Elective Internship Opportunity

Many graduate programs offer an internship course (597) that can be taken to fulfill elective credits for the degree. This offers students the opportunity to gain practical experience pertaining to their degree program, while earning credit.  This course also meets eligibility requirements for international students studying on F1 visas, seeking Curricular Practical Training (CPT) options. Elective internship credits may not be used to substitute for required courses in the program, unless written approval by the program director is submitted to the registrar’s office. 

The programs with elective internship opportunities are:

Students should review the course description for their program’s internship option to determine eligibility and prerequisite requirements.

Finding an Internship

Students may seek out internship opportunities on their own or may work with Career Center staff to locate internship opportunities. As this process may take 8-12 weeks, it is important for students to allow ample time to work with the career counselors to explore opportunities, assist with cover letters and resumes/CVs, and interview practice. For more information, and to make an appointment through Handshake, visit the Career Center website.

Time Requirement

A student must work a minimum of 40 hours at the internship site for each credit earned.  

Internship Paperwork

Step 1: Students must complete the Graduate Application for Internship (www.hood.edu/gradforms) and submit to the registrar's office for confirmation that eligibility requirements have been met.

Step 2: if a student receives an offer of employment, they must obtain an official letter from the employer that includes the following:

• Offer should be on company letterhead
• Details of the internship

  Position and responsibilities

Location

Number of hours expected to work

Dates of employment

Salary, if applicable

• Employer contact name, phone number and email address
• Site supervisor contact name, phone number and email address

Step 3: Verification of employer and opportunity - the Career Center will review the offer of employment, application for internship, and verify the employer as well as the position/opportunity are valid. This process may take up to two weeks.

• If approved, student proceeds to Step 4
• If not approved, career center will notify the student, registrar's office and department faculty. They may continue to work with the student to locate valid employers or opportunities to start the process over.

Step 4: Secure a Hood faculty instructor - as there are academic components to the internship, the student will need to find Hood faculty member from their department who can serve as instructor for this internship. If they agree, they will provide the student with a syllabus detailing required assignments, meetings, and learning outcomes.

• Provide a copy of Application for Internship paperwork to the designated faculty after the student has received the offer of employment and after the Career Center has signed the form validating the opportunity.
• If the faculty member agrees to serve as the internship instructor, they should sign the Application of Internship form.
• Internship instructor may also ask the student to complete a learning agreement.

Step 5: Submit the approved and signed Application for Internship paperwork, along with the employment letter to the registrar's office via email at hoodgrad@hood.edu for registration processing. The paperwork must be submitted by the drop/add deadline of the term in which the student plans to enroll. Once registered, the registrar's office will provide a copy of the Internship Time Sheet, which the student will use to track hours worked, and obtain the site supervisor's signature at the completion of the internship. This time sheet should be returned to the Hood faculty internship instructor by the end of the enrolled term to be factored into the final course grade.

Once enrolled, the internship instructor may provide a learning agreement to the student, indicating course objectives and requirements.

For F1 students - once enrolled, the PDSO will update the student's SEVIS record and provide the student with an updated I-20. To apply for SSN (Social Security Number), the student will need the updated I-20, offer letter, valid passport, and letter of support from the PDSO.

Some programs specify the maximum internship credits allowed in the course description. For those that don’t, no more than 6 credits of elective internship coursework within a degree program are allowed and require program director approval.

Supplemental Expenses and Time

In fulfilling the expectations of the internship, the intern may incur expenses in addition to the usual tuition and fees. Students who enroll in an internship must plan to provide their own transportation or use public transportation.

Due to the time requirements of an internship, students may need to work during breaks and holidays.

Internship opportunities are not Guaranteed. Interns are not placed in sites, and it is the student’s responsibility to find a site. The Center for Career Development and Experiential Education and departmental offices provide many resources to the student to assist in locating a suitable internship.

Termination of Internship

Under unusual circumstances, any party involved in the internship may terminate the agreement. Because the internship is essentially a professional commitment, Hood strongly encourages students to fulfill their obligations to complete the full term of service at the site. Unfortunately, on rare occasions, the intern or the faculty internship adviser may determine that the internship site is not an appropriate learning experience, or the internship site may determine that the intern is not a good fit for their internship. In either case, any of the parties may decide to terminate the internship. If this occurs, the student should officially withdraw from the internship course by the course withdrawal deadline outlined in the academic calendar. Students who withdraw from coursework after the drop/add period will receive a grade of “W”, which has no effect on the GPA, but is not eligible for refunds or credit on tuition.

Time Requirements

An internship represents a time commitment of 40 hours per credit at the internship site along with time spent in reflection and critical thinking of their internship activities. To support these goals and to build a peer community of practice, students should plan on meeting with their Hood instructor/supervisor periodically during internship term. In addition, students should expect to submit additional work to the Hood instructor/supervisor, which may include, but are not limited to journal activities, book or article reviews, portfolio or paper detailing the experience at the internship.