CAS
Policies and Procedures Manual
Policy For Internship Courses: 498
(updated 10-16-00)
1.
Orientation
The purpose of the field experience in an
internship is to enhance, supplement, and integrate the learning that occurs in
formal classroom settings. Each
internship placement should combine the student's academic training with
experience in a professional environment. The
philosophical foundation of these experiences is that one learns best by doing.
The educational goals of an internship placement include knowledge
acquisition, knowledge application, skills development, and development of a
code of professional ethics. The
work assignments and duties of the student should be in accord with these
educational goals. Menial tasks,
although a necessary part of some work settings, should not be a major component
of an internship.
2.
Student Requirements
An overall GPA of 2.00 and junior standing (i.e. 59
hours or more) are the minimum College requirements for enrollment in an
internship course. Specific course
prerequisites, and/or a higher GPA and/or senior standing may be required by
individual departments. Unless and
internship is a requirement of the major, "permission of instructor"
is also a valid course requirement. Students
must comply with department enrollment requirements; departments retain the
authority to refuse students who do not meet department standards for placement.
Each department that offers an internship course must have written field
placement policies that are provided to students who wish to enroll.
A copy of these departmental policies should be sent to the College
office to be kept on file.
The student is responsible for making the
internship a valuable educational experience.
It is the student's responsibility to adhere to the program guidelines
with regard to such expectations as professional appearance and behavior, hours
worked, submission of reports and compliance with agency rules and regulations.
Students are expected to conduct themselves as members of the agency's
professional staff.
A formal written paper or report on the internship
experience is required of all students at the end of the semester.
The length and content of the paper is determined by individual
departments.
3.
Credit Hours
Students are required to have at least three hours
of agency participation per week for every one hour of internship credit.
Departments may require more work hours per credit hour when appropriate.
Internship course credit hours may be 1 to 12
credits in one semester. A student
may apply up to 12 credit hours of internship toward the undergraduate degree if
the department course description so specifies.
The maximum credit for any one semester is 12 credits. The maximum credit for any single agency setting is 12
credits, although a student may receive credits for work at more than one
agency. A maximum of three credit
hours may be earned outside the student's major field.
4.
Registration
Preregistration
and registration procedures for an internship are as follows:
(a)
internships course may be listed in the Schedule of
Courses in those departments in which a faculty supervisor meets with intern
students on a weekly basis as a group; such courses should include the days and
times of those weekly meetings as the class meeting time.
(b)
Unless the internship is a requirement of all
majors, enrollment is restricted to "consent of instructor"; and this
restriction should be listed in the schedule of courses if the students will
meet as a group with the faculty supervisor.
(c)
Any student wishing to register for an internship
must complete the "Permission to
Enroll" form and obtain the appropriate signatures from a faculty
supervisor, and agency supervisor, the department chair and the dean. The "Permission
to Enroll" form may be used to preregister or register for an
internship course in the Office of the Registrar.
Late registration will be permitted only in unusual circumstances and
should be discouraged. Faculty
advisors should work with students before the semester begins to plan an
internship for the coming semester.
5.
Agency Qualifications
The College requirements for participating agencies
are general and flexible. Both
public and private agencies and businesses are eligible to host students.
Agencies must be professional operations recognized as providing quality
service and must be able to provide an excellent, dynamic learning environment
as well as professional supervision. The
internship experience at an agency should be related to the student's academic
major.
Prior to approval as a placement setting, the head
of the agency must submit information concerning the agency's goals, a
description of the agency operations, the duties and responsibilities of
interns, the name, title, resume and credentials of the person(s) to whom the
student reports and any special requirements of students.
The agency must be an equal opportunity employer who does not
discriminate on the basis of race, ethnicity, religion, national origin, or
gender. The agency should also
indicate if liability insurance is carried for students. The faculty supervisor, department chair and dean will review
the information and notify the agency of the university's acceptance or
rejection of the placement opportunity. The
"Request for Approval
of Agency for UNCW Interns and Practicum Students" form must be
completed and accepted by the College before any student is placed with
the agency and/or begins work there. This
form must be renewed every five years and whenever there is a change in the
agency personnel who are responsible for student supervision.
6. Agency
Supervisor Qualifications
The agency supervisor should be a member of the professional staff of the
agency and be recognized as a professional in his or her discipline (e.g.
Bar-approved attorneys should supervise legal interns, not paralegals or legal
secretaries.) In general, the
agency supervisor should hold a master's degree or the professional degree for
the discipline. However, a
baccalaureate degree combined with experience may be considered sufficient in
some circumstances. In rare cases,
professional certifications, protracted experience, special skills and position
responsibility in the agency may be considered sufficient.
The agency supervisor must provide students with guidance in fulfilling
their responsibilities and with feedback on their progress.
Qualified agency supervisors must be on site for the entire time a
student is at the agency to assist with crises or problems that arise.
7.
Faculty Supervisor Qualifications
Faculty
supervisors must be at least a permanent faculty member.
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