Faculty / Staff Resources
Academic Credit for Internships
Reformatted from
The Academic Senate Regulations
(A) A maximum of 15 units of internship courses, whether
taken in this Division or elsewhere, may be counted toward
the 180 units required for graduation (Am 1/14/72; 4/23/79;
4/25/83; 6/05/01). Internships for which academic credit
toward the baccalaureate degree may be earned shall have the
following features:
(1) Students are able to apply the concepts and methods of
at lest one academic discipline to an appropriate work
experience or setting.
(2) Students are able to grow intellectually by the
extension of general intellectual tools of one or more
academic disciplines to the workplace. Work that is clerical
in nature or that involves routine maintenance or service
responsibilities shall not be judged appropriate for
awarding academic credit.
(3) Faculty sponsors are able to assess the quality of
academic work completed by the student.
(B) A student for whom academic credit earned in an
internship may be awarded:
(1) Possesses a suitable background in the discipline in
which academic credit is sought;
(2) Possesses the background or skills necessary to
successfully complete the requirements of the internship;
(3) Will experience significant intellectual growth as a
result of the internship and the associated academic work,
and;
(4) Has completed at least 84 units toward the degree. No
student shall receive University credit for an internship
numbered 192 unless he/she has completed a minimum of 84
units.
(C) When it is determined that an internship and student are
appropriate for academic credit, arrangements for receiving
it shall include the following elements:
(1) Prior approval by the appropriate Program Manager in the
Internship and Career Center (ICC) certifying that the
internship situation is appropriate for awarding academic
credit. The student shall submit a written description of
the proposed internship to ICC, accompanied by a letter from
the sponsor that describes the student's duties and
responsibilities, hours, and the sponsor's expectations.
Evidence must be provided that the student intern will be
directly supervised by a career professional that is aware
of the University's standards for earning academic credit.
(2) Prior approval by a faculty sponsor whose background and
expertise are related to the area of the internship and
appropriate for supervision of the student's activities.
(3) Adherence to departmental guidelines that set forth
requirements for granting academic credit. Requirements may
vary depending on the nature of the discipline, but
generally it is expected that a student will complete
reading assignments and a research paper or project that
requires the student to relate the academic discipline to
the internship experience. The paper/project shall
demonstrate the student's ability to perform critical
reasoning and/or methods of research appropriate to the
discipline. Student participation in a concurrent seminar or
discussion section may also be required, but student
achievement must be documented.
(4) Appropriate faculty/student contact that includes a
preliminary conference to set forth the faculty member's
expectations and requirements for satisfactory completion of
the internship.
(D) The number of units awarded shall be contingent on the
degree of commitment to the internship project, and
departmental requirements shall adhere to that principle
(EN. 6/04/85). The basic formula is one unit of credit per
three hours per week commitment for a ten-week period; thus:
| Commitment Per Week |
Units |
|
3 - 5 hours |
1 |
|
6 - 8 hours |
2 |
|
9 - 11 hours |
3 |
|
12 - 14 hours |
4 |
|
15 - 17 hours |
5 |
|
18 - 20 hours |
6 |
|
21 - 23 hours |
7 |
|
24 - 26 hours |
8 |
|
27 - 29 hours |
9 |
|
30 - 32 hours |
10 |
|
33 - 35 hours |
11 |
|
36 - 38 hours |
12 |
|
39 - 41 hours |
13 |
|
42 - 44 hours |
14 |
| 45 or over | 15 |
| (am. 5/6/02) | |
Return to
ICC internship guidelines.
