Credit Bearing Internship Policy

Many students can get credit for an internship. But there are exceptions within certain majors, so it is important to check with your department head, the Career Center, or Academic Services prior to the experience.

Eligibility

BFA students who have completed their sophomore year and who meet the requirements below may apply for a credit bearing internship. 

To be eligible for a credit-bearing internship, a student must: 

• Have a minimum cumulative GPA of 2.5 ;
• Be in good academic standing at the time the internship is initiated, with no outstanding Incomplete grades; 
• Have completed all Foundation courses; and 
• Be in good social standing, with no outstanding judicial sanctions. 

Students wishing to pursue an exception to the above criteria can submit an Internship Program Petition, available in the Career Center. 

Earning Credit 

Students can earn a total of 9 hours of internship credit during their academic career. The number of credits for which they are registering must be determined at the beginning of the internship. 

• A maximum of 3 credit hours (requiring a minimum of 120 clock hours of work) may be earned per semester during the academic year. 
• A minimum of 1 credit hour (requiring a minimum of 40 clock hours of work) may be earned in a semester or during the summer. 
• 1.5 credit hours (requiring a minimum of 60 clock hours of work) may be earned in a semester or during the summer. 
• A maximum of 6 credit hours (requiring a minimum of 240 clock hours) may be earned during the summer. 

Registration for an internship during the academic year must be completed by the end of the course drop/add period, except in the case of a Rolling Internship. Reductions to the number of credit hours being pursued must be made before the end of the withdrawal period. 

Students must develop expanded learning objectives for an internship if they stay for a second semester at the same internship site. 

Students who are enrolled in 18 credit hours during the fall or spring semester and want to add an internship beyond the 18 credits will be charged the Institute’s current overload fee. 

Credit will not be awarded retroactively after an internship is completed. 

Summer Internships 

The deadline to submit an internship application for the summer is July 14. Students cannot earn credit until their internships are fully registered. This means that students should not wait until July 14 to register for their internship if it starts before that date.  

Any internship hours completed prior to registration will not be eligible for credit. All summer internships must be completed by the start of Fall semester unless an extension is requested and granted by the Career Center.  

A fee of $100 per credit hour is required for summer internships and is due prior to the start of the internship. 

Rolling internships 

Rolling internships are defined as internships which begin after the first week of the semester and may extend into the following semester. Rolling Internships may be credit bearing. The experience must begin no later than the end of the 8th week of the semester and must be completed by no later than the end of the 8th week of the following semester, with at least 50% of the hours taking place in the registered semester. 

• Seniors who are enrolled in their final semester are not eligible for Rolling Internships. 
• International Students who wish to participate in a Rolling Internship should consult with the International Student Advisor to ensure that internship paperwork can be processed in accordance with SEVP regulations. 
• Academic credit will appear on the official transcript for the semester in which the internship began. 
• Students who will be completing their internships in the subsequent semester must request an extension by filling out an “Authorization for Internship Extension Form,” available in the Career Center. An ‘In Progress’ grade not revised by the deadline will revert to “failure.” 
• Please be aware, if you decide to pursue a rolling internship, it could have an impact on meeting the U. S. Department of Education Satisfactory Academic Progress requirements, which could in turn impact your eligibility for financial aid. 

One of the Satisfactory Academic Progress requirements stipulate that students must complete a minimum percentage of the courses they attempt each semester to be making satisfactory academic progress. At CIA the percentage of courses attempted that must be completed is 67%. A rolling internship counts as hours in progress (IP) and do not count as completed until you finish the experience. For example, if you were taking 12 credits and 3 of those were an internship that you made a rolling internship, your progress would be 75% until the internship was completed. If you were taking those same 12 credits, made 3 of them a rolling internship, and dropped, failed, or took an incomplete in one additional 3-credit course, you would be at 50% and thus not be making satisfactory academic progress. The Office of Financial Aid will send students who fail to make Satisfactory Academic Progress an Appeal Form. Students receiving an Appeal Form are encouraged to submit this form to the Office of Financial Aid immediately after receiving it. Students whose appeal is approved will then be sent an Academic Plan. Students must meet with Academic Services to complete the Academic Plan. Once the plan is completed, the student should meet with Caprice Odom in the Office of Financial Aid so the Academic Plan can be approved and your eligibility for financial aid can be reinstated. 

Grading 

All internships are graded on a Pass/Fail basis. Credit is assigned by Faculty Sponsors, upon review of the required evaluation materials at the end of the internship. 

Internship Completion (Passing) Criteria: 

• Adherence to the arrangements outlined in the Internship Application 
• Completion of required hours, as documented on Internship Time Logs to be approved by Internship Supervisors and submitted according to the schedule specified by the Career Center 
• Completion and submission of the intern’s resume twice throughout the course of the internship, 
• Final Evaluation (submitted by the supervisor) and Reflection Paper by the deadline specified by the Career Center 

NOTE: Missing more than one deadline without communication will result in notification to the faculty sponsor for consideration when determining the student’s pass or fail grade. 

Be aware that credits earned as a “Pass” grade are not included in GPA calculation; however, “Failure” credits will be included in the calculation. 

Revised April 23, 2018