Internships and Practicum

A credited internship or practicum is a position in a company or organization that provides you with a professional-level educational or training experience while earning academic credit. Internships / practicums may also be completed with University staff or faculty. Credited internships / practicums can take place year round and may or may not be paid. To participate in a credited internship / practicum, you must have earned at least 45 credits and have at least a 2.0 GPA overall. (For exceptions to these rules, speak with your academic dean). In addition, you must complete your internship / practicum prior to graduation.

Department Independent Study and Practicum credits (e.g. internships) must be arts-related, sponsored by full-time Department faculty, and approved by the Program Director. Art majors can take a maximum of 12 Independent Study and/or Practicum credits toward degree requirements. GPA in Art and Art History Courses must be 2.0 or above in order to fulfill Department degree requirements. Art Minors are not able to fulfill studio electives through credited internship or practicums but are encouraged to take internships to fulfill general education requirements. Minors would need special approval by the Program Director in order to receive credit towards studio electives. This is granted only under exceptional circumstances.

Internship / Practicum Credits, Hours and Costs

• Fall and spring semester internship credits are part of regular tuition -- so no extra cost for full-time undergraduate students.
• Summer or winter session internship credits are registered through University Without Walls and are paid by the student, per credit, the same way summer courses are billed and paid for. A maximum of four credits is allowed for winter session internships, and a maximum of 14 credits is allowed for summer session.
• Credits are registered under UMass 298 or Art x98 practicums, are usually earned as studio elective credits, and count towards graduation credit totals. Most are graded Pass/Fail, but some departments may use letter-graded practicum credits.

In addition to the academic work you and your faculty sponsor agree upon, you need to work 40 hours for each credit earned (1 credit = 40 hours). For any semester-long (including fall, winter, spring and summer) internships, the total number of hours worked divided by 40 determines the amount of credits earned.

These are the UMass Amherst recommended hours needed to earn credits over the course of a fall or spring 13-week semester (1 credit is equal to 40 hours):

• A 3 credit internship is equal to 9 hours a week (or 120 hours a semester)
• A 6 credit internship is equal to 17.5 hours a week (or 240 hours a semester)
• A 9 credit internship is equal to 25.5 hours a week (or 360 hours a semester)
• A 12 credit internship is equal to 34.5 hours a week (or 480 hours a semester)
• A 14 credit internship is equal to 40 hours a week (or 560 hours a semester)

What Does My Faculty Sponsor Do?
When you participate in an internship / practicum, you need a faculty sponsor to help determine the amount of credits you will earn and to guide and evaluate the academic component of your placement. Although the internship / practicum will be like a job, it is actually an academic experience, and the credit you receive will be for that academic component. Your sponsor will usually require a graded paper, journal, or project that reflects what you have learned from your experiences. Choose a faculty sponsor whose academic work is closely related to your internship field.

Faculty? Please read Sponsoring an Internship for information on your responsibilities and expectations as a faculty sponsor.

What's an Internship / Practicum Contract?
The Internship / Practicum Contract is an agreement between you, your faculty sponsor, and the host site or employer that clearly states the academic content and expectations of your internship / practicum placement. You and your faculty sponsor will determine what kind of work you will do for your credit, what type of credit, and how many credits you will earn.

After the Internship / Practicum
To receive a grade, you and your site supervisor must equip your faculty sponsor with enough information to determine your grade. From your site supervisor, that should include an evaluation sent by your supervisor which includes confirming your total number of work hours. You should log all your hours on a spreadsheet and have their supervisor sign-off each week.

In addition, you must submit your Academic Project to your faculty sponsor by the end of the semester at a time determined by you and your sponsor. Be sure to submit these ASAP so that your faculty sponsor has time to calculate and enter your grade before the deadline.

Meet with an academic advisor after the semester of your internship / practicum or upon graduation clearance to make sure that the credited internship / practicum is reflected as studio elective credits on your Academic Requirement Report (ARR).

You may wish to meet with a Career Advisor in your college to discuss how to best present on your resume the skills gained from your internship experience.