Faculty Guide for Sponsoring an Internship

All students can complete some kind of field experience while enrolled at UMass Amherst, but not all experiences have the same impact on a student's college experience. You can review the Field Experience Definitions page for comprehensive list of experiences, but we've highlighted the most common experiences below.

Note: the terms listed below are often used differently by students, companies, and even UMass departments. The definitions are how UMass defines these terms, and what students can and cannot do during their time at UMass.

Internships

An internship is a position within an organization that provides students with a professional-level training experience and/or gives them the opportunity to explore a specific career.

Any student can participate in an uncredited internship, so long as they meet the legal work requirements.

For a credited internship, a student must:

• Have completed at least 45 credits and have at least a 2.0 GPA
• Be in a department that allows for credited internships 
• Identify a faculty member to serve as their faculty sponsor

Cooperative Education (Co-op)

A co-op is a full-time paid work experience that is at least 30 hours per week directly for an employer where the work is clearly related to the student’s major. While on co-op, students are put on “co-op” status with the registrar which is reflected on the transcript upon successful completion of the co-op experience. During this time, students are still considered “full-time;” however, they do not pay tuition unless also taking courses through UWW.

Practica

Practica are credited internships that are required as a part of a degree programs - as a result, any academic requirements will be met as a result of participating in the program. As of Fall 2024, only two degree programs at UMass offer actual practica - Education and Nursing.

Many undergraduate students are eligible for internship credit, while graduate students should consult with their programs to determine if they are eligible within their degree requirements. The Can I Do an Internship for Credit page has the current department policies.

In addition to their department requirements, undergraduate students must have at least 45 credits and a 2.0 GPA or they need special permission from their Academic Dean to earn credit for an internship.

Before beginning an internship, a student submits an Experiential Learning Request in SPIRE.

• The student fills out the form, providing information about their employer and requesting the course and credits they would like to earn
• The faculty sponsor receives an e-mail indicating a request has been submitted. Following the link in the e-mail, they review the form, correct errors, identify the academic criteria for the student, and then approve or deny the experience.
• The Career Hub receives the approval and then coordinates with department scheduling representatives to register the student for credit. 

The specifics of credit arrangements vary from department to department. It should be noted that some departments have their own academic contracts, and the Field Experience Office will accept these in addition to the completed Experiential Learning Request in SPIRE. 

As the instructor on record for the internship experience, Faculty Sponsors are responsible for: 

• Reviewing a position description of the internship to ensure it is sufficiently related to the student's academic program
• Discussing potential learning outcomes related to the experience with the student
• Establishing the appropriate number of credits for an internship experience. Doing so requires assessing the academic rigor of the work assigned as well as the amount of time the student will be working at the internship experience. 

As a rough guide, the Field Experience Office estimates that interns should work 40 hours per credit. This may vary within departments and at different organizations.

Students may receive a maximum of 18 credits over the course of their academic careers as a limit at UMass, but the possible credits are based on department policies. Faculty members should check with their departments for the amount and type of credit students can receive in that specific department and can consult the Can I Do an Internship for Credit page. 

Faculty Sponsors are required to assign academic projects for an internship as a means to determine a grade for the student. It is important to remember that while a student is working at an internship, the work they do at the internship is not what determines their grade. Most students on internship will have an evaluation of their performance sent to their employer and shared with their faculty sponsor as a means for providing context to the student's experience.

While there are many ways to evaluate a student's academic performance on internship, below are a few of the most common. Note that this list is not exhaustive, and faculty may determine other criteria for evaluating performance. 

Cumulative Reflection Paper(s): 

One or two significant written assignments that are typically turned in mid-term and/or at the end of the experience. While these most often take the form of a reflection paper, it may also be based on assigned readings, a topic related to the field of the internship/major, or any other significant written assessment of the student’s learning from the experience. This may also be supplemented with a self-assessment filled out through a form.

Weekly Hours Log:

A tracking document with hours reported each week. Turned in at the end of the semester.

Recurring (Weekly, Bi-Weekly, Monthly) Journal: 

Brief writings occurring on a regular basis that may be of the students’ own experiences or based around prompts from the faculty sponsor. Entries may be turned in throughout the semester or collectively at the end of the semester. Examples include weekly journal reflections, blog entries, or e-mails to faculty sponsor.

Presentation: 

Formal presentation, to be delivered by the student to faculty, other students, at a conference, or any other space that is appropriate. May also include a poster presentation on a topic related to the field experience. 

Project/Portfolio: 

Culmination of all the work done during the internship experience into a single collective work. Examples of projects include events, art pieces, mathematic/predictive models, research, computer program code, or any other form that the faculty sponsor assigns to assess the student’s performance. A portfolio is a collection of work samples from the student to demonstrate learning objectives from the experience.

Case Study:

Analysis of a situation or problem for students to explore. Case studies are often based on real-world situations found in academic literature, news outlets, or a student’s internship experience.

Academic Assignments: 

Set of designated topics and tasks selected by a faculty sponsor for a student to do during the internship. This often accompanies an on-line class (Canvas/Moodle/Blackboard component).

Regular Faculty-Student Meetings: 

Recurring meetings between the student and faculty sponsor. These may be done in-person, on the phone, via e-mail, or through Zoom.

Internships are registered under Practicum numbers 298, 398, or 498, and students must complete the registration at the beginning of the semester in which they are interning. The specifics of credit arrangements vary from department to department - faculty members should check with their departments for the amount and type of departmental credit students can receive, as well as review the Can I Do an Internship for Credit page.

Students may also register internships as UMASS 298Y credit. This is non-departmental credit that applies toward graduation and is mandatory pass/fail.

If you have any questions, please contact the Field Experience office at 413-545-2224. We are here to assist you in this process.

Grades for internships are due on the same schedule as class grades. Summer grades are due by the end of the summer session. Faculty who are awarding department credit should check with their department's scheduling representative to see how grading for internships has been arranged. Those awarding general UMass 298Y credits will find their individual grade rosters through SPIRE. UMASS 298Y is a mandatory pass/fail course.

Overview

After securing an internship position, students should process an internship contract in Handshake in order to receive course credit. The requirements for earning academic credit for an internship are:

• Supplying a position description to the faculty advisor;
• Working with faculty advisor to articulate learning outcomes related to the experience;
• Completing 40 hours of internship work for each credit received;
• Submitting bi-weekly journal entries for academic credit using provided web form (for those > 2 credit hours, this requirement will depend on the length of the internship)
• Submitting a midterm paper
• Submitting a final reflection paper (1-2 credit hours = 1-page paper, 3-4 credit hours = 3-page paper, 5-6 credit hours = 6-page paper, 7-9 credit hours=8-page paper)
• Submitting a portfolio of work or a final project presentation (only for those > 2 credit hours)

Midterm Paper:

1. How have students brought knowledge learned in the classroom to the internship experience?
2. What industry-specific skills (technical or creative) are they learning in the internship and to what extent to they feel that they have learned it?
   1. Becoming familiar with
   2. Gained a solid foundational use of the skill
   3. Mastered
3. What professional skills are students gaining in the internship?

Final Reflection Paper:

Reflecting on the internship experience, write a XX-page paper identifying the key skills and competencies you have gained and how your educational experience at UMass provided a foundation for your experience.  What, if any, skills gaps did you encounter and how were you able to address this gap?  What did you learn about yourself through the internship and how did this experience inform your career trajectory?

How do I get academic credit for an internship?

Any internship that furthers your professional development in some way can be registered for academic credit. To get academic credit, students first must find an internship and then secure a faculty sponsor. Dr. Carolyn Davies (@email) and Dr. Erik Cheries (@email) are the PBS internship liaisons and often serve as faculty sponsors for PBS students. However, any PBS faculty member can serve as a faculty sponsor for an internship. If you are in the DDHS program, your faculty sponsor is Dr. Ashley Woodman (@email).

The requirements for earning academic credit for an internship are:

• Completing 40 hours of internship work for each credit received;
• Submitting weekly reports to faculty sponsor;
• Submitting a ~5-page final paper on “What I Learned from My Internship” by the second day of final exams; 
• Receiving a satisfactory end–of–term evaluation from the intern’s on-site direct supervisor;
• Submitting a completed Internship Site and Supervisor Final Assessment form by the second day of final exams.
• After securing an internship position and faculty sponsor, students must submit an Experiential Learning Request in SPIRE (see below) in order to receive course credit.

How do I submit an Experiential Learning Request in SPIRE?

Once you have an internship position and faculty sponsor, you must complete an Experiential Learning Request in SPIRE in order for your internship credits to be added to your SPIRE. These requests should ideally be completed by the end of the term prior to the start of your internship (e.g., by the end of summer for the fall term), but will be considered after this time under special circumstances. Contact your faculty sponsor if you have any questions about the Experiential Learning Request in SPIRE. To complete the request:

1. Follow the instructions found here: Experiential Learning Request Instructions
2. Under Subject Area and Catalog Number, enter PSYCH 398F (PSYCH 398E if spring) or UMASS 298. Ask your faculty sponsor if you're not sure which course number your internship falls under.
   • PSYCH 398 is a variable-credit course and students with a GPA of 2.5 or better may register for it. Internships registered as PSYCH 398 must be Psych-related.
   • UMASS 298 is a variable-credit course and students with a GPA of 2.0 or better may register for it. 
3. Under Credits Requested, input the number of credits you anticipate completing during the term (every 40 hours = 1 credit)

Once you submit the request, it will be forwarded to your faculty sponsor, and then the credits will be added to your SPIRE.

What counts towards my internship hours?

• You receive 1 academic credit for every 40 hours of internship, and these hours must be completed by the last day of classes in the term for which your internship is registered. You can count hours for professional development and training. You cannot count hours traveling to and from your internship site from campus. If your internship requires travel from the main office to homes or schools, for instance, you can count these hours. You can count up to one hour of time per week spent working on the required journal entries.
• It is your responsibility to ensure that you complete the required number of hours. If you need to make up hours from sick days, vacations, or snow days, discuss opportunities with your internship supervisor. If you are not able to make up these hours by the last day of classes, you will receive credit for only the hours completed. For instance, if you complete 100 hours but planned to complete 120, you will receive 2 credits for the first 80 hours. Contact your internship faculty sponsor as soon as possible if any changes need to be made to the number of credits after the add/drop period.

Can I get credit for a paid internship?

Yes! There is no difference between paid vs. unpaid internships in the process of registering an internship for academic credit.

Can I get credit for a summer or winter internship?

Yes, you can, however, because these credits are registered through University+/UWW, there is a per-credit registration fee over the summer/winter. So if you don't need the credits over the summer/winter, you can simply do the internship for the experience without getting academic credit. If you do need the credits, internship credits are a great way to get additional credits over summer/winter. Contact an advisor if you have questions about summer/winter internships. 

Do I need to get a background check before I do an internship?

No, this is not required; however students may complete a CORI form prior to completing their internship contracts. This is a background check that your internship site may also request you to complete. This background check is only valid for one year, so you may need to complete it more than once if you are doing multiple internships. To complete the CORI, fill out this form in its entirety (don’t forget to sign it) and bring it to Jonathan Tominar-Lipari in Tobin Hall room 401. He is typically in his office M-F 9:30-4:00.

What Can I Expect if I Enroll in Res-Econ 398?

Hours

You will be expected to work 40 hours per credit earned. Many students opt for 3 credits (120 hours over the course of a semester), but you have options including 1, 2, or 4 credits. UMass Amherst students can earn up to 18 internship credits during the course of degree completion. Resource Economics typically limits students to 6 credits in any one given term/semester

Faculty Sponsorship

You are responsible for finding and working with a faculty sponsor in order to receive credit. Within Resource Economics, the primary faculty sponsor for general internships is Colby Gray (c.gray@umass.edu).

Academic Requirements

Internships are Pass/Fail. In order to pass, you must meet the academic requirements you collaboratively set with your faculty sponsor. See sample expectations.

Sample Expectations for 3 Credit Internship (General)

(Note expectations increase or decrease based on the number of credits earned.)

Complete a Work Log: 

Submit weekly documentation of hours worked in the internship ensuring you have met the minimum work hours for the credits you are receiving by the end of the semester. If hours are split between multiple locations, indicate the location associated with all hours.

Attend Faculty Sponsor Meetings: 

Over the course of your internship, you will be responsible for scheduling and attending 3 check-in meetings with your sponsor.

Select and Complete 2 Academic Assignments:

• Summative Essay: 6 pages of reflection on your experience in the internship (training received, what you are learning, how you are growing, connections you are making, etc.) Students are limited to 1 summative essay per internship experience.
• In-Depth Self-Assessment: With employer support/permission, collect and write-up 360-degree feedback (feedback from supervisor, peers, and direct reports) regarding your current performance including suggestions for improvement. Submit this feedback along with a self-assessment of your work and a plan for self-improvement during the remainder of the internship. In total, this assignment should be 6 pages in length with at least 1 page devoted to self-assessment and 1 page dedicated to an improvement plan. Students are limited to 1 self-assessment per internship experience.
• Employer Interviews: With employer support/permission, select 3 employees with different roles or experiences within the organization. Conduct an interview with each using questions you develop and submit a 2-page summary of each interview (6 pages in total). Students are limited to 2 sets of employer interviews per internship experience.
• Project Summary: If your internship affords you the opportunity to create a specific presentation, project, or report, you may submit this item for review (adhering to the employer’s redaction/confidentiality expectations) along with a 4-5 page reflection on what you learned by completing the project. Students are limited to 2 project summaries per internship experience.
• Live Presentation: Develop an in-depth presentation with slides/visuals to be presented during one of your meetings with your faculty sponsor. This presentation may be an overview of your role/experience, an in-depth look at a specific job function, etc. Present to faculty and any other students in attendance (approximately 10 minutes in length). This presentation may be recorded and/or used for departmental purposes. Students are limited to 1 Live Presentation per internship experience.
• Marketing Pitch: Work with the Academic Programs Manager for Resource Economics to develop content for our website, social media accounts, or other marketing materials related to your internship experience. Use this as an opportunity to pitch your experience and gain marketing experience at the same time. May include (in consultation with you) classroom visits or RES events. Students are limited to 1 Marketing Pitch per internship experience.
• Propose Your Own Idea(s): Seek faculty approval for another equivalent assignment.

Sample Expectations for 3 Credit Internship (Academically-Focused)

Complete a Work Log: 

See above.

Attend Faculty Sponsor Meetings: 

See above.

In-Depth Study: 

Work with your faculty sponsor to determine connection points between your internship and Resource Economics fundamentals. Expectations will vary by interests and may require employer permission. Options include, but are not limited to:

• Utilizing company data sets to research a specific question that may be of both academic interest and utility to your employer.
• Applying a theory or construct in the work setting and summarizing your observations.
• Completing a literature review related to the company, industry, or specific commodity.
• Expanding upon current or past major-specific course work relevant to internship duties.

How do I Get Started?

1. Meet with your faculty sponsor to develop the academic requirements for the internship you’ve secured. Conversations should be completed before add/drop of term.
2. After this meeting, submit an internship experience in Handshake and the Department will enroll you in Res-Econ 398. You may then begin actively working on your established plan.

“Response” Assignment #1

Please respond to the following questions in a 3 – 4 length page response.

1. What kinds of tasks are you responsible for in your internship?
2. How do you feel these tasks support the department or function you work in? How do they support the goals of the company/organization in general?
3. What industry is the company/organization is in? What are you learning about this company/organization and how it functions in its industry?
4. What are you observing about the corporate culture? About how people communicate? What are the “cultural norms” as they relate to dress, professionalism, use of email, communication, etc?
5. What are you learning about yourself? What surprises you the most?
6. How does this experience compare to any other kind of “job” you have held in the past?
7. Are you beginning to get a sense of how you will learn from the experience and how it can help you with your own career goals?
8. How are you applying (or not) any coursework in your internship?

“Response” Assignment #2

Help the Chase Career Center build content for the Isenberg Intern feature for the Chase Career Center website. Please use the following questions to format your assignment:

1. What did you do?
2. How did you get the position?
3. What was your experience? What did you learn?
4. What advice can you give to other students looking to intern?

 If your response is suitable for posting, the web blogging team will be in touch about  getting the post you wrote live as part of our Isenberg Intern feature.

“Response” Assignment #3

Select a reading from any number of sources (I’ve included a list to choose from) and write a response that reflects something about what you have learned thus far during your internship. This response should be at least one page in length, but NO longer than 2 pages. The list of suggested readings does NOT include resources in all academic areas! Please feel free to find something on your own that relates to what you are doing in your internship. In your response, please make sure you reference the article or book so I can find it.  Include page numbers to help me locate exactly what you responded to.

Final Project/Paper

In either a paper format or some kind of presentation (be creative!!), explore your “Professional Brand” and how the internship experience has helped to either create or solidify this.

The following questions will help you think about this:

1. What is YOUR value proposition as a future intern/employee….and how will you promote this going forward either into another potential internship or full time career opportunity?
2. What skills has the internship helped you to develop or enhance?
3. What do you feel are your biggest contributions to the company/organization?
4.  What do you think your supervisor would say are your accomplishments this summer?

Paper Format: 5 – 7 pages

There are many online and print resources available to help you think about your “brand” and why it is important to your career success! Have fun with this!

Source: Parker Dewey

Finance and Accounting

Raised Funding Recap

Develop a report which provides an overview of companies that raised funds during a time period that will be provided. As part of this, highlight the amount raised, the round of funding, prior funding rounds and their amounts, and more.

Corporate Venturing

Research a list of companies based off specific criteria (to be provided) and determine if they have a corporate venture capital arm. If they do, provide a summary of their operations and investments made.

Monitoring Payment Trends

Monitor payment trends and carry out corrective measures for overdue accounts as required.

Sales and Business Development

LinkedIn Research

Using LinkedIn, conduct sales research on 20 target companies. Provide a list of key contacts with whom to arrange an initial appointment and/or product presentation. Identify any second or third degree connections the company may have.

Prospect Research

Research and segment lead-gen lists (approximately 100 individuals) based upon past interaction on the website and email engagement. Deliverables include name, company, role, and contact information.

List Crunching

Review the list of corporate attendees at an upcoming conference. Determine the name of the CEO or other executive, contact information for that individual, a brief description of the company's offering (ie market, product, etc.), and recent press highlight that may impact the ability to sell to them.

Lead Generation

Identify 25 companies/contacts in a defined market that fall under our ideal customer profile. Once identified, provide the company name and contact information for a director-level or above decision maker. Contact information should include: name, position, phone, and verified email. In addition, please include company size and other information that we will define.

Human Resources

Job Board Support and Evaluation

Create and manage postings for five open positions using various job board. This includes promoting postings on social media, evaluating effectiveness of various methods, and initial screens of candidate information based upon pre-defined metrics.

Diversity Best Practices

Assist in the development of a diversity best practices manual. Identify between 10 and 20 thoughtful articles that highlight the importance of diversity in organizations, best practices, and challenges when best practices are not implemented. Summarize key points across the articles in a single document.

Research and Strategy

Vendor research

Research at least 5-10 products based off specific criteria (to be provided). Once identified, create a grid comparing the specific offerings of each vendor and make recommendations on which vendor the company should work with.

SWOT analysis

Prepare a SWOT (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, Threats) analysis for three companies in a specific market/industry. This should include the use of public data on these companies and industry research.

Competitive Analysis

Research five key competitive products in a specific market and outline the details on incentives for consumers to purchase each product. Additionally provide information on recent changes to the product and its messaging to consumers.

Marketing

Social Media Engagement Feedback

Review postings on Twitter/X, Facebook, Instagram, and other social media sites that tag or reference the company. Prepare a report summarizing the information including key areas of positive and negative feedback. Include examples that convey key points of feedback.

SEO Support

Identify opportunities to improve the company’s website SEO. Using best practices and key industry trends, provide recommendations on how to improve. Then assist in implementation.

Email marketing campaign development

Develop an email marketing campaign of 3-5 emails to help the company promote an upcoming initiative/produce. The emails will be send sequentially and should play off each other.

Operations and Support

Update User Manual

Update a user manual to reflect recent changes made to product specifications and features.

Grant Writing

Help research grants that may be available to support the organization and write a first draft of the grant application.

IT and Cyber

Research New Cybersecurity Tools

Prepare a report highlighting new developments, products, regulation, etc in the cybersecurity industry.

Application Security Review

Review application software to identify potential security vulnerabilities. Once identified, outline what they are and provide recommendations as to how to fix them.

Developing Technical Documentation

Develop and write technical documentation, make revisions to existing documentation, and provide input to technical papers or presentations.