The UW Bothell Business Program is committed to providing students with theopportunity to earn internship credit for experiential learning in thebusiness community. Well-designed and implemented internshipscontribute practical experiences to a student's curricular educationthus enriching their preparation for the workforce. To qualify for aninternship for academic credit, students must have completed all of thecore classes (300, 310, 320, 340, 350) and be in good academic standing. Students may not be paid for their internship experience.(Exception: Legislative Internship.)
The guided internship isnot a means simply to earn college credits by going to work; it is astructured, guided, intensive independent study project, involving thestudent, an academic sponsor, and the student's field supervisor, allof whom must understand and promote the fulfillment of the learningcontract. The student will apply, critique and extend knowledge theyhave gained in the classroom. Students can seek out new theory andfindings relevant to the particular context they are working in andproduce a final project which presents their insights andrecommendations in an academically rigorous, rhetorically competentmanner.
Benefits of a Guided Internship
- Career Exploration- Learn what you like and don't like about a field, a company, or ajob. Your experience can help you in focusing your career direction.
- Skill Building- Gain a better understanding of specific work functions such aswriting press releases, managing employees, preparing reports, etc.
- Networking Opportunities - Meet employees in your field of interest and their colleagues.
- Learning Opportunities - Apply the classroom theory to practice.
Rememberthat the more you put into the internship experience, the more you willget out of it! Active learning is the key to successfully completingyour learning contract.
Partners in the Internship
The Intern
Asan intern you must complete an academic project and all assigned tasks,meeting mutually agreed upon criteria. It is your responsibility toinitiate and complete the development of the learning contract and getapproval from the academic sponsor and the field supervisor. It is alsoyour responsibility to meet all deadlines and complete all activitiesand assignments associated with the internship. Midterm and finalevaluations of your internship are required, as is a formal reportdetailing what you learned while completing the internship and how itapplies to your classes at UWB.
The Academic Sponsor
Youracademic sponsor needs to be a UWB full-time faculty member. The roleof an academic sponsor is to assist you in developing your goals, meetwith you on a regular basis to discuss your project and yourexperiences at your site, stay in contact with your field supervisor,and assess your achievements at the conclusion of the contract. It ishighly recommended that you work with a faculty member who has aninterest or expertise in the area that you want to learn more about. Ithelps if you are familiar with them from previous classes so you areaware of their expectations, personal style, grading, etc. Discuss yourplans with a potential academic sponsor and give them clear goals andstructure for your internship.
The Field Supervisor
Theperson at your internship site who will know what and how well you areperforming will be your field supervisor. Prior to and throughout theinternship you should be working directly with this person, makingexplicit arrangements concerning overall goals, projects, duties, hoursand other expectations. These criteria are to be laid out in thelearning contract. The field supervisor should work with your academicsponsor to ensure that you are learning from your experience and makingprogress on your academic project, not just doing a job. Give yourfield supervisor a copy of the Student Internship PerformanceEvaluation form when you are planning the internship.
Finding an Internship
Itis the student's responsibility to plan the internship. Start lookingfor your internship site and academic sponsor at least a quarter beforeyou plan on registering for the internship credit. In your search foran internship, check with the Career Center for internship postings andtalk with faculty and friends about potential sites. Be aware that asuccessful internship is with a company whose culture/mission matchesyour own goals and values. A good internship site should offer you alearning experience with clear duties, substantive work and adequatesupervision.
Credits and Time Commitment
Guidedinternships typically last for an entire quarter. They can be taken fora variable amount (1-10) of credits. Things to consider when choosingthe number of credits for your internship are 1) the amount of time youhave each week to spend working at an internship, 2) how you want thecredits to apply to your degree program, and 3) maximum number ofinternship credits allowed.
- How much time do you have for an internship?For each credit you enroll for you must work 3 hours at the internshipper week throughout the quarter. This means that if you enroll in 5credits, you will spend 15 hours a week at your internship, 3 creditsequates to 9 hours per week, etc. Another way to look at the timecommitment is that each credit equals 30 hours of work throughout thequarter. Using this calculation, a 5-credit internship requires 150hours of work.
- How do internship credits apply toward my degree?Internship credits may be used for general electives. For most studentsit makes sense to do an internship for 5 credits so that the internshipcredit can take the place of another 5-credit course. However,internships for less then 5 credits can be done as well.
- How many internship credits will count towards my degree?A total of ten credits of internship and/or independent study areacceptable as a part of the Business Administration curriculum. If morecredits are desired a petition must be submitted for approval.
Registration
Registeringfor your internship can be done only after you have developed alearning contract that is signed by all three partners (intern,academic sponsor, field supervisor). Bring a copy of the signedcontract to a Business Program Advisor to obtain the signature of theAssistant Director of the Business Program and an entry code forregistration.
Click here for the internship learning contract form (please fill out as much electronically as possible).
Note:Please be aware that registration for BBUS 497 follows the registrationdeadlines in the Academic Calendar for the quarter and will be subjectto late registration procedures and fees.
Completion Criteria and Grading
Youracademic sponsor will grant academic credit when you have fulfilled thelearning contract satisfactorily. Internships are graded on a credit/nocredit basis only.
The following internship evaluation forms must be submitted to successfully complete the internship (Adobe Reader required to download forms):
- Mid-term Progress Report (completed by student)
- Final Internship Evaluation (completed by student)
- Student Internship Performance Evaluation (completed by field supervisor)
- Final report detailing what was learned and how it connects to classes at UWB. (completed by student)