Academic Internship Credit Information

Requirements to Participate:

1. Junior Status: Semester long internships (fall, spring or summer) require at least junior status in order to receive academic credit.
2. Summer Tuition: Please note that summer tuition is required to enroll for a summer internship. 
3. A Faculty Sponsor: During the semester and summer sessions, your Faculty Sponsor is typically your academic advisor. It is important that your Faculty Sponsor be familiar with the industry in which you are interning.
4. A Site Supervisor: Your Site Supervisor will be who you report to at your internship site. While you can work in a relative's office, your Site Supervisor cannot be a family member or relative. 
5. International Internships: International Internships are not eligible for academic credit unless the country you are doing the internship in is your home country. If you are planning on doing an internship internationally you can still do it on your own for non-credit if it's not your home country. **See below for additional information if you are an international student wanting to do an internship for academic credit in your home country. 
6. A student who is on academic or disciplinary probation will not be permitted to participate in an Academic Internship or Career Explorations. Students who register for Career Exploration and Academic Internships accept the financial risks associated with being barred from participating should they be on academic or disciplinary probation or suspended when the terms begins. These financial risks include, but are not limited to, unrecoverable deposits, fares, reservations, and pro-rated group costs.
7. The College reserves the right to remove a student on academic or disciplinary probation from an Academic Internship or Career Exploration if it deems such action to be in the best interest of the student, the College, or the host organization.
8. A student will be permitted to count a maximum of four course credits of career-related experiential education toward graduation requirements. This maximum includes: JAN Career Exploration (268), semester or summer Academic Internships (368), Orientation to Teaching (EDU-268), and Student Teaching (EDU-392, 394, 395, 396). JAN Career Exploration credit fulfills the JAN graduation requirement, and normally may not count toward major or liberal arts area requirements.
   Additional credits (beyond the maximum of four) can be taken as a course audit (standard tuition applies) but would not be counted toward graduation. Applying Academic Internship credit towards a major is determined by the academic department.
9. A full semester/summer Academic Internship may carry a value of up to three course credits. 

Registration Deadlines:

Registration Process:

Registration for International Academic Internships, click HERE
Registration information for January Interim Career Exploration, click HERE

1. Obtain an internship, to view a regularly updated list of available internships, click here.
2. Complete application form
   1. Determine Learning Objectives with Faculty Sponsor
      1. Utilize this template to assist with completing your application.
3. Submit application form
4. Application approval
5. Assignments

1. Obtain an internship 

Explore internship opportunities by interest area, browse through Handshake using your Gustavus email, or schedule an appointment to meet with a Career Development Specialist (to schedule an appointment, call 507-933-7575 or stop by Career Development Center in the Johnson Student Union).

An additional listing of available internships is updated weekly and can be found here.

If you aren't sure where to start review this page for additional tips on finding opportunities. 

2. Complete registration forms

Fall or Spring Semester Internship:

• Complete the online application form, found through Handshake AND Internship Agreement form. For full term (fall, spring, or summer) Academic Credit complete the Academic Semester and Summer Session Internship Registration Form. 
  • Students will be required to determine Learning Outcomes and Learning Tasks with their Faculty Sponsor and Site Supervisor prior to starting your registration application in Handshake. Utilize this template to write your Learning Outcomes and Learning Tasks.
  • Your Faculty Sponsor will determine additional academic assignments for the internship.
  • Your Faculty Sponsor and Site Supervisor will receive an email for approval through your online registration form completed in step 2. 
  • For assistance with the form, watch this video.
• Internship Agreement (to be completed by the Student)

Summer Internship:

• Complete the online registration form, found through Handshake AND
• Summer 2023 Registration Form form MUST be signed by Student Accounts PRIOR to submitting to Registrar's Office
• Internship Agreement (to be completed by the Student)

Unless otherwise noted above, forms should be submitted to Career Development once complete.

***Registration information for January Interim Career Exploration, click here***.

3. Submit registration form

Students who seek to earn academic credit for an internship must submit all required completed registration forms via Handshake by the applicable deadline (listed above), for approval. 

Time Requirements and Credit Information:

4. Registration Approval

Career Development will review and approve completed registration forms and forward the request to the Registrar's Office to add the internship registration before the applicable deadline. The Registrar will then register the student for the number of academic credits requested. The internship course should appear on the student's schedule in WebAdvisor.

5. Assignments (Learning Outcomes and Learning Tasks)

LEARNING OUTCOMES and LEARNING TASKS ARE DETERMINED BY FACULTY SPONSORS. The learning tasks focus around assignments to receive academic credit for the internship course. These learning outcomes and learning tasks need to be discussed and approved (prior to submitting the registration form on Handshake) by the faculty sponsor and site supervisor. These need to be completed and agreed upon prior to registration approval through Handshake.

Career Development suggests that students complete the assignments below to facilitate reflection on your experience:

• Reflections Reflection assignments are designed to help you reflect on your internship and learn to articulate what you have learned and gained from your experience. These skills will be crucial when interviewing for your next internship or a job after graduation. Faculty sponsors may require specific reflections, journaling and writing prompts. 
  • Students are suggested to complete two reflections throughout their experience. Mid-term and final reflection. 

• Evaluations At the end of the internship your Site Supervisor will be sent an evaluation of your performance. The evaluation results will be shared with your faculty sponsor. 

International Internships

*If you are you an international student looking to complete an Academic Internship in your home country of record, follow the domestic procedures and deadlines*

Registration:

Students who register to earn credit for an internship at any site located outside of the United States must complete the applicable Semester and Summer Registration Forms and also complete registration through the off-campus study online application system through the Center for International and Cultural Education (http://gustavus.studioabroad.com/). Additional fees will apply. 

Deadlines:

The registration deadlines for international academic internships are earlier than those for domestic academic internships. 

International Travel Documents and Travel Warnings:

Passports can take up to 14 weeks for processing. Visa can take even longer and may require in-person arrangements at the appropriate embassy (typically in Chicago or Washington D.C.). View a list of embassies. 

Gustavus will NOT sponsor or approve registration for academic credit for an internship in a country with a current travel warning. The U.S. Department of State provides an updated list of countries with alerts and warnings. 

Questions?

Contact Career Development, career@gustavus.edu, 507-933-7575

Updated 3/7/23 JR