Requirements for Doing an Internship for Credit

• You MUST register for GVT 521 (4 credits) in the semester in which you are doing the internship.
• Your internship should require 10-15 hours of work per week (for at least 10 weeks) of substantive work and be in an organization involved in politics or government in some way.
• You need to submit a description of your internship to the internship advisor for approval.
• You must develop and sign an internship contract; it must also be signed by your supervisor and the internship advisor.
• You must keep a daily log and a weekly journal of your internship activities.
• You must complete all of the requirements for GVT 521 as set out by the internship advisor.

The purpose of the internship is to allow you to evaluate your own practical work experience in the context of your more theoretical academic studies.  It is up to you, with the help of the internship class, to analyze and interpret the relationship between that practical experience and your studies in government.  You are not getting credit for work experience alone, you are getting credit for the application of that work experience to the study of government.  Retroactive internship credits (i.e., getting credit for work experience after it has been completed) will not be granted.

Please note that you may do a non-credit internship at any time during your college career.  Doing an internship without credit still provides you with valuable work experience, an entry on your resume, and the opportunity to reflect on your academic work in a practical setting.

Doing an internship for credit involves advance planning and substantial work.