AEMM Graduate Internship Guidelines

Internships are an integral part of the AEMM major, bringing together theoretical concepts with real world situations. In cooperation with leading organizations in the Chicago area, students have the opportunity to acquire hands-on field experience, confidence, and contacts, which help students gain an edge in the competitive job market. Students become more aware of what is involved in their chosen career by actually working in a professional organization. The student, internship coordinator, faculty advisor, and sponsoring organization work together to make the internship one of the most important experiences in the student’s education.

Internship Requirement
Internship is an elective for the following students:

• Incoming graduate students
• Students who have opted into the Fall 2010 calendar year requirements

Internship placement is most often with organizations in the Chicago area and includes both non-profit and commercial organizations. Students normally undertake their internship experience during their final year of study.

Internships are coordinated and guided by the AEMM internship coordinator and faculty advisors. Graduate students should work with their faculty advisor to plan their internship experience at least one semester prior to beginning the actual internship.  Students must register for their internship with the internship coordinator during the regular registration period for the semester in which the internship will take place.

Student Responsibilities
Students are responsible for:

• setting internship learning objectives
• finding an internship position that will provide them with the opportunity to accomplish the chosen learning objectives
• meeting with their faculty advisor to discuss their internship
• completing the appropriate paperwork and registering the internship with the internship coordinator in a timely fashion
• logging their hours worked and submitting the log to the internship coordinator.
• conducting themselves in a professional manner at the workplace

The Role of the Academic Coordinator
The academic coordinator:

• provides students with a Letter of Eligibility upon request
• registers the student for internship credit
• contacts the sponsor for the student’s evaluation

The Role of the Sponsor
The internship sponsor provides the student with a learning opportunity in accordance with the student’s learning objectives, works with the internship coordinator to resolve any major issues that may arise, and completes an evaluation of the student’s performance at the end of the semester.

The Role of the Faculty Advisor
Students may seek out their faculty advisor to receive assistance in determining what type of internship is suitable for them and what learning objectives they should set for themselves. All internships must be approved by the student’s faculty advisor.

Restrictions

• No credit will be given for an internship that has already been completed.
• The internship must be completed during the semester in which the student is registered. Internships that continue through a new semester must be re-registered for that semester.
• Internship credit will only be awarded for ‘workplace experience’ when the student has taken on responsibilities above and beyond those expected of the student as an employee.

Seeking the Internship
The student is responsible for acquiring an internship that will provide him/her with an opportunity to accomplish the learning objectives.

When seeking for internship opportunities, the student may consider:

• visiting the internship coordinator about current opportunities
• speaking to faculty who are active in the field
• visiting Columbia sponsored events
• visiting ColumbiaWorks for up-to-date internship postings
• researching on-campus internship opportunities, such as Manifest
• visiting city-wide career fairs
• approaching companies the student is specifically interested in interning with

Registration Process
Upon approval, the student will be required to submit a completed Letter of Agreement with Sponsor Form to the internship coordinator. Only after this form has been completed may the student be registered for internship credit.

All internships must be registered during the regular registration period.

Registration deadlines are available on the Records Office webpage at: http://www.colum.edu/Administrative_offices/Records/index.php
Click on Registration and then on Important Dates.

Letter of Eligibility
Qualified students may request a Letter of Eligibility to present to the internship supervisor. This letter verifies that the department will award college credit to the intern. Students should request this letter from their internship coordinator well in advance of the internship interview.

Grading
S = satisfactory; U = unsatisfactory; I = incomplete

The final grade is based on the following:

• Completion of registered hours
• Internship Evaluation

Hour Log
Students are required to document all internship hours worked and tasks completed. The Hour Log form must be submitted at the end of the semester in which the student is registered for credit. Hardcopies are available in the AEMM office.

Academic Integrity
Students at Columbia College Chicago enjoy significant freedom of artistic expression and are encouraged to stretch their scholarly and artistic boundaries.  However, the College prohibits all forms of academic dishonesty.  For present purposes, “academic dishonesty” is understood as the appropriation and representation of another’s work as one’s own, whether such appropriation includes all or part of the other’s work or whether it comprises all or part of what is represented as one’s own work (plagiarism).  Appropriate citation avoids this form of dishonesty.  In addition, “academic dishonesty” includes cheating in any form, the falsification of academic documents of the falsification of works or references for the use in class or other academic circumstances.  When such dishonesty is discovered, the consequences to the student can be severe.

Students with Disabilities Statement
Columbia College Chicago seeks to maintain a supportive academic environment for students with disabilities. Students who self-identify as having a disability should present their documentation to the Services for Students with Disabilities (SSD) office. After the documentation has been reviewed by the SSD office, a Columbia College accommodation letter will be provided to the student. Students are encouraged to present their Columbia accommodation letters to each instructor at the beginning of the semester so that accommodations can be arranged in a timely manner by the College, the department, or the faculty member, as appropriate. Accommodations will begin at the time the letter is presented. Students with disabilities who do not have accommodation letters should visit the office of Services for Students with Disabilities, Room 304 of the 623 S. Wabash building (312-369-8296).