The internship program provides a field learning experience as part of the liberal arts education. The academic year internship is a part-time program in which students spend 14 hours per week at the work site and receive four credits. Summer internships may be pursued throughout the United States or abroad, and students may receive two or four credits.

Information, applications, and internship guidelines may be obtained from the Career Development Office. After discussing a preliminary internship proposal with the academic adviser and an adviser from the Career Development Office, the student asks a faculty member to serve as faculty sponsor. Completed learning contracts between student, faculty sponsor, and work site supervisor are due at the time of application. The vice-president for academic affairs and dean of the College and the Curriculum Committee review applications for internships requesting credit.

A student may normally undertake part-time internships when he or she has declared a major, is a third- or fourth-year student, is in good academic standing, and has completed departmental requirements for participation in internships. The vice-president for academic affairs and dean of the College may grant individual exceptions to this policy.

Students may earn a maximum of eight semester credits through internships that can be counted toward graduation requirements. Students may not participate in more than two internships.

Courses:

300 Internships: Academic Year Fall and Spring
Credits: 4
Prerequisite(s): Third-year student or senior in good academic standing.

Interns work 14 hours each week at internship sites located in Des Moines, Grinnell, and the surrounding areas. Applications for internships are made to the internship coordinator in the Career Development Office. Learning contracts must be approved by a faculty sponsor, the department head, the work site supervisor, the student’s academic adviser, and the dean of the College.

300 Internships: Summer Summer
Credits: 2 or 4
Prerequisite(s): Completion of second-year student status.

The process of application and approval is the same as academic year internships, except that summer internships may be pursued anywhere in the United States or abroad and may be part or full time.

* Indicates courses not offered every year.