Internship Information

Internships are a valuable experiences for students to build skills and make connections. While all students need relevant work experiences during college such as an internship, not all students need to obtain academic credit for their internship. The graduation requirements of their academic major, the number of elective hours available in their graduation plan, and the requirements of the internship all contribute to the decision to obtain academic credit for an internship.

Receiving academic credit for the internship is more than completing the number of hours at the employer. Students will be expected to establish learning objectives, reflect on their work through monthly reflection logs, and write a cumulative paper summarizing what they accomplished and what they learned.

Students should discuss their internships with their faculty mentor and their Career Development liaison.

If you would like to receive academic credit for an internship, the information listed below will guide you through the process. Please note if you are a business major, contact Davis Brown to learn more about specific College of Business Internship Processes.

Student Process to Obtain Academic Credit

Apply for internships that are of interest to you. It is helpful to talk with your faculty mentor or the Career Development liaison about what would be approved. Many internships are approved for credit, but we want to ensure that it is a valuable experience.
Gain approval for your internship from your Faculty Coordinator by providing them a written or verbal description of the work included in the internship that you have been offered. We recommend that you only accept an internship once the faculty member has approved it.
Attend an Internship Orientation with the Career Development Center BEFORE the semester begins in which they want to receive credit. SIGN UP HERE FOR ORIENTATION.
Register for the Internship Class at the beginning of the semester in which you want to obtain academic credit. No retro active credit will be awarded.

More About the Orientation

Orientations are offered in group sessions through the following schedule. Students who need an orientation outside of the group sessions because they had not secured their internships yet, should contact Allison West, Internship Coordinator, at allison.west@lipscomb.edu

Orientations are 20-30 minutes and are hosted in the Career Development Center Lobby on the first floor of Swang.

SUMMER CREDIT- Offered through the month of April.

FALL CREDIT- Offered the first four week of the Fall Semester, mid-August through mid-September

SPRING CREDIT- Offered in December and also January.

College of Business majors should contact Suzanne Sager to learn more about the process for internships.

HOUR Requirements

The following outlines the number of hours a student must work during the semester in which they receive academic credit at the employer.

1 hour of academic credit = 130 total hours worked (10 hours a week for 13 weeks)

2 hours of academic credit= 156 total hours worked (12 hours a week for 13 weeks)

3 hours of academic credit= 195 total hours worked (15 hours a week for 13 weeks)

Faculty & Student Expectations

The Career Development Center partners with Faculty Coordinators to support students in the internship process. Faculty coordinators review the Learning Objectives, Monthly Reflection Logs, Final Paper, and Final Evaluation. Based on the students number of hours worked, academic work, and final evaluation, the faculty member will award a grade.

Faculty members may be involved in mentoring and debriefing students in internships. However, the internship is a first step in the student becoming an independent learner. The student is expected to self manage their work, make professional connections, and learn professional industry expectations.