Student Services Center

Internships

An effective internship program is a vital part of achieving our strategic goals of providing businesses with quality graduates and improving placement opportunities for our students. Although administration of internships is based primarily in the departments, some consistency across departments is important to both students and employers. This information outlines the minimum requirements to obtain a COBA internship. There may be additional departmental requirements that must be met.

Definition

An internship is defined as a fixed-term work experience with clear learning objectives. It may be full or part time, paid or unpaid. Academic credit may be awarded for successful completion of an internship meeting the guidelines specified in COBA's internship policy and the academic requirements stated in the university catalog. An internship provides the opportunity for the student to apply concepts and theories learned in the classroom to practical situations and problems under the supervision and guidance of a practicing professional.

Internships vary from co-ops in the following ways:

  • Academic credit may be awarded for internships, but not for co-op experiences.
  • Work performed during an internship must be applicable to the student's program of study.
  • Internships require an evaluation beyond the employer's evaluation of intern performance. For academic credit to be awarded, a member of the faculty who teaches in the discipline within the student's program of study must evaluate the "value added" to the student's program.
  • Co-ops are normally administered through Career Services .

Learn more about internship guidelines.

Hours must be worked during the semester in which credit is awarded. Many internships require students to work more hours than required by our policy. Students should take this into consideration when registering for classes AND an internship.

Internship Guidelines

 Credit Hours and Registration:

  • A maximum of six (6) semester hours of credit may be applied to a student's program of study for an internship experience. A student will receive credit for, at most, one three (3) semester hour course in his/her major. Any additional hours of academic credit earned may be used as a free elective.
  • Students will be allowed to register for a maximum of fifteen (15) semester hours (including internship hours) during the semester of his/her internship.

Minimum Requirements:

  • To participate in the internship program, students must, as a minimum, be admitted to the BBA program and have an overall adjusted GPA of 2.5 or higher and meet any additional departmental requirements.
  • It is recommended that the student have completed at least eighty (80) semester hours of credit toward the degree and have completed at least four courses in his/her major subject area. Again, there may be additional departmental requirements.

Grading:

  • Internships will be graded on a Satisfactory (S) or Unsatisfactory (U) basis.
  • A significant academic assignment will be a major part of every COBA internship experience. This assignment may be a specific project or project report, a paper, and/or a presentation that will require the student to extend his or her knowledge of a specific content area appropriate to his or her major. The departmental faculty will determine what constitutes a significant academic assignment for a given content area and the specific assignment should be documented and approved by the Faculty Sponsor and the Departmental Internship Coordinator. The assignment will serve as a major component for evaluation and awarding academic credit for the internship.

Internship Sites:

Internships with a current employer are not permitted except when the following conditions exist:

  • The internship is in a different area (i.e., department, division) of the business than the employee's current job;
  • The internship duties are significantly different than the duties of the current job;
  • Internships in a family-owned business, when the student is a member of the family, are not permitted. A family-owned business is defined as a business owned by or operated by an immediate family member of the intern (parents, grandparents, siblings). However, exceptions to this may be granted by the departmental chair in extenuating circumstances (e.g., the family member is not active in the management of the company).

Interns are required to work:

  • A minimum of 135 hours to receive three (3) semester hours of course credit.
  • A minimum of 270 hours to receive six (6) semester hours of course credit.

    Hours must be worked during the semester in which credit is awarded. Many internships require students to work more hours than required by our policy. Students should take this into consideration when registering for classes AND an internship.

Documentation:

A written agreement (contract) outlining the academic assignment, responsibilities, and expectations of both the sponsoring organization and Georgia Southern University should be completed prior to the start of the internship. The agreement is signed by the student, the faculty sponsor, the on-site supervisor, and the department chair.

Documentation on all COBA internships will be the responsibility of the departmental internship coordinators.

Steps to secure an internship:

  1. If you meet the requirements outlined above, go to the Student Services Center (Suite 1100) in COBA and ask for an Internship Application.
  2. Complete the application and return it to one of the advisors in the Student Services Center. Depending on the availability of time, the advisor will either enter your most recent GPA and sign the application or request that you pick up the completed document at a later date.
  3. If you have already secured an internship, take the completed and signed application to the internship coordinator in your major area (This information is available in the Student Services Center and in each department). If you have not already secured an internship, it is best to go to COBA's Career Services Center in Room 3336C and speak with the Career Services Specialist about internship possibilities.
  4. The internship coordinator will discuss your possibilities for an internship. He/she will also require that you obtain a job description outlining the duties of your internship.
  5. If the internship is approved, the coordinator will complete a contract between the organization with whom you will be interning, you, and COBA. When this documentation is signed by all parties, the coordinator will complete a registration form for your internship. In order for you to be registered, you must take this completed form to the Student Services Center.
  6. All students must be registered for their internship in order to get academic credit. Consequently, all students must pay for the internship credit hours just as they would for any other credit hours.
  7. Your internship coordinator will advise you concerning what is required to complete your internship satisfactorily.

Where Can You Intern?

Although each department has several employers who desire interns on a regular basis, we strongly encourage you to develop your own internship opportunity to ensure an internship will be available for you. Internships are developed by contacting prospective employers, determining if they would be interested in sponsoring an internship, and if so, discussing what the internship would involve.

Internships may be completed virtually anywhere. You are not limited to companies in the Statesboro/Savannah area, nor to companies only in the state of Georgia. For example, we have had students complete internships as far away as Vail, CO and Seattle, WA. We advise you to keep in mind, however, that "where" you complete an internship may depend on your ability to meet living expenses at that internship location. Remember, that while interning you may continue to incur living expenses in Statesboro (such as rent on a 12-month apartment lease), and you will also be paying tuition and fees to Georgia Southern.

A Word to the Wise...

Remember the value an organization receives from sponsoring an internship depends on what you know the day you begin the job! There is not enough time for the employer to do a lot of training (if any), so the level of knowledge required of an intern is often more than that required for a full-time job. So, read up on topics you expect to encounter, polish up on your computer skills, and improve any other skills you expect to use. Be ready!!