How is Evergreen Different from High School?
Internships allow students to gain on-the-job experience while simultaneously earning college credits. The sections below explain internships at Evergreen, and how you can make internship learning a valuable component of your education.
What is an internship at Evergreen?
What is the difference between an internship and an individual contract?
When can a student do an internship contract?
How do I get academic credit for an internship?
When should I start planning for an internship?
How can I plan and develop an internship?
How do I find an internship position?
How can I find out about faculty sponsors?
Is there a correlation between hours worked at an internship and how much credit I can get for it?
Can I be paid for an internship and still earn credit?
Can I do an internship at my regular job?
Are there other arrangements that I need to make or things I need to know as I'm planning my internship contract?
Is there a limit on how many internship credits I can earn?
How do I finalize and register my internship learning contract?
An internship is a learning experience in which a student applies theory and skills acquired in academic programs in a real world work setting. Internships are intended to provide opportunities for advanced-level, individual study for junior and senior students.
An individual contract is between a student and faculty sponsor. It documents work the student will do strictly for academic learning purposes where the faculty sponsor is the primary support for the student's learning. When a student is doing work which an agency, office or organization will use and benefit by, and when that agency is providing the student with significant training and supervision, the credit worthy work is considered an internship. The forms and processes for development, registration and evaluation of these two forms of independent study are very similar.
Internship contracts are intended for advanced-level students who are ready to do specialized work in an area in which they already have substantial academic background. Internship contracts are not typically appropriate for first- and second-year students, or for students new to Evergreen.
Internship learning is documented on an internship learning contract, negotiated between the student, a field supervisor at the internship site, and a faculty sponsor. When the contract has been successfully fulfilled, academic credit is awarded by the faculty, and the internship contract becomes part of your permanent transcript.
It's never too early to be thinking and talking with your faculty about future internship and independent study plans. You should attend an internship orientation no later than early in the quarter preceding the one in which you want to be doing an internship. Six weeks is a minimum time frame for planning and documenting an internship.
To determine if an internship is an appropriate choice and to get help planning your internship, attend an internship workshop, access our web information on internship process and planning, and come talk to an academic advisor. The internship checklist details the steps a student goes through to secure an internship and document it for registration, with suggested timelines for each step. Internship orientations are offered weekly during the academic year and several times during the summer. These one-hour sessions provide detailed information about how to plan for internships, suggestions for securing faculty sponsorship, and for documenting internships for academic credit.
The first step is to attend an Internship Workshop, offered weekly by Advising. There, an advisor will answer your questions about planning for and completing a great internship. After you attend this workshop, you will have access to the Internship Link, a searchable database located on the Student Gateway at www.evergreen.edu/gateway. This database was launched in Spring of 2003, and contains internship opportunities submitted by many different organizations. Please check the database often, as numerous new positions appear each week.
To find out who can sponsor internship contracts and the best ways to identify and approach potential faculty sponsors, please see the FAQ on Finding a Faculty Sponsor.
Yes. You can earn one quarter credit for each 2.5 hours per week that you work at your internship during the ten weeks of an academic quarter (2.5 hours x 10 weeks = equals 1 credit). The minimum time commitment for an internship is 10 hours per week for 4 credits. For 8 credits you would need to work 20 hours per week for ten weeks. For 12 credits, it's 30 hours per week. For 16 credits, it's 40 hours per week.
Yes. While most internships are unpaid, if you are lucky enough to secure an internship position that pays, there is no bearing on your academic credit award.
Under certain circumstances you may be able to conduct an internship where you currently work. Because we don't give credit for performing your current job but for new learning, you will need to demonstrate how you have an opportunity for credit-worthy new learning in your workplace. You may download the policy and application in PDF format.
Your plan may involve a subcontractor. This is anyone other than your faculty sponsor who will be providing instructional support. If your contract includes a subcontractor, you will need to specify her/his role and obtain her/his signature on your final contract.
If your contract will involve research of human subjects, interviews with people regarding their personal lives, or photographs of people, you may require a Human Subjects Review authorization from the Academic Deans.
If your contract will involve study abroad, you will need to complete an International Study Waiver (PDF).
If your contract spans more than one academic quarter, you will need to write separate contracts for each quarter showing a progression of activities and learning and register each contract separately.
Yes. There is a limit of 48 internship credits earned at Evergreen that can apply to your bachelor's degree.
Once you have finalized your contract you are ready to register. In order to register you must submit the contract complete with your signature, your faculty sponsor's signature and your subcontractor's signature (if you have one), with your disclaimer form, to an academic advisor for their signature. Then you will submit the signed contract with four copies and a registration form to registration. This not the end of the process: a dean will review and sign the contract before it is official.
Registration must be completed no later than the 5th class day (usually Friday of the first week of classes). Be sure to make extra copies for yourself, your sponsor and your subcontractor before you register the contract as it may take several weeks to receive your official copies. Don't forget to pay your tuition on time!
All content and images on this site are copywritten by The Evergreen State College.