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Student Opportunities

Internships

Applying Classroom Knowledge to Real Life Experiences

Service learning experiences, in the form of internships, are strongly encouraged because they give you the opportunity to apply classroom theory and techniques to the real world and to network with professionals in your career field.

WHY consider an internship?

  • To gain valuable work experience.
  • To explore possible career paths.
  • To apply classroom learning to the real world.
  • To gain contacts and network with people and organizations who may help you in the job market.
  • To enhance your resume.
  • To earn academic credit.

WHO is eligible to do an internship?

  • You must be a student in good standing; SPEA majors must have a 2.00 cumulative GPA and a 2.30 SPEA core/major GPA.
  • If you are an undergraduate, you should be a junior or senior. You should also have successfully completed several relevant criminal justice or public affairs courses. If you are a graduate student, you should have completed at least four courses.
  • Students in all Schools or Divisions are eligible for the internship; however, students need to confirm with their academic advisor, for their major, that they have elective hours available.

WHAT qualifies as an internship?

  • Any work experience that is related to your educational and career goals.
  • The key requirement is that the internship involve a NEW experience.   Students can earn credit for their current jobs if they are beginning a new project or activity.
  • Internships may be part-time or full-time, paid or volunteer.
  • Students must work 80 clock hours to earn 1 credit hour. Graduate students must work 100 clock hours to earn 1 credit hour.  
  • Students may enroll in 1 (minimum) to 6 (maximum) credit hours per semester. 

 WHERE are internship opportunities available?

  • Students should contact the Internship Coordinator (Dr. Barry Hancock, Tel. 260.481.6055, hancockb@ipfw.edu, for assistance in locating a sponsor. Please see Internship Opportunities [PDF] for a listing of sponsoring agencies.
  • Internship opportunities are available in the Northeast Indiana area and nationwide.
  • Internship opportunities are available in many professional areas including:  law, corrections, probation, education, health, community services, government, private business, and many more.

WHEN are internships completed?

  • Because work experiences don't always fit in the typical academic calendar, students may begin an internship any time during the calendar year. 

HOW do I earn internship credit?

  • Eighty (80) hours of supervised work equals one hour of undergraduate academic credit; 100 hours of supervised work equals one hour of graduate academic credit.
  • You can register for SPEA V380/V585 for a minimum of one through a maximum of six credit hours, for any given semester.
  • Up to six undergraduate credit hours can count toward SPEA electives; an additional six undergraduate credit hours can be counted as general electives. Graduate internship hours are elective credit only and can fulfill the experiential component requirement under V585.
  • Internships are graded Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory.  These credit hours do NOT impact your GPA.

THE PROCEDURE IS AS FOLLOWS:

  1. Confirm with your academic advisor (for graduate students Dr. Brian Fife, fifeb@ipfw.edu) that you have elective hours available and are eligible for the internship.  SPEA internships satisfy some of the 300-400 level elective courses required by some schools/divisions.    
  2. Discuss your proposed internship with the SPEA Internship Coordinator and obtain the necessary paperwork.
  1. Prior to registering for internship credit, a contract between the sponsor (employer) and the student must be completed and returned to the Internship Coordinator. NOTE: All materials, for the Internship, including the contract, agency reports and evaluations, and daily logs must be typed when submitted.  The contract consists, generally, of:

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Title and brief description of the proposed internship.

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Questions directed to the students (e.g., Why have you chosen this particular organization?  What do you expect to learn?)

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Questions directed to the sponsor/supervisor (e.g., What results are expected from the intern?  In what areas will the intern be expected to exercise responsibility?)
  • When students return their completed contracts, the SPEA Internship Coordinator will give them authorization to enroll in V380. Graduate students enroll in V585. The Internship Coordinator must sign your registration card in the instructor's signature box next to your V380/V585 class request line, and turn them in to the SPEA secretary for processing.
  1. During the semester, students will meet to make a presentation to other internship participants (2 meetings), submit progress reports, journals and supervisory evaluations (3 of each).  These forms are submitted after one-third of the clock hours have been completed, after two-thirds, and when the final clock hours have been completed.  Forms are available from the SPEA Internship Coordinator.  In addition, graduate students are required to write a paper (approximately 10 typed pages) relating course work (e.g. theories) to their internship, along with appropriate reflections, analysis, and critiques
  2. You are expected to report to your internship agency at the appointed times and to complete the work assigned in a professional manner.
  3. Upon completion, students will receive a grade of S (satisfactory) or U (unsatisfactory).  A satisfactory grade is dependent on completion of the required hours, class participation, submission of reports on time and proper completion of all paperwork.  Students who have otherwise met the terms of the internship, but are unable to complete the required clock hours during the semester in which they are enrolled, may be given an incomplete.
  4. Students must apply for internships by the following deadlines:
    Fall - August 1; Spring - November 15; and Summer - March 15