Getting Academic Credit for Internships

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 (cdavies@umass.edu) and Dr. Erik Cheries (echeries@umass.edu) 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 (awoodman@umass.edu).
• 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 complete an internship contract in Handshake (see below) in order to receive course credit.

How do I complete an internship contract in Handshake?

• Once you have an internship position and faculty sponsor, you must complete an internship contract in Handshake in order for your internship credits to be added to your SPIRE. You cannot register directly for internship credits on SPIRE. The Handshake contract should 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). However, contracts will be considered through the add/drop period under special circumstances. Contact your faculty sponsor if you have any questions about the contract. To complete the contract:

1. Log into Handshake
2. To add an internship, click Career Center in the upper right hand corner, then scroll down to select Experiences. 
3. Next, click Submit an Experience in the upper right hand corner.
4. For Experience Type, select Undergraduate Student Internship for Academic Credit. 
5. Enter the term (e.g., semester and year) you plan to complete this internship.
6. Enter all of the information requested.
   • Under Internship Department and Course 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. 
   • Under 'What is your Academic Project?', enter "Weekly reports to faculty sponsor and 5-page final paper describing what I learned from my internship" 
   • For Supervisor Name, this is the name of the supervisor at your site. The supervisor that you list on this contract is the person that will receive a request at the end of the semester to evaluate your performance and approve your hours, so you want to choose someone at the organization that will actually observe your activities on a regular basis.
7. Complete an acknowledgement of risk form and upload it with your Handshake contract

8. When completing the Field Experience Acknowledgment Form, please CLICK THE FILLABLE BOX in the third paragraph and fill in any known risks specific to your placement.   If you aren't aware of any, then enter the following phrase: "Other industry-specific hazards" in that box.

• Once you submit the contract on Handshake, it is approved by Career Services, then your faculty sponsor. Once it is approved by your faculty sponsor, 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.