Internship FAQs

Frequently Asked Questions

An internship is typically a one-semester work experience highly related to your major. It has a definite beginning and end, includes real-world work experience, and involves direct supervision by an employer. Internships connect your academic coursework to careers, allows you to gain valuable work experience in a field you may want to pursue, and helps make you much more marketable to employers after graduation.

Academic internships can be done after you have completed 60 hours of coursework (check individual departments for GPA requirements). Because employers usually prefer students to have a certain amount of relevant coursework completed before an internship, students are typically the most marketable after completing the junior year.

It can sometimes be as much work to find an internship as it is to find a full-time position, so you’ll want to use all of the resources available to you. Career Services maintains a database of previous internship locations of other students, and can give you additional ideas if you set up an appointment for individualized assistance. The Saint Job Board, our job posting site, is used by employers to post both full-time and internship positions (register using your 9-digit student ID).  You may also register with the Georgia Internship Network (GAIN) to access internships posted at any of the 13 participating state universities in Georgia. You must register separately for access to this site. Talk with your academic advisor for ideas and, of course, use the internet. Helpful links may also be found at Internet Resources under Internships/Field Experiences.

Begin by asking a professor in your major if s/he would be willing to be the “instructor of record” for an internship; ie, the faculty member to oversee the academic components of your internship, including assigning the S or U grade (satisfactory or unsatisfactory). Some departments have one professor oversee all of the internships, and in some departments any professor can oversee them.

Once you have then found a company or organization to host you as an intern, you must complete the Internship Learning Agreement. It must be completed, including all appropriate signatures, before the start of the internship. Copies should be given to your instructor of record, your on-site supervisor, and Career Services located in 333 Stewart Center.

Internships may or may not be paid, depending on the major and the industry. Many are not, but some are. For example, accounting internships are almost always paid, and others are almost never paid. You will want to find this out before you accept an internship. Remember, internships are incredibly valuable in that you are gaining experience relevant to your major while helping confirm you are heading in the right career direction (or not).

To receive 3 hours of academic credit for an internship, you must typically work between 10-20 hours per week per semester, depending on the requirements set by the academic department. The instructor of record will usually assign other academic components to the internship to help you related your work experience to your major. Some of these might include assigned readings, journals, or reflection papers.

See above.

Internship grades are assigned by the instructor of record, usually with input from your on-site supervisor, are given on a satisfactory/unsatisfactory scale.

The same information as mentioned above applies, but you MUST also contact Dr. Dylnn Armstrong-Williams in the Center for Global Engagement at 706-867-2858 to schedule a time to complete paperwork that is required for school-related overseas activities. This paperwork is related to your health, safety, and connections to the school, so it is absolutely imperative that you complete it. For more information on The Center for Global Engagement, click here

If you are receiving academic credit, you do have to pay tuition for those hours.