Internship Policies and Procedures

(For a printer friendly version, click here.)

An internship in the Department of Business and Accounting allows students to supplement their formal education with practical experience. It focuses not only on performing well on the job for an employer, but also on creating an optimal learning experience.

The policies and procedures document explains the following items related to the internship.

Requirements
Graduation requirements for Business Administration and Accounting majors
Student requirements for the student to qualify for an internship
Job requirements for the job to qualify as an internship
Internship Process
Application process
Reporting process
Evaluation process
Grading
Paperwork
Responsibilities
Student responsibilities
Employer responsibilities
Internship Coordinator responsibilities
Internship Advisor responsibilities
Exceptions

If you have any questions after reading these policies and procedures, please contact Todd Carothers, carotherst@uwplatt.edu, for clarification.

Requirements

The following requirements provide clear expectations prior to starting the internship process.

Graduation Requirements

Students who declare a Business Administration or Accounting major must complete a 3.0 credit internship to graduate if either of the following applies:

  1. Did the student declare a Business Administration major in Fall 2001 or later?
  2. Did the student declare an Accounting major in Fall 2007 or later?

If the answer to either question is yes, the student must complete an internship to graduate.

Student Requirements

Students must meet the following requirements to apply for an internship:

  1. Student has completed at least 60 credits
  2. Student has a cumulative Grade Point Average of at least 2.0

If the answer to either question is no, the student cannot apply for an internship.

Job Requirements

A potential internship job opportunity must meet the following requirements to qualify as an internship for credit:

  1. The job has a clear link to the student's Business Administration or Accounting education.
  2. The job description and duties requires a University education.
  3. The job is not with a business owned or run by the student's family member.
  4. The job is not supervised by the student's family member.
  5. The job will begin after the internship application has been approved
  6. The job is at least 80 hours (240 hours is required for 3.0 credits)
  7. The job is at least 20 hours per week.
  8. If the job is at a for-profit employer, the internship is a paid position

If the answer to either question is no, the job cannot be considered as an internship.

Other Considerations

Several other items must be considered by the student when applying for an internship.

  1. Every 80 hours of internship work qualifies for 1.0 credit. A student must complete 240 hours of internship work to complete the required 3.0 credits.
  2. A student can only take an additional 6.0 classroom credits during the semester of the internship. Many students do not take any classroom credits, which is acceptable.
  3. A 3.0 credit internship qualifies the student as a full-time student

Internship Process

The following processes explain how the internship application, reporting and evaluation occur.

Application Process

Students should follow these steps to complete the internship application.

  1. Research companies for potential internship
  2. Apply to potential internships
  3. Meet with the Internship Coordinator to discuss the internship's learning outcomes and determine if the internship is appropriate for credit.
    (This step may be skipped if the student is confident he or she can sell the connection between his or her education and the internship within the application's narrative paper and all other policies are met.)
  4. Complete the Internship Application form and submit to the Internship Coordinator.
  5. Obtain a final approval from the Internship Coordinator.
  6. Receive communication from the Business and Accounting department that the internship class is available for registration.
  7. Register for the specific internship class (BSAD 4990 or ACCT 4990) provided by the Business and Accounting department in step 5.

Reporting Process

Students must follow these steps once the internship begins to qualify for a passing grade. A passing grade is required for the internship to meet the graduation requirements.

  1. Complete 40 hours of internship work.
  2. Submit a 5 page paper to the assigned Internship Advisor within one week of completing the 40 hours of work (or other schedule if agreed to with the internship advisor).
  3. Address feedback regarding the 5 page paper.
  4. Complete 40 hours of internship work.
  5. Submit a 5 page paper to the assigned Internship Advisor within one week of completing the 40 hours of work (or other schedule if agreed to with the internship advisor).
  6. Address feedback regarding the 5 page paper.
  7. Repeat steps 1 - 6 for every 1.0 credit of internship.

An Internship Reporting Requirements form explains the requirements of the paper.

Evaluation Process

The student and the employer must complete an evaluation at the end of the internship.

  1. Student: Complete the Intern - Appraisal Form.
  2. Employer: Complete the Employer - Intern Evaluation Form.

The evaluations should be submitted to the Internship Coordinator no more than two weeks after the conclusion of the internship or 240 hours of work, whichever is shorter.

Grading

The following grading items indicate the reasons a student may fail the internship. This is not an all-inclusive list.

Paperwork

The following paperwork will be maintained for each student intern.

Responsibilities

The following responsibilities explain the roles each person has within the internship process.

Student Responsibilities

The student/intern who is working at an internship has the following responsibilities:

A student performing an internship reflects on the University of Wisconsin - Platteville. A student must act professionally including being punctual, performing work effectively and efficiently, and behaving in a way that demonstrates ability and interest in the employer's work.

Employer Responsibilities

The employer that has hired a student for an internship has the following responsibilities:

These responsibilities will often be fulfilled by the intern's primary supervisor at the employer.

Internship Coordinator Responsibilities

The Internship Coordinator has the following responsibilities:

Internship Advisor Responsibilities

The Internship Advisor has the following responsibilities:

  1. Advisors will maintain the requirement for students to turn in a 5 page paper for every 40 hours worked. The advisor will utilize the D2L dropbox to collect the papers.
  2. Advisors will review and provide feedback to students on the papers within 7 days (otherwise the students won't adjust in a timely manner).
  3. Advisors will record D2L pass/fail for each of the reports.
  4. Advisors will visit at least 20% of their students while on the internship.
  5. Advisors will call 100% of their students once during the internship.
  6. Grades will be given once all papers are done and employer and employee reviews are received and filed in the intern's advising file. If an employer review has not been received, the grade can be given if the internship advisor has contacted the employer requesting the form and confirmed the internship was completed.
  7. The internship file will be returned to the internship coordinator once #6 is done.
  8. The advisor's goal is to help interns have a successful internship and to get some repeat internship companies.

Exceptions

Except as stated in A, B and C, no other waivers of the internship requirement will be allowed.

  1. Internship Credit (when internship is taken at another institution for 3.0 or more credits)
    1. The exception (internship) must have been taken for credit at some post-secondary academic institution.
    2. The student must have a signed employer evaluation that is comparable to the Business Admin and Accounting department's evaluation.
    3. The student must complete a 15-20 page report discussing the relationship of the internship experiences to coursework in their major, emphasis area and career goals. The report should include a narrative discussion and may include support charts, table, or other documents.
    4. The student must still complete the application and the application paperwork must be approved by the internship coordinator.
    5. The student must still complete the self- evaluation.
    6. All other internship requirements (hours, credits, etc.) remain.
    7. The student must have had a business admin or accounting major at the time of the internship.

  2. Internship Credit (when prior internship was taken in another major at UWP but before becoming a Business Admin or Accounting Major):
    1. The exception must have been taken for credit in a different UWP department.
    2. The student must have a signed employer evaluation that is comparable to the Business Admin and Accounting department's evaluation.
    3. The student must complete a 15-20 page report discussing the relationship of the internship experiences to coursework in their business or accounting major, emphasis area and career goals. The report should include a narrative discussion and may include support charts, table, or other documents.
    4. The student must still complete the application and the application paperwork must be approved by the internship coordinator.
    5. The student must still complete the self- evaluation.
    6. All other internship requirements (hours, credits, etc.) remain.
    7. The student must have completed or be enrolled in 5 of the business admin's core classes before taking the internship.
    8. In this case, the class will be counted as a dual purpose course (credits will not count twice.)
    9. Student must complete a Degree Program Change Form which indicates the internship course number and number of credits to be used to fulfill BSAD internship requirement.

  3. Internship Waiver (when prior business experience has been obtained prior to enrollment at UWP):
    1. The student must request an internship waiver through the Degree Program Change Form within the first two semesters of becoming a Business Admin or Accounting major at University of Wisconsin - Platteville.
    2. The student must complete a 15-20 page report discussing the relationship of the internship experiences to coursework in their business or accounting major, emphasis area and career goals. The report should include a narrative discussion and may include support charts, table, or other documents. This report will be attached to the Degree Program Change Form.
    3. The Degree Program Change Form must be approved consistent with the Degree Program Change Form process (i.e. advisor, department chair, etc.)
    4. In this case, the class will not show on the transcript as a completed course, rather, the requirement will be waived.

    As a reminder, these exceptions are provided as a way to guide students who may seek an exception. The presence of these exceptions in no way indicates a likelihood of acceptance. The acceptance of an exception is extremely rare. A student must evaluate the effort of submitting an exception request knowing that the exception will likely be denied.