Field Experience Definitions

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.

Internships happen year-round: during the fall or spring semester, over winter break, or during the summer. During the academic semester, students can go on internship full or part-time while also taking classes. Unlike a part-time job, an internship has a career focus and includes learning objectives. Students bring the knowledge they have learned in the classroom and apply this knowledge to the internship experience where they gain skills and further understanding of the industry. The workplace supervisor provides guidance and feedback to facilitate the learning process. The employer also provides an evaluation at the end of the internship.

There are a range of experiences that qualify as “internship” including those for pay, those for credit, micro-internships, and formal internship programs. The University adheres to and expects employers to follow Fair Labor Standards Act for unpaid internships. The University, not the employer, determines if an internship is eligible for credit. Note that credit must be both earned and paid for by the student. To be eligible for credit, students must work for an employer for a minimum of 40 hours AND complete academic work (a project, a writing assignment, an art/music piece, a computer model, for example) as assigned by their academic sponsor. In SPIRE internships are usually listed as UMASS 298, 398 or 498, or through the department-specific courses such as JOURNAL 298 or POLISCI 298.

Credited internships require a faculty sponsor to determine the applicable number of credits (UMass guideline is 1 credit hour for every 40 hours of work) and to assign the related academic project. If students do not have a GPA of at least a 2.0+ with 45 credits completed before beginning an internship, an Academic Dean’s permission signature is required. International students have additional work-visa restrictions related to paid internships; contact the UMass International Programs Office for more details about Curricular Practical Training (CPT).

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. 

Co-ops are not for academic credit; the student must earn at least minimum wage. Students must receive permission from their academic department to participate in a co-op. If students do not have a GPA of at least a 2.0+ with 45 credits completed before beginning a co-op, an Academic Dean’s permission signature is required. International students have additional work-visa restrictions related to co-ops; contact the UMass International Programs Office for more details about Curricular Practical Training (CPT). All students must submit a completed co-op contract and required forms, provide a log of hours worked, and a final self-evaluation. Employers must provide a co-op position description and complete a post-co-op evaluation.

Co-ops occur during the fall or spring semester and may extend into the summer or winter sessions (4-9 months in duration); however, a summer or winter-only job is not a co-op. 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 (may take up to two courses).

A REQUIRED work/training experience(s) for students in certain applied fields such as Nursing and Education. 

Student competencies are fully developed and are supervised by approved employer partners. In some fields such as healthcare, practicums require a signed affiliation agreement with the employer that is managed through the academic departments.