CAR 295: Internship for Credit
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CAR 295: Internship for Credit

This pass/fail course is designed to allow CAS students to gain real-world experience in an area of professional interest and test-drive potential career options. You can complete an internship in any role or industry, even if it is not directly tied to your academic major/minor.

The goal is to explore how your talents and interests match up with a potential career path to either confirm an interest, or build additional experience. Students in majors which require internships can also use this course as a way to gain additional experience before or after their required experience, or test out other areas of professional interest.
This class does not have a classroom component. All interactions with the instructor are one-on-one meetings scheduled at a mutually convenient time around your internship and other coursework.

In addition to your work at the internship site you will be required to schedule and complete check-in meetings with Sally Anastos, the CAS Experiential Learning Coordinator, maintain an online weekly log of hours and activities, complete a post-internship online evaluation of your experience, create an updated professional resume that includes your new experience, and submit a short reflective project. Students can apply for credit for any internship, even those found through personal connections. All internships will be reviewed. Unless your employer prohibits it, you may receive both pay from your employer and credit from the university.

Internships are intended to teach you real-world professional skills. Some of those skills include attention to detail, meeting assigned deadlines, and being proactive. Please carefully read the notes below that outline your responsibilities as an intern.

YOUR RESPONSIBILITIES AS AN INTERN

    • 1. Professionalism

      • First, and most importantly, show up on time, work hard, and follow the instructions your internship supervisor provides! If you aren’t sure about what to do, ask questions. If you complete all the work you are given, ask for more. Interns who do good work and take initiative are more likely to receive full-time job offers in the future.

    • 2. Record Keeping

      • Return to Handshake at the end of each week to record your hours and leave a brief note outlining the work completed during the week. A short paragraph is all you need. This allows us to keep track of your progress and serves as a reminder of your activity when you prepare your end of internship evaluations and reflection. If any areas of concern emerge the Experiential Learning Coordinator may request an additional check-in call or meeting at any time.

    • 3. Check-ins with QU

      • We will meet or connect by Zoom twice during your internship for a quick check-in on your experience. The first check-in is about halfway through your internship. The final check-in is one week after your internship is over at which point I will verify with you that all your paperwork and assignments are complete and have been received. PLEASE NOTE: Every internship has a different start and end date. Your final check-in must happen at least 3 days before grades are due. If your internship is scheduled to end AFTER that deadline then you may have to complete your assignments and forms BEFORE the official end of your internship. It is YOUR responsibility to ensure that all of your materials are submitted at least three days before grades are due. Confirm the date using the University academic calendar
        It is YOUR responsibility to schedule these check-in calls/meetings. You can use the links below to schedule your calls. Please schedule the calls AS SOON AS YOU ACCEPT THE JOB. This way you can be sure they are on my calendar. We can always reschedule them later if your work schedule interferes. All check-in meetings will be conducted via Zoom. Schedule Now

    • 4. End of Internship Forms

      • At the end of the internship, you will fill out two more online forms. One evaluating your experience and another evaluating the employer. Your supervisor at the internship will also have to fill out a brief form evaluating you. Student forms are available through Handshake in the same location where you keep your weekly record of hours and activities. Supervisor forms will be sent directly to the employer by Career Development.

    • 5. Update and Submit Your Resume

      • Submit an updated version of your resume, including the new internship experience, to the Experiential Learning Coordinator by email during the last week of your internship. If you are unsure of how to describe your work, don’t be afraid to ask your supervisor for help! If you don’t have a resume yet or aren’t sure how it should look, please use our Resume Writing Guide for tips and examples.

    • 6. Complete Your End of Internship Reflection

      • Finally, you need to write a short (2-3 page) essay during the last week of your internship addressing the following: A brief overview of your experience; Did the experience meet your expectations? What have you learned about your strengths and weaknesses? How did your prior academic training (both inside and outside your major) prepare you for this position? Be specific. Complete the essay by discussing your future career plans and how this experience has influenced those plans. As long as you address all of these points, you may substitute a brief video or multi-media presentation for the final paper if you prefer to do so. Email the final paper or project to the Experiential Learning Coordinator.

FAQ’s

    • Will My Internship Qualify for Credit?

      • All internship applications are reviewed to ensure that the employer is offering a legitimate learning experience for the intern. Interns must be receiving some training, must have identifiable and relevant learning objectives, must be well supervised onsite by a professional who is qualified to do so (for example, a psychology major completing a research internship who is supervised by a full-time researcher), and must not be replacing the work of a full-time employee.
        Other issues which might result in a rejection of an application include, but are not limited to:
        • Employment by a parent or relative (as a direct supervisor)
        • Employer works from a home office (if you are required to work onsite in the home)
        If an internship is rejected for any reason the Experiential Learning Coordinator will work with the student and/or employer to see if there is a way to resolve the concerns adequately or find an alternative site for the student.

    • Can I Get Credit For An Internship In Summer or J-Term?

      • Yes, but the rules and expectations are slightly different. The CAR 295 model is built on the expectation of a semester-long experience of at least 8 weeks. Traditional summer internships that span a similar time frame are treated the same as internships in spring or fall.
        When that timeline is compressed in J-term, or for a short-term experience during a summer session, there are different expectations for how often and when a student will check-in, what the learning objectives should be in order to be both realistic and valuable, and the final reflective project. Since these factors vary considerably based on both the student and the employer the Experiential Learning Coordinator will work with you directly to ensure the internship is properly crafted before approval and registration.

    • How many credits can I earn for CAR 295?

      • You can take CAR 295 for 1-15 credits depending on the internship and your needs (remember, full-time tuition includes 16 credits; if you exceed 16 credits in the Fall or Spring, or take ANY credits in the Summer, you would need to pay extra for the additional credits). You must complete 40 hours of work for EACH CREDIT. Students requesting more than 6 credits in a semester must meet with the Experiential Learning Coordinator to develop a learning and outcomes plan for the experience before they can be registered. This is a pass/fail course.

    • Does CAR 295 count towards my major?

      • CAR 295 IS AN ELECTIVE, PASS/FAIL COURSE. IT DOES NOT COUNT FOR YOUR MAJOR. If you wish to request that the credits be applied to your major, please speak to the department chair for your major.

    • When can I register?

      • We will manually register you once your application for credit has been approved. You may apply for credit as soon as you have been offered the internship.
        Fall/Spring/J-Term: You may apply at any time (including after the drop/add date) as long as there is enough time remaining in the semester for you to complete the required hours needed for the amount of credits you are pursuing.
        Summer: In order to ensure adequate timing for various university approvals you must secure your advisor’s approval and apply for credit prior to June 30.
        If you are still interviewing, or have not yet begun your search, do not apply for credit yet. Apply only after you have received an offer.

    • Can I get credit for an internship I recently finished?

      • No. Credit will not be granted for any internships completed in the past, even if you just finished working. However, If you are currently working at the internship you can still be approved for credit, but you will not be given credit for the hours completed before the internship was approved.
          Summer internships must always be approved prior to June 30 even if you began work prior to that date.

    • I’m in! How Do I Get Started?

      • First, check in with your academic advisor to verify that you have the available credits and that completing the internship at this time will fit into your overall academic plan.
        To apply:
      • Log in to Handshake. You will have to fill out your profile for the system if you have not already.
      • Click on “Career Center” in the left side menu
      • Click on “Experiences” in the main menu bar under the QU logo
      • Click on “Submit an Experience”
      • Under experience type select “Arts and Sciences – CAR 295”
      • Fill out the remaining fields as appropriate based on your internship
      • Be sure to enter 2-3 learning objectives as noted (these are 2-3 specific skills you expect to learn or improve along with some detail explaining HOW this learning will happen – connect your responsibilities to the skills you expect to learn. You should also note how these skills align with your professional goals)
      • In the “Job Description” box please cut and paste the official job description you received from the employer, even if the job is posted in Handshake. If you do not have an official job description from the employer, please ask them for one. This helps us to ensure you are being offered a legitimate and valuable learning opportunity and it allows you to have clear expectations heading into the internship.