Career & Internships Purpose & Requirements

An internship provides an opportunity for students to utilize their academic classroom experience in a real-world setting. The goal is to help prepare students by emerging them into a career experience and facilitate their transition into the workplace.

Each internship is unique in accord with the student’s major and his/her educational and professional goals. The student plays an active role in creating learning objectives for the individualized experience.

Internship Requirements

Recent revisions to the HPU curriculum impact internship options that are available to students. Beginning Fall 2010, the following criteria will be enforced:

1. Internship applicants must be full-time, degree-seeking High Point University students in good disciplinary standing. Students must have at least junior standing (58 credits) with a cumulative grade point average of at least 2.000. The GPA in the major also must be at least 2.000. Some departments may have higher criteria (cumulative GPA, GPA in the major, credits earned, specific courses completed, etc.).

2. Students must complete 40 hours per academic credit, and may apply for internships in increments of 3, 4, 6, 8, 10, or 12 credits during the fall or spring term. Internships are available in increments of 3, 4, 6, or 8 credits during the summer term. The following tables outline the time commitment required:

  • Students pursuing internships through the departments of Communication or Human Relations have to complete a minimum of 4 academic credits

3. Internship credits may not be earned for part-time work or fewer hours than stated in the Contract. Any contract modifications must have prior approval of the faculty supervisor, department chair, and director of career & internship services.

4. Internship responsibilities must have relevance to the academic major of the student and future occupational interest. To qualify as an internship site, hosts must meet the criteria established by the Office of Career & Internship Services. Site host criteria are listed on the Career & Internships website under Internships. Among these are: The site must be one in which the student has no prior experience. Thus, internship-like experiences working on the HPU campus or for HPU faculty/staff cannot be completed for academic credit.

5. Credits may be received in any major subject area of the University. Up to six (6) credits may be applied toward elective hours in the major with the department’s permission. All internships are graded Pass/Fail by the Faculty Supervisor.

6. Students interested in applying for an internship should plan carefully and discuss their internship plans with their academic advisor as early as possible. Student applicants should submit their Internship Application by the deadline listed on the Internships website. For summer internships, tuition and fees must be paid prior to enrolling in internship credits.

7. During Fall & Spring, the cost of the internship will be included in the HPU all-inclusive cost. Overload fees will apply if a student registers for more than 18 credits. During Summer, the cost of tuition can be calculated by multiplying the number of credits by the tuition cost-per-credit for the Summer I term.

8. During the internship period, a record of work must be kept, signed by the site supervisor, and submitted each week. The student and site supervisor will also complete midterm and final evaluations of the students’ progress. Additional assignments or expectations vary by department.

Note: On-site visits will be made only to establish or maintain long-term relationships with a host site or in a situation where a problem arises that cannot be resolved by other means of contact. Both instances must be approved by the Department Chair and the Director of Career & Internship Services.

Internships for Students in the Evening Degree Program

Students in the Evening Degree Program may apply for internships. To allow sufficient time for the internship to be completed, an EDP students may extend a fall experience over Sessions I & II or a spring experience over Sessions III & IV. Like students in the Day Program, EDP students completing internships during the summer, may extend the experience from May Term/Session V through both summer sessions.

Not-for-credit Internships

Students may complete an internship experience with or without academic credit. While it is not recommended, some students will choose to accept positions that employers label as “internships.” Students should exercise caution in negotiating the terms of the agreement, communicating their learning objectives, and addressing problems that arise. Quite often, such experiences do not meet the standards of academic rigor and are not worthy of earning academic credit. Students who elect to pursue an internship-like experience without academic credit will not have a faculty member assigned to oversee the experience. Students are encouraged to obtain, in writing, a position description, including wage/salary if applicable, a harassment policy, and proof of liability insurance coverage.