Internship Opportunities

Life in the world beyond the campus provides students with invaluable experiences that complement their programs of study. The experiential learning requirement may be fulfilled through an internship experience (minimum of 3 course credits and 120 hours of internship experience; detail below). All Wilkes Honors College students –including international and transfer students – are required to participate in an experiential learning program. All internships must be approved prior to registering for an internship course.


Click "VIEW ALL" (below) or scan QR code to view a list of current internship opportunities:

                            QR code to internship link tree

 

How Do I Find an Internship?

Begin with reflection of your ideal/dream "job" and then do some preliminary research.

How do I Sign Up for an Internship?

1. Submit an online internship proposal form.

TO ENSURE YOUR PROPOSAL IS APPROVED, be sure that you (not the internship supervisor) fill out each part of the online form accurately.  Include:

  • Academic Component information (e.g. number of pages of your written requirement; indicate appropriate readings; see below)
  • The location of the internship
  • Contact info and title for your onsite internship supervisor
  • If the internship is UNPAID or PAID
  • Depending on the pay status, total number of hours to be worked per credit hour in the semester. NOTE: this is the minimum number of hours to be worked; if the nature of your internship calls for more working hours, but you only need/want to register for 3 credit hours, feel free to do so if your schedule allows.
    • UNPAID: 40 hours to be worked for every credit hour
    • PAID: 60 hours to be worked for every credit hour
  • Number of credit hours

You will need to decide on the academic components with your faculty advisor. The academic component should include discipline-specific reading and writing. Your faculty advisor should approve your proposal before you submit online. A sample proposal form is online.

Acceptable writing components might include a substantial paper completed at the end of the internship (e.g. 6-10 pages for a 3 credit internship). Other examples include a literature review, or smaller writing assignments completed throughout the internship, such as weekly essays reflecting on series of readings and their applicability to the internship. Writing requirements may also be satisfied by products of your work at the internship, such as a draft of a manuscript, a conference paper or poster, a lab report or protocol, or brochures or other materials you develop.

For your reading component, this can be selected by you, your faculty advisor and/or your internship supervisor. As part of the academic component description you may include the "x" number of books and/or "y" number of articles on topic "z;" if possible, you may include specific titles.

If you fail to include these items, your proposal will be sent back to you for revision...thus increasing the timeline for approval.

2. Once the proposal is approved submit the contract to Dr. Monica Maldonado, in person (HC 171), by fax, or via email.

You will receive an approval notification with information concerning registration for the internship course, the contract, and the evaluation form. The contract includes a number of forms and important details about individual internship programs and should be read carefully. The contract includes (I) a general info form, (II) contract, (III) consent/release form, and (IV) agreement form, all of which must be submitted to Dr. Monica Maldonado,  BEFORE the start of your internship. Please note that the internship forms must be signed by you, your internship supervisor, and your faculty advisor. Your faculty advisor will then request an internship section and give you permission to enroll. Course numbers for internships include:

  • HUM 4947 Honors Internship in the Humanities
  • IDS 4947 Honors Internship in Interdisciplinary Studies
  • ISS 4947 Honors Internship in the Social Sciences
  • ISC 4947 Honors Internship in Science and Mathematics

Note: Students may not take more than 12 credits of Internship toward their HC degree. Internship courses are variable credit and students must be sure to register for the correct number of credits. Also note there is a repeat surcharge for taking an internship course more than twice. In other words, if you attempt to take ISS 4947 for 1 credit during three different semesters to meet the 3 credit requirement, the third time you will be charged a repeat fee which will double the tuition for that course. The Honors College will support petitions to waive the repeat charge only for students whose total number of internship credits does not exceed 6. A form to appeal the repeat surcharge is online

3. An evaluation form that will be completed by your onsite supervisor after the internship is completed, and submitted to your faculty advisor.

Application Guidelines

When you are ready to apply, please follow these guidelines:

  1. Submit the online internship form before advance registration for the semester you intend to start your internship. Note for International students with F-1 visas: you must visit the Office of Diversity Services (SR 117, 561.799.8585) to determine eligibility and apply for Curricular Practical Training.
  2. The Non-Classroom Learning Committee Chair will have members review your application and approve or disapprove. Once approved, you will be notified, and you then must submit a contract (Parts I-IV) signed by you, the internship supervisor, and your faculty advisor, to Dr. Monica Maldonado, Associate Director of Honors College Student Activities. Also, your faculty advisor must request to the chair the addition of an internship section, and give you permission to enroll in it.
  3. You CANNOT register for an internship retroactively. In other words, do not attempt to get a sequence number to register for credit for an internship you already completed.
  4. Criteria for acceptable internships: the internship should have a strong academic component; working for your family business as a summer job is not acceptable for internship credit. In general, internships should take place outside the Honors College. Research assistant positions and opportunities within the college may qualify for other types of recognition (independent study credits, paid employment, volunteer hours, etc.), but they generally cannot be pursued for internship credits. Other opportunities on the Jupiter campus or at other FAU locations may be approved for internship credit if they meet the other criteria. Research conducted for theses should be assigned as thesis hours rather than internship credit.
  5. Consider internships that will challenge you and help you grow as a professional.
  6. Remember that you pay for internship credit as an FAU student. The minimum amount you must earn to meet requirements is three (3) credits:
    60 hours of work = 1 credit hour for paid internships
    40 hours of work = 1 credit hour for unpaid internships
  7. Upon completing the internship, have your employee supervisor complete the evaluation form and send it to your faculty advisor, who will review it and submit it to the Director of Student Affairs.
  8. Students may take no more than 12 credits of internship toward their degree.

 

Deadlines

Online proposal forms must be submitted prior to the advance registration period for the semester of the internship (see the FAU calendar for dates of advance registration). For example, if you plan to do an internship in the Spring term, submit the online form prior to the start of November in the previous term (i.e. before registration opens for spring). If you plan to start an internship during the Summer term or Fall term, submit the online form prior to the start of April (i.e. before registration opens for summer or fall). Completed contracts should be submitted as soon as the signatures are secured but must be received BEFORE the start of the internship or the first day of the semester in which the internship is taken, whichever is sooner.

You may not receive credit for internships started without completing and submitting the proper paperwork.