EXPLORATORY INTERNSHIPS
Internships Intend To Provide You With Exploratory Experiences, Helping in the Process of Selecting a Major and/or Career.
Internship experiences are generally most meaningful when associated with a student’s major. However, in some cases where true exploration is needed, an exploratory internship experience may be helpful. It may provide the opportunity to fully discover an area of interest of which an undergraduate student may have been previously unaware. It could potentially be a life-shaping experience in the selection of a major and/or career path.
Reflective journal entries, self-assessment and reflection paper, satisfactory evaluation from the on-site supervisor, and appropriate hours (1 credit hour/50 hands-on hours) required.
TO ENSURE THAT THIS EXPERIENCE IS RIGHT FOR YOU, CONSIDER THE FOLLOWING QUESTIONS:
1: Does this internship experience require that you be registered for and receive University credit?
Some experience providers require this. Others only require an authorized signature from a University official indicating that you are in good academic & social standing to participate in the internship experience without the need to register for credit at the University.
2: Are you considering future educational & career goals in student services settings?
If so, the posting of STDEV 199R credit may be beneficial to have on a transcript regardless of the student’s major. The posting of credit to the transcript may help in showing your learning and background experiences I student services settings.
3: Will the posting of STDEV 199R credit to your transcript be beneficial to you?
You may be just as well served to include the internship experience on the resume without the need for having a STDEV 199R entry on the transcript.
4: Do you need University credit hours toward the required 120 hours to graduate?
Many students find that obtaining 120 hours or more will come as a result of general education, major, and elective courses. If additional credit is not needed, you may forgo the need to pay additional tuition costs for the credit hours available through STDEV 199R. In some cases, the credit does help a student reach the needed 120 hours to graduate. In these instances, it may be to your advantage to register for the credit.
Notes:
Grades rule is pass/fail for the 0.5 to 3.0 credit(s).
StDev 199R is intended for undergraduate students who are exploring a truly new area of interest and cannot be given in combination with any other academic internship credit.
Internships for international students must be directly related to major and are only allowable if students are not being compensated in any way. International students need to first contact the Office for International Students to review the policies: 1351 WSC (801) 422-2695
StDev 199R must be registered for during the normal add/drop period for each semester/term. Second block registration is not available.
Exceptions to this procedure are rare and handled by appeal to the Exploratory internship Oversight Committee.
Learning Outcomes
Students will be able to better determine major and/or career paths based on hands-on experiences in the internship provider workplace setting.
Student Development
- Develop Decision-Making Skills
- Expand Individual Awareness
- Increase Knowledge of Careers and Employment Opportunities
- Increase Personal Maturity
- Strengthen Interpersonal Communication Skills
What to expect during your internship, you will complete weekly reflective journal reports and a personal self-assessment exercise designed to enrich your experience. These requirements make it possible for you to learn more about the workplace and about yourself. The Diamond Model: Career Decision Making Tasks and Sequences will serve as the framework for the internship experience.
What work is required for this internship class?
- Reflective journal entries are required on a weekly basis. Thought-provoking questions will be given by the instructor in addition to meaningful personal questions supplied by the student.
- A self-assessment exercise will be completed during the internship experience including the self-assessment inventories and reflection paper.
- Completion of the necessary internship hours required for academic credit (one credit hour for every 50 hands-on internship hours) as reported by the student and verified by the experience provider supervisor.
- A satisfactory exit evaluation provided by the experience provider supervisor.
- A final summary of your internship experience is required. Specifics will be given in connection with the required journal entry syllabus.
All five of the requirements must be met in order to receive the pass credit for the internship.
To receive academic credit, students will need to do the following:
Email an Exploratory Academic Internship Proposal to:
(usually two paragraphs are sufficient) to the Exploratory Internship Oversight Committee (EIOC) identifying two things:
- First, give the experience provider name and function, location of the internship, beginning and ending dates of internships, and any other pertinent details regarding the internship.
- Second, describe how this exploratory internship will aid in the selection of a major and/or career path.
- After obtaining approval of the EIOC, the student may proceed with completing the BYU Internship Office Online Student Application.
- After receiving approval from the BYU Internship Office, the student may add class using MyMAP, StDev 199R, Section 1, Anna Heier, instructor.
Internships must meet the following requirements:
- Students are responsible to find their own exploratory internships experience, University Career Services may be a good resource for assisting with finding internships.
- Interns must have an employer supervisor to train, mentor, and evaluate them
- Interns must work at least 50 hours for every credit hour they are registered for
- Internships must be completed within the semester you are registered
