Internships
Overview
The internship program is designed to provide School of Life Science students with an opportunity to earn academic credit while acquiring the skills and experiences that will assist them in accomplishing their educational and career goals. As such, all internships must be related in some way to their academic major, occur outside of a university research lab setting and follow a contract. The internship program is a supervised experience that includes meaningful project based work combined with a career related course-BIO, PLB, MIC, or MBB 484. The objectives of the program are to provide the student with the opportunity to:
- enhance Undergraduate learning in a professional environment.
- gain professional and scientific experience with current technology by contributing to significant projects.
- build communication, interpersonal, teamwork and other leadership skills critical for the success in the life sciences.
- connect/network with people across the company/industry to learn about career opportunities.
- reflect upon the internship experience and develop a portfolio/resume that displays skills and accomplishments.
Internship Eligibility Requirements
- Enrolled in a Life Sciences degree program
- 2.75 GPA in major
- Successful completion of at least 45 credit hours
Top 10 Most Frequently Asked Questions
- Can I arrange an internship with my current employer? Effective Spring 2010, it may be possible if certain conditions are met. First, you must be working in a professional environment for more than 6 months. Second, you must obtain a different supervisor to report to during your internship. Lastly, you must clearly demonstrate that the internship differs from your job. See Work Variance Form for more details.
- Can I complete the internship over the Summer and then apply for credit in the Fall? No. The hours that you work in your internship must be completed during the semester in which you register. Retroactive credit cannot be given for internships.
- Do I have to find my own internship? Yes. To help get you started here are a few suggestions: Check the list of SOLS Internship Opportunities, ask SOLS faculty, review specific company websites, look at bulletin board postings, use ASU – Career Services-SunDevil CareerLink; and attend career fairs.
- How many hours do I have to work a week? The number of hours you work per week, depends on the number of credit hours you are looking to earn. To earn 3 credit hours you must work a total of 135 hours. During the Fall and Spring semester this works out to be about 8-9 hours a week on the job.
- What do I have to do besides work 135 hours? In addition to working your internship hours, you are required to register and attend the “484”class. The class meets Thursdays, 4:40-5:30. In this class you are expected to complete career related assignments, write a reflective journal, record your internship hours, and give a presentation at the end of the semester. Additionally, your site supervisor will be asked to submit an evaluation about your performance two times during the semester.
- Can I receive internship credit if I am being paid or receiving a stipend? Yes. While internship providers are not expected to compensate interns, if you find an internship that is paid or unpaid, effective Spring 2010, you can earn academic credit for the internship.
- Will I receive a grade for my internship? Yes. Effective Spring 2010, students can either earn a letter grade or a pass/fail grade. If a student wants to earn a letter grade then the internship contract must be approved by a faculty within SOLS (School of Life Sciences). It is the student’s responsibility to secure a faculty mentor to earn a letter grade, otherwise you will earn a “Y”-Pass or “E” – Fail grade.
- What forms do I have to fill out? All of the forms and instructions on how to complete the entire process can be found in the Internship Information Packet.
- How many credits can I get by doing an internship? You can earn 1-3 credits per semester. A total of 6 credit hours can be applied towards your major requirements. Keep in mind the total 6 hrs includes any research or individualized instruction classes.
- Can my internship count for one of my labs? No. Lab credit can be earned by taking a lab course or working in a university research lab under the supervision of a SOLS faculty.
If you still have questions, the Undergraduate Advising Office has an Internship Coordinator that is available to answer any questions that you may have. Feel free to schedule an appointment with the Internship Coordinator, by calling (480) 727-6277.