Graduate Internship Guidelines

GRADUATE

The Purpose of the Internship
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
AEMM graduate students must complete a minimum of 360 hours of internship experience.  Students may opt to complete these required hours in either one or two semesters.  Students who do not complete the required hours in two semesters must register for additional credit for each semester until the internship is complete.

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.
• completing the experience report and submitting the paper to the internship coordinator
• conducting themselves in a professional manner at the workplace

The Role of the Internship Coordinator
The internship coordinator:

• provides assistance in finding internship opportunities
• 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
• attending E-Center coordinated networking opportunities, such as the SEA or CEO conferences
• visiting Columbia sponsored events, such as PerforMarket
• 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
• Internship Experience Report

Hour Log
Students are required to document all internship hours worked and tasks completed. The Hour Log form must be submitted with the Experience Report at the end of the semester in which the student is registered for credit. Students may no longer use other hour log formats. Click here to download an Hour Log form. Hardcopies are available in the AEMM office.

Experience Report
Format:
The report should meet the following requirements:

• It should be double-spaced.
• It should be between three and five pages in length.
• It should include a cover page with the student’s name, oasis number, company name, semester and date.

Content:
The report should be a formal assessment of the learning experience. Here are some questions and issues that should be addressed in the paper:

• Describe the company for which you worked. What was your position? What were your duties? Describe your department and its relationship to the organizations total structure and/or the organization’s working relationship with outside agencies.
• Was the experience useful? In what way? Was it what you expected? Clarify your response.
• What did you learn from this work experience? Did you meet your learning goals?  Cite specific situations that you confronted and the insights you gained.
• Were you able to use what you learned in your classes during the internship? Were you able to use what you learned from your internship in your class work? Cite examples.
• What areas do you now perceive as needing more work? What strengths were reinforced by your experience? Has this internship contributed to your long-term goals?
• If possible, enclose samples of your work. (Photographs, photocopies, copies of magazines, etc.)

If this internship is a continuation from a previous semester, please use these guidelines, but explain how your placement differed from the previous semester and why you decided to stay on for another semester.

Grading Criteria
The paper will be graded on both content and style. If the paper does not include the content above, the student will receive an incomplete. There are no exceptions.

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 are requested to present their Columbia accommodation letters to the Internship Coordinator at the beginning of the semester so that accommodations can be arranged in a timely manner by the College, the department or the Internship Coordinator, as appropriate. Students with disabilities who do not have accommodation letters should visit the office of Services for Students with Disabilities in room 520 of the Congress building (312.369.8134/V or 312.360.0767/TTY). It is incumbent upon the student to know their responsibilities in this regard.