How to Be a Faculty Sponsor for a Credited Internship

Sponsoring a Credited Internship 

For credited internships, students have both a site supervisor and a faculty sponsor who oversees the academic component required for their experience.  Though credits must correspond to the hours worked for the internship (example: 1 credit = 40 hours per semester*), students receive credit for the completion of the academic component.  

Typically, a faculty sponsor meets with the student prior to the student’s registration for the internship in order to establish the particulars of the academic component and decide how often to meet.  The student will then submit an Internship Experience contract via Handshake (the university’s job/internship database). Once the contract is submitted, the faculty sponsor will be sent a link and will need to indicate approval of the contract in order for registration to occur.

The Field Experience Office sends the sponsor a copy of the contract. At the end of semester, the office also sends the sponsor a copy of the site supervisor’s evaluation of the student’s performance.  

If a student’s GPA is below 2.0 or they have not yet earned 45 credits, they can seek Academic Dean’s permission to still participate in an internship for credit or a co-op.

Academic Component and In-Person Meeting Recommendations

For English 298 (pass/fail English credit) or UMass 298Y (pass/fail university credit):

Recommended Meeting Frequency: 

There can be considerable flexibility in how often the sponsor and student meet in person.  An initial meeting is certainly necessary. Beyond that, the sponsor and student can decide how frequently they’d like to meet.  If deadlines for the academic component are clear and the student may submit the work to the sponsor electronically, future meetings might be minimal. 

Recommended Academic Work: 

For a 3-credit internship*, 10 pages of formal writing that might look like any of the following:

• a polished journal due at various points in the semester
• a reflection paper due at the end of the semester 
• for writing-based internships, a combination writing portfolio/reflection due at the end of the semester

*For 1- or 2-credit internships, scale down the amount of work, or scale up for internships of more than 3 credits. 

Evaluation:

These internships are graded P/F.  The sponsor derives the grade from the student’s academic component, but may take into account the site supervisor’s evaluation as well (sent by the Field Experience Office).  Grades for both English-credit internship grades and those registered under UMass 298Y are submitted on Spire. (The registration of English-credit internships is done by Mary Coty; UMass 298Y is registered by the Field Experience Office. Registration for Summer and Winter Session internships is done by the CPE Registrar; please contact Central Career Services Field Experience office for details).

For English 398 (a graded, 3-credit internship, which can count towards an English Elective):

Recommended Meeting Frequency:

A minimum of 3 meetings per semester (roughly one meeting per month) between sponsor and student, for the student to check in with the sponsor about the internship experience and the progress of the academic component.  

Recommended Academic Work:

10 pages of formal writing (journal entries, a reflection paper, a combination portfolio/reflection, a combination reflection and research paper) + two of the following career-related activities, conducted within the internship semester*:

• a substantial informational interview with a professional in a field related to the internship—short paper required
• attendance at a job fair, networking event, alumni panel, or info session—short reflection required
• attendance at a professional development workshop, such as those offered by Here to Career in the spring (on resumes/cover letters, building a linkedin profile, conducting an informational interview, etc.)—short reflection required
• individual advising session on career planning at HFA Advising Center—short reflection required 

           OR, alternatively:

• a 15-20 page research paper (ideally exploring the student’s professional interests)

Evaluation:

The sponsor derives the grade from the student’s academic component, but may take into account the site supervisor’s evaluation as well (sent by the Field Experience Office). Registration for English-credit internship grades are done through Mary Coty; grades are submitted on Spire. Registration for Summer and Winter Session internships is done by the CPE Registrar; please contact Central Career Services Field Experience office for details.

*Sponsor may make adjustments/substitutions to any recommendation, based on student interest and opportunity.