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High Point University > Career & Professional Development > Undergraduate Internships for Academic Credit

Undergraduate Internships for Academic Credit
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Download a PDF Version of Internship Instructions

According to the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE), “An internship is a form of experiential learning that integrates knowledge and theory learned in the classroom with practical application and skills development in a professional setting. Internships give students the opportunity to gain valuable applied experience and make connections in professional fields they are considering for career paths; and give employers the opportunity to guide and evaluate talent.”

Internships are an excellent way for students to gain real world experience, network in their desired field, build their resume, and ultimately explore and launch a rewarding career.

Students have two options when gaining internship experience:

  1. The student can complete an internship that is FOR academic credit. To receive academic credit for an internship, please review the Application Process tab.
  2. The student can complete an internship that is NOT for academic credit. Although no additional paperwork is needed, we would love to stay connected. Tell us where you’re interning using the Internship Update Form!

Quick Links

Eligibility

To earn credit within your major (and some minors) for 3, 4, 6, 8, 10 or 12 credits –

  • Internship applicants must be full-time, degree seeking HPU students in good disciplinary standing. As such, all applications for internship for academic credit require a judicial background check. Students must have at least 60 credits with a cumulative GPA of at least 2.0, while students within the Nido R. Qubein School of Communication must have a cumulative GPA of at least 2.3. The GPA in major must also be at least 2.0. Some departments may have higher criteria and specific credit requirements so please check with your faculty adviser for more information.
    • As a student, you have privacy rights that allow you to control the release of your personal educational records, which includes your disciplinary history. By applying to receive academic credit for an internship, you authorize that the Office of Career and Professional Development and its staff may review your student conduct history from your time as a student at High Point University. This information is used to determine eligibility to receive academic credit for your internship. Additionally, if you are found “responsible” for any violation of University policy while participating in this program, the Office of Student Life is permitted to disclose such information to the Office of Career and Professional Development and could result in your removal from the Internship for Credit course.

To earn elective credit through EXP 1402 for 1 or 2 credits-

  • If you are seeking course credit and have not completed 60 credit hours, but have at least 16 credit hours and a 2.0 GPA, please consider enrolling in EXP 1402. You may also consider this option if your internship site requires that you earn academic credit. This course can only be completed once. For more information, reach out to Brandon Floyd at bfloyd@highpoint.edu or visit Exploring Your Major and Career Path.

 

Requirements

  • Students must complete 40 work hours per academic credit and may apply for internships in the increments of-
    • 3, 4, 6, 8, 10 or 12 credits for internships within your major (and some minors) OR
    • 1 or 2 credits for EXP 1402
  • Internships must coincide with either the fall, spring or summer semesters.
    • During the fall and spring semesters, any overload fees will apply if your internship takes you over the allotted 18 credits. Please visit the Registrar’s Office to pick-up the overload form. The form must be signed and approved by the Dean of your school, and returned to the Registrar’s Office before you can get registered.
    • During the summer semester, you will be registered for summer school and will be charged tuition according to the per-credit hour summer rate. These rates may differ from the per-credit hour tuition in the fall and spring. For more information, click here
  • All interns are required to have both an internship Site Supervisor (someone who will supervise you when you are at your internship site) and a Faculty Supervisor (a faculty member who will assign you a grade of pass/fail at the end of the semester).
    • NOTE: Please make sure that you speak with your Faculty Supervisor prior to listing them on your internship application. Your Faculty Supervisor is responsible for assigning you a grade at the end of the semester and will need to be aware of all students that they are supervising at the start of each semester.
  • During the internship period, a record of work (time log) must be submitted electronically each week. The student and Site Supervisor will also complete midterm and final evaluations of the student’s progress. Additional assignments or expectations vary by department. For more information, please visit our During The Internship Tab.
  • 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 from the Faculty Supervisor, Department Chair, and Career and Professional Development.
  • The work area and internship responsibilities must have academic relevance and future occupational interest. To qualify as an internship site, hosts must meet the criteria established by Career and Professional Development.
  • Students are limited to a maximum of 12 hours internship credit towards graduation requirements during their academic career.

 

Responsibilities

The Internship Responsibility Agreement details the internship responsibilities for each party involved. For additional clarification, please reach out to Brandon Floyd at bfloyd@highpoint.edu.

On-Campus Internship Policy

Students are encouraged to pursue off-campus internships for an educational experience that allows professional development, networking opportunities, and exposure in their desired field. If a student is interested in pursuing an on-campus internship, additional steps must be taken.

Approval of on-campus internships are at the discretion of the Dean of your school. Consent is dependent on the internship job description, the student’s major, and the student’s future occupational interest. To receive academic credit for an on-campus internship, the student must:

  1. Have their Faculty Advisor and Department Chair sign the HPU On-Campus Internship Agreement
  2. Have their Academic Dean sign the HPU On-Campus Internship Agreement
  3. Complete the Student Instructions for an internship for academic credit
  4. Upload the signed On-Campus Internship Agreement to your Handshake application under the attachments link section

Internship Site Supervisors are required to fill out the following:

 

Site Supervisors must review the Career and Professional Development Internship for Credit Page and adhere to all policies. We strongly encourage Site Supervisors to have a face-to-face meeting with the student to discuss their midterm evaluation form and final evaluation form, in addition to completing the online form.

Deadline

The deadline to register an internship for academic credit is three weeks after High Point University’s drop/add date, and is contingent on the start date and end date of the internship, with the ability to log future (not past) internship hours. Students can NOT receive retroactive credit. Students must complete the appropriate number of work hours to receive the desired number of credits by the last day of the semester. Students must complete 40 work hours per academic credit.

Employers

Thank you for hosting a High Point University Intern! Please review the HPU Internship Responsibility Agreement and the Department of Labor Standards for Unpaid, Non-credit Bearing Internships. For more information, please visit our employer information section.

Housing

Local

Any student who is interning locally can live on campus during the summer. Students should contact the office of student life at studentlife@highpoint.edu or call 336-841-9231 to inquire about housing on campus. Rates are subject to change each year.

Nationwide

It is the responsibility of the student to vet all viable options. We suggest partnering with your site supervisor to learn where students have stayed in the past and researching options such as:

The Office of Career and Professional Development does not endorse these or other similar sites.

BEFORE APPLYING FOR ACADEMIC CREDIT

  • Review HPU’s internship eligibility, requirements, responsibilities, on-campus internship policy, and deadline to ensure compliance.
  • Meet with your faculty supervisor to confirm that your desired internship is eligible for academic credit and to discuss the items below:
    A. Job description provided by your site supervisor
    B. Determine Learning Objectives
    C. Determine course subject code (Ex. HRE, COM, BUA)
    D. Determine course subject number (Ex. 4811, 4812, 4813)
    E. Determine course credit hours (Ex. 4, 6, 8)
    F. Determine course instructor name and email
  • If you are an international student with an F1 Visa, you must meet with Kristen Cruz, Senior Coordinator of International Programs and Services to discuss eligibility and authorization. Once your authorization is confirmed, you can continue with the application process.
  • Meet with Brandon Floyd, Assistant Director of Career & Professional Development, to discuss Handshake application.
  • Have your site supervisor sign the HPU Internship Responsibility Agreement ensuring their duties and responsibilities. This form will be required for the internship application.

APPLICATION PROCESS

  • Log in to Handshake using your HPU email and password.
  • In Handshake, under Career Center on the right side of the page, click EXPERIENCES.
  • Click “REQUEST AN EXPERIENCE” and fill out the application in its entirety.
  • For BRIEFLY DESCRIBE THE POSITION, LEARNING OBJECTIVES, AND OTHER IMPORTANT FACTORS, please copy and paste the documents you discussed with your faculty advisor (during steps 2a. and 2b.) Are you a communications major? If so, please include your COM GPA.
  • For COURSE SUBJECT NAME, type Internship
  • For COURSE SUBJECT CODE, COURSE SUBJECT NUMBER, COURSE CREDIT HOURS, COURSE INSTRUCTOR NAME, and EMAIL, type in the information provided by your faculty advisor (during steps 2c.-2f.).
  • Read the TERMS OF SERVICE at the bottom of the application.
  • Once completed, SUBMIT APPLICATION.
  • After the above steps are complete, your application will be emailed to your faculty advisor for approval.

DOCUMENT UPLOAD & APPROVAL PROCESS

  • Once your application is submitted, click Career Center> EXPERIENCES> VIEW DETAILS.
  • Under ATTACHMENTS on the left side, download the Site Guide. The Site Guide list all the documents you need to upload in one place. Once your documents are uploaded, your application will be reviewed for approval.

AFTER APPLYING

  • When your faculty supervisor approves your application, you will receive an approval email and you will be able to view it by clicking the “View Details” tab under Experiences in Handshake.”
  • If you have not received an approval email within 3 business days, please send a friendly email to your faculty advisor to ensure they received the application.
  • Email Brandon Floyd at bfloyd@highpoint.edu to confirm that your application has been approved and to ensure that you are enrolled in the course.

Interns are evaluated by both their Site and Faculty Supervisors on progress towards their learning objectives. Evaluations generally fall into the following categories: performance as a member of the staff, performance on assigned tasks, professionalism and ethical behavior, ability to work with others, and potential for work in this field.

 

Keep in mind that your specific department may require more than what is listed below during the course of your internship. It is important that you check with your Faculty Supervisor or your Department Chair to make sure that you are aware of all additional requirements before beginning your internship. All paperwork must be submitted electronically.

Weekly Time Log

You cannot begin logging your hours until after you complete the entire application process and are registered. In order to receive a “P” for your Internship, you are required to keep Weekly Time Logs of the hours that you work on-site. Please access your Weekly Time Log via the form below. Your weekly logged hours will be analyzed by the Office of Career & Professional Development weekly at the mid-term and final periods of your experience.

Midterm Evaluation Form

At the mid-point of your internship (when you have completed half of the total number of required hours) both the student AND Site Supervisor will complete separate Midterm Evaluations.

Please email the Midterm Evaluation link to your Site Supervisor so that they can complete the evaluation in a timely manner AND access the link here to complete your individual evaluation. These evaluations will keep all parties up-to-date on the progress that you have made at your internship site thus far. Once submitted, a copy of these evaluations will go to the Faculty Supervisor and the Office of Career & Professional Development.

Final Evaluation Form

At the end of your internship (when you have completed all required hours) both the student AND Site Supervisor will complete separate Final Evaluations. The evaluations are due on or before the last day of class for that particular semester.

Please email the Final Evaluation link to your Site Supervisor so that they can complete the evaluation in a timely manner AND access the link here to complete your individual evaluation. Once submitted, a copy of these evaluations will go to the Faculty Supervisor and the Office of Career & Professional Development.