Internships

A credited internship is a position in a company or organization that provides you with a professional-level educational or training experience while earning academic credit. Credited internships can take place year round and may or may not be paid. To participate in a credited internship, 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 prior to graduation.

Registration for all internships and co-ops starts with submitting an online internship or co-op experience contract in Handshake, which you access with your SPIRE NetID and password.  Putting together an internship has 4 major parts:

• Site Supervisor: the person who agrees to directly supervise you at their place of business.  Your supervisor cannot be another student or a family member.

• Faculty Sponsor: ensures the internship has an academic component and connects with your personal program of study. They will provide the grade for your internship.

• Handshake: where all information about your internship is entered and stored (e.g. contracts, evaluations). Information you provide on Handshake is shared with your faculty sponsor for approval.

• You: the person responsible for bringing together all of the parties above, ensuring that all parts of the registration process are completed by all parties, and confirming that your plans will comply with the requirements of your major.

• Login to Handshake and submit an internship Experience contract:

  1. Click on the Career Center tab on the top right

  2. Click Experiences

  3. Click Request an Experience.

  4. Fill out the form. If you do not have all the required information, you can click Save as Draft at the end of the form.

• Once you complete and submit your Contract, after it is reviewed by Central Career Services staff, Handshake will email a link to your faculty sponsor for approval.

• Tell your faculty sponsor that they will receive a computer-generated email from Handshake with a customized link to approve.

• Your faculty sponsor will indicate their approval after clicking on that link and reviewing your contract.  Important: Your internship will not be official until your faculty sponsor approves your contract, so politely remind them if necessary.

• After your faculty sponsor has approved the online contract, The Field Experience office will help you get enrolled in your internship credit.

If you are below 45 credits or a GPA of 2.0:

Attach a signed Dean's Approval Form to your Handshake Contract.  IMPORTANT: When filling out your online Experience contract, you should Save As Draft until you have attached (uploaded) the signed Dean's Approval Form; then you may submit your Contract.

If your internship takes you away from the UMass Amherst campus during the Fall or Spring semester: 

Attach a signed Placements Requirements Form and Department Permission Form (signed by someone in your department) to your internship Experience contract.  IMPORTANT: When filling out your online Experience contract, you should Save As Draft until you have attached (uploaded) the signed forms; then you may submit your Contract.

If you are an undergraduate student and your internship is outside of the United States:

You must contact the International Programs Office (IPO) at least six months in advance of your internship to seek IPO approval.  This applies to both domestic and international undergraduates. You have to attach a signed Undergraduate International Internship and Co-op IPO Approval Form to your Experience contract.  IMPORTANT: When filling out your online Experience contract, you should Save As Draft until you have attached (uploaded) the signed International Internship and Co-op IPO Approval Form; then you may submit your Contract.

If you are an international student, and this is a paid internship in the United States:

Check with the International Programs Office (IPO) regarding work authorization allowed under your specific immigration status; please review the IPO Guidelines for CPT Approval. Undergraduate students must attach a pdf copy of their offer letter to their online internship experience contract when they submit one, and then attach a new CPT/I-20 pdf copy to their contract after they receive CPT approval.

Internships can be found many places, including job boards such as Handshake and Indeed, companies' websites and social media accounts, e-mails from professors and your career center, and career fairs or networking events.

As a student at UMass Amherst you have access to our UMass Amherst Handshake database.  Handshake is your starting point, allowing you to search nationwide for co-ops, internships, and full-time jobs. Log in with your SPIRE NetID and SPIRE password.  You can create and save searches specific to your needs or use the quick search buttons for internships and co-ops in general.

Tips to Search for Opportunities on Handshake

• Add to your profile to reflect your career interests.

• Customize your search with keywords or specific industries. Use variations on keywords to expand your search (for example, "lab" and "laboratory" may produce different results).

• When you find search parameters that work well, click "Save your search" to be notified when new positions are posted that meet your criteria.

There are many internship programs managed through other organizations that help students find experiences that can be beneficial for their professional growth. The UMass Partner Program site houses examples of these programs.

Although the internship will be like a job, it is also an academic experience. A faculty sponsor is your professor for the academic components of your internship, and will determine the amount of credits you will earn as well as assign and evaluate the academic component of your placement. 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. If you need help finding a faculty sponsor, speak to an academic advisor in your department.

• Fall and Spring: internship credits are part of regular tuition  --  so no extra cost for full-time undergraduate students.

• Summer and Winter: 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.

Credits are registered under UMASS x98 or your major's x98 practicums, are usually earned as general elective credits, and count towards graduation credit totals.

A UMass Amherst undergraduate student can earn a total of 18 credits for internships during the course of completing your degree, depending upon the guidelines of your department and major.  Talk to an undergraduate academic advisor from your major for information on major requirements and limitations. A maximum of four credits is allowed for winter session internships, and a maximum of 14 credits is allowed for summer session.

An internship, like other courses you take at UMass Amherst, has a faculty member (your Faculty Sponsor) that will assign you academic work related to your internship and provide a grade at the end of the semester. Most internships are graded Pass/Fail, but some departments may use letter-graded practicum credits.

• Conduct yourself professionally during your internship experience.

• Complete the academic work assigned to you by your Faculty Sponsor, including attending any required meetings and submitting required materials on time.

• If anything changes about your internship, contact the Field Experience Office (@email) to update your Handshake Contact.

• Log your weekly work hours in an Internship and Co-op Weekly Work Hours Log which will be provided by the Field Experience Office. 

• Towards the end of the internship, you and your internship site supervisor will receive emails with final evaluation forms.  You BOTH need to submit them.

Develop a Position Description 

Detailed expectations will make everyone's life easier. You will be treating the intern as a professional, being especially careful to provide opportunities for training and mentoring, as per federal labor law. 

Provide an Onsite Supervisor 

Provide an onsite supervisor for the student and include project-related substantial work in a job description. 

Prepare your Staff 

Make sure your staff understands the intern's role and how the intern will fit into the office and organization.  Have people suggest projects and help orient the intern. 

Introduce the Intern 

A good orientation will include a tour of the site and introductions to the intern's co-workers.  Clarify your expectations, their tasks, and the supervisory structure.  

Provide Training and Challenges 

Offer diverse and challenging duties.  Include the intern in regular meetings and appropriate events, and provide opportunities for intern to connect with a mentor.  Train the intern in the appropriate working skills.  Understand that they want to prove their capabilities - integrate them as useful and contributing members of work groups as soon as possible.  Their confidence and level of productivity will quickly increase. 

Give Feedback 

• Schedule regular supervisory meetings during the intern’s stay. 
• You will be asked to fill out a final evaluation for each student at the end of the placement period. 
• We work hard to ensure that our strong reputation of successful internships and co-ops continues.  If you have any questions, please visit our Employer Page, call us at 413-545-2224, or email us at @email.