will not be included in the calculation of the student’s GPA.

Students may accept a stipend, wage, or other compensation for a credit internship.

Procedures

  • Students interested in registering for internships credit should meet with the career development staff to discuss the internship learning agreement, professional assignments, and expectations.

  • The “Internship Learning Agreement” will be prepared by the student, in consultation with the site supervisor, faculty sponsor, and career development staff. The site supervisor may not simultaneously act as a faculty sponsor for a credit internship.

  • The Internship Learning Agreement must be approved by all parties prior to the start of the internship.

Field Studies

Courses in several departments include field- or service-learning components as required or optional parts of their coursework. Students interested specifically in a field studies course in education should consult with the Educational Studies Department. Courses designated as having a field experience can be found in the listings of the Psychology and Educational Studies Departments, among others. The Career Development staff is available to help faculty and students with site placement for these courses.