How to get Academic Credit for your Internship

Every major has their own guidelines that students must meet in order to be able to earn academic credit for an internship, however there are some policies that apply to every major:

• Students must have a declared major, minor, or certificate that is associated with internship course they wish to register for
  • In the case that an academic department does not offer a specific internship course, UC 3980 – Internship can be taken for academic credit.
  • IDP students should discuss internship options with their academic advisor

• Internships for credit can be paid or unpaid

• It is highly recommended that all unpaid internships are done for academic credit in order to provide worker’s compensation coverage

• Paid internships can be done for credit, but this is not required

• Unless your major-specific information states otherwise, the internship course is offered every semester

• Unless your major-specific information states otherwise, 1 credit = 45 work hours; 3 credits = 135 work hours
  • During the fall or spring semester, 135 work hours can be achieved by working an average of 10 hours per week
  • During the summer, 135 work hours can be achieved by working an average of 14 hours per week

Follow the steps below to review requirements for an internship for academic credit in your major:

1. 1. Log in to Career Link
   2. In the upper right corner of the screen, click “Resources”, and then “Resource Library”
   3. On the next page, click “Category,” select “Credit Policy Sheets,” and then click “Apply”
   4. Click on your academic department to review the guidelines

After you apply for and accept an internship offer, you are ready to submit your application for academic credit. The application requires information that is specific to your internship, such as:

• start and end dates
• the name of your internship site
• the name and contact information of your internship supervisor
• a description of what you will be doing during your internship (this can be a copy of the job description posted online)

Follow the steps below to submit your application:

1. Log in to Career Link (click here to access the sign in page)
2. Click “Internship Credit,”located in the navigation menu on the left side of your screen
3. Click “Add New Internship”
4. Fill out the application and be prepared to provide specific information about your internship
   • Note: You can save the application as a draft and come back to finish if needed.
5. Digitally sign the application and then click “submit”
6. Let your internship supervisor know that they will receive an email from [email protected] with instructions on how to approve their portion of your application.

1. After you click “submit”, your application will automatically be sent to the Experiential Learning office within the C2Hub for an initial review.
2. If your application meets the requirements, it will then be sent to your internship supervisor for review, and then to your faculty approver for final review and approval.
3. Your application will advance to each reviewer if the person before them approves.
4. At any point during this process the application can be denied. If your application is denied you will receive a notification and you can go back and make edits to submit again for approval.

You can track where your application is in the review process by viewing it in Career Link under “Internship Credit.”

If there is a delay in your internship supervisor completing their portion, we recommend that you reach out and remind them the email will come from [email protected].