A Letter of Acceptance is any document provided by an external organization that verifies your internship employed for at least ten weeks working ten hours each week before on or before the last unit of the internship term. 

A signed letter provided by your supervisor at your current place of employment stating that you will be: 

• Working as an intern in a different position to your current role

• The intern role relates to your degree program

• You will be working for ten hours during the ten weeks of your internship without compensation 

• Description of the project/task you will be supporting as an intern

• Contact information 

A Letter of Commitment applies when all of the following conditions are true:

• You can work as an intern at your place of employment

• The intern position is different from your current position

• Your supervisor will be other than your current supervisor

• You will not be paid for the internship position

• You will work for at least ten hours a week during the ten units of your internship course

A capstone is a culminating academic project, typically done in the final year of study. It involves extensive research on a chosen topic within your disciplinary field, encouraging you to use the knowledge and skills acquired throughout your course. It's designed to showcase your problem-solving abilities and mastery of your subject. 

An internship, on the other hand, is a practical work experience undertaken within a professional environment. This may be within a company or organization related to your field of study. An internship offers hands-on experience, allowing you to apply classroom theories to real-world scenarios, and it helps you gain professional skills, network within your chosen industry, and potentially secure a job post-graduation.

Alongside the mandatory internship practice, the BSIT Undergraduate Internship course includes light assignments as a vital aspect of your learning journey. This typically involves reflective journals, reports, or presentations that connect your practical internship learning to your academic knowledge. While these assignments are designed to be lighter than typical coursework, they provide an essential resource for you to articulate your internship experiences meaningfully.

Internal: 99% of PGIP internships are provided in a remote setting. 

External: The location of your internship, whether on-site or remote, generally depends on the company's policy and the role you'll be fulfilling. Some companies allow internships to be completed remotely. Others may require on-site presence, especially for positions that require hands-on experience. The internship setting will also be stated in the internship description you apply to, so aim to select opportunities compatible with your location and availability. 

Doing your internship at the same place you work might seem convenient, but doing so can limit your growth and learning potential. An internship at a new organization presents a unique opportunity to broaden your professional network, gain different perspectives, explore varied methodologies, and adapt to diverse work cultures. It pushes you out of your comfort zone and can help you acquire a broader skill set, which can be highly beneficial in today's dynamic work environment.

To ensure the validity of your internship experience, you may be required to provide proof of your internship employment. It could involve submitting documentation such as an internship agreement, an official letter from the host organization acknowledging your role, or timesheets signed by your supervisor, depending on the educational institution's specific requirements. These documents help verify the quality and authenticity of your internship experience. 

Internships should occur outside of the current place of employment; however, exceptions can be made under specific conditions. In this particular case, approval must be obtained from your current supervisor and the proposed new supervisor for the internship prior to submitting your application. 

Note that you must select "no" to the same place of work during the application process; otherwise, your application will be automatically disqualified. 

Case Scenario: 

Jeanne is an Administrative Assistant at GO-Techo, Inc. She wants to undertake her internship at GO-Techo's IT department. Jeanne must move into a different position relevant to her degree program for the required 10 hours of training. Jeanne must:

1. Ensure that the duties and the learning opportunities for her position are significantly different from her normal work responsibilities and that the tasks align with her degree program. 

2. Receive written approval by her current and future supervisor to be submitted within one week after the program has begun. 

3. Document the differences between her current tasks and the tasks that she will be performing. 

4. Provide contact information for her current supervisor and her internship supervisor required after the program has begun. 

5. Submit the internship application by selecting the option "no" when prompted whether the internship program will be performed at the same place of employment. 

• IT296: Associate's-Level Information Technology Internship: This course gives associate's-level students practical job experience in the information technology field. The external internship allows you to learn about the IT career field through practical, real-world experiences and mentoring from an IT professional. This experience will enrich your technology skills and provide a better understanding of the level of expertise needed to be successful in your career. Quarter Credit Hours: 5 | Prerequisite: Last term or permission from the Dean

• IT469: Bachelor's-Level Cloud Computing and Solutions Internship: This course is taken at the conclusion of the cloud computing and solutions degree program and incorporates practical job experience with the skills and knowledge gained from prior coursework. You will work with instructors and other students on real-world projects that may include, but are not limited to the creation of cloud solutions, developing secure cloud information systems, evaluating trends associated with cloud computing, and recognizing ethical considerations in the IT field. This course will enable you and your team members to practice your problem-solving talents. Along with timelines and project plans, your team will consider other business constraints. As is a requirement for most information technology projects, each cloud computing project may include evaluation mechanisms, hands-on demonstrations, examples for stakeholders, and a final rollup of future project improvements. Internships must be preapproved by the Dean before the start of the term. Students who fail this course on the first attempt may not reenroll in this course without the Dean's approval. Quarter Credit Hours: 6 | Prerequisite: Last term or permission from the Dean

• IT479: Bachelor's-Level Cybersecurity Internship: This course is taken at the conclusion of the cybersecurity degree and incorporates practical job experience with the skills and knowledge gained from prior coursework. You will work with instructors and other students on real-world projects that may include security system design, forensic analysis, or recommendations for an organization's security infrastructure. This course will enable you and your team members to practice your problem-solving talents. Along with timelines and project plans, your team will consider other business constraints. As is a requirement for most information technology projects, each security project may include evaluation mechanisms, hands-on demonstrations, examples for stakeholders, and a final roll-up of future project improvements. Internships must be preapproved by the Dean prior to the start of the term. Students who fail this course on the first attempt may not reenroll in this course without the Dean's approval. Quarter Credit Hours: 6 | Prerequisite: Last term or permission from the Dean

• IT489: Bachelor's-Level Information Technology Internship: This course gives you practical job experience in the information technology field. The internship provides you with an opportunity to learn about the IT career field through practical, real-world experiences and mentoring from an IT professional. This experience will enrich your technology skills and provide a better understanding of the level of expertise needed to be successful in your career. Internships must be preapproved by the Dean prior to the start of the term. Students who fail this course on the first attempt may not reenroll in this course without the Dean's approval. Quarter Credit Hours: 6 | Prerequisite: Last term or permission from the Dean

SMART: Specific, measurable, achievable, realistic, time-bound 

Look at the following example:

SMART Objective

Intern Sarah Smith will develop a website from scratch for Jonnas Burgers, a small hamburger place within her local community. The website will include two pages, the about and the menu by the end of the internship program. 

Deliverables with status sample

Deliverable 1: Site transaction analysis - week 1 DONE
Deliverable 2: Site design - DONE
Deliverable 3: HTML file - IN PROGRESS
Deliverable 4: CSS file - TO DO
Deliverable 5: Images - TO DO
Deliverable 6: Demo 1 iteration - TO DO 

Your SMART objective and deliverables must align with the work that your internship site requires of you. You will review their specifications and draft your specific, measurable, achievable, realistic, and time-bound objective, along with the smaller units called "deliverables," to break the objective into smaller steps. 

You have your entire undergraduate program to define where your internship will take place. You can also move from an external site to an internal one, such as PGIP; however, once the term has begun, you cannot switch to an external site.