Internship for Credit Requirements & Qualifications

Students must meet the following criteria in order to enroll in an internship for credit:

• The student must have completed a minimum of 75-90 credits. Credit requirements vary among majors.
• The student must have one semester completed at Marymount.
• The student has met with their academic advisor to ensure they meet other academic requirements.
• The student MUST have an approved resume on Handshake. Students can make an appointment on Handshake to speak with a Career Development staff member to start the development or revision of their resumes. This process can take time and last-minute requests are honored at the discretion of the Director of Career Development. 

The employer of the internship must meet the following criteria in order for the internship to be approved for credit:

• Internships need to be in a professional business setting. Internships in locations with residential placements/addresses are not acceptable. For more information, please read our full internship policies and procedures.
• The employer should employ a professional brand including email addresses that have a company-branded domain (we do not accept personal email domains such as @gmail.com, @hotmail.com, etc.).
• The employer will pair the student with a site supervisor that approves the internship and completes performance elevations. The site supervisor must have an email address that has a company-branded domain.
• The internship must provide ample opportunity for the student to utilize the information learned in the classroom in a professional setting.
• The internship duties and responsibilities must be of professional quality and provide sufficient substantive work. For more information, please read the “Internship Duties and Responsibilities” section.
• The employer provides the student with an offer letter that includes the following:
  • Job/internship title
  • Start and end date agreed to by the organization/site supervisor
  • Estimated weekly internship hours the student plans to work
  • Address of the organization/internship including statement if it is in-person or virtual
  • General position duties that align with our internship policies and procedures
  • Site supervisor contact information including a company-branded email address
  • Click here for a sample offer letter

Additional restrictions on internships:

• On-campus internships are not acceptable unless the internship is approved by the Center for Career Development.
• Internships for credit cannot be with a company/organization owned by an immediate family member. Additionally, site supervisors also cannot be related to the student to maintain fairness and professionalism.

The internship must meet the following requirements in order to be approved for credit:

• Have a start and end date that aligns with the semester the student wishes to enroll in a for-credit internship course. Please note, students may work before or after the registered semester time frame, but the hours required for internship credit completion must take place in the registered semester. 
• Students must work the minimum hours required during the registered semester to qualify for credit:
  

  Minimum total hours of internship required by the end of the semester	Credits
  120 hours	3
  140 hours (Criminal Justice majors only)	3
  240 hours	6

To qualify for academic credit, the internship duties and responsibilities must be of professional quality and provide sufficient substantive work. Guided by the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE), an experience must meet the following criteria to be defined as a professional quality internship:

• The experience must be an extension of the classroom: a learning experience that provides ample opportunity for the student to utilize the information learned in the classroom in a professional setting. It must not be simply to advance the operations of the employer or be the work that a regular employee would routinely perform.
• Administrative tasks (i.e. general office work) should comprise less than 30% of the internship.
• The skills or knowledge learned must be transferable to other employment settings.
• The experience has a defined beginning and end, and a job description with desired qualifications.
• There are clearly defined learning objectives/goals related to the professional goals of the student’s academic coursework.
• There is supervision by a professional with expertise and educational and/or professional background in the field of the experience.
• There is routine feedback by the experienced supervisor.
• There are resources, equipment, and facilities provided by the host employer that support learning objectives/goals.
• All for-credit Internships must be pre-approved by the Center for Career Development and the Academic Internship Mentor (AIM) before the student begins the internship experience.

All internships and sites must abide by the Department of Labor and National Association of Colleges and Employers for employment standards. It is the responsibility of the student to be familiar with these standards and report any problem.

• Department of Labor – www.dol.gov/agencies/whd/fact-sheets/71-flsa-internships
• National Association of Colleges and Employers – www.naceweb.org/about-us/advocacy/position-statements/position-statement-us-internships/

Every Marymount University Student acknowledges that they voluntarily participate in any internship for their own educational purposes and personal career development. Any work performed relating any internship experience will not be as an employee of Marymount University. Even if the student is an employee of the University in a work-study, College Work Award program or some other capacity, each student understands that the work performed in the internship is not on behalf of the University.

All students agree that their participation in any internship shall be undertaken by them at their own and sole risk and that the University shall not be liable for any and all claims, demands, injuries, damages, actions, or causes of actions, whatsoever resulting from any injury or damages to any student or property arising out of or connected with the internship. Students agree to do due diligence for their own safety when accepting the internship and agree upon the location of the internship is understood and students take complete responsibility. If any internship should occur in a private home or a close and isolated working environment sponsored by the client, students understand that they may be exposed to heightened risk and understand those risks. Students are encouraged to reference the safety resources available in the Center for Career Development.

By taking part in any internship during their time at Marymount University, all students expressly release the University, employees and agents from any and all present or future claims resulting from participation in the internship, no matter non or for-academic credit, including but not limited to, claims arising or allegedly arising from loss, damage or theft of personal property, personal injury or death arising as a result of participation in the internship and/or engaging in any activities in any way incidental thereto, whenever, wherever and however the same may occur, and freely and fully assume all risks, hazards and losses which may occur in connection with any participation in the internship.

Students must agree to all of our policies, procedures, and waivers in order to be approved for a for-credit internship. You can find the full policies, procedures, and waivers here.