About the ICT 399 Internship

To receive three credit hours, students must intern a minimum 90 hours during the semester they are registered for the class. No academic credit is granted for any internship taken prior to formal enrollment in ICT 399 and completion of all required preliminary procedures (see Must-Read for ICT 399 Internship). All work must be sanctioned by and done on behalf of the internship supervisor and must be documented on a mid-term hours sheet approved or provided by the School.

Qualifying students may earn a maximum of three hours of academic credit for a professional internship under the ICT 399 course title. However, the School strongly encourages students to have as many additional internships as possible regardless of course credit.

Registered internships must be pre-professional work experiences that enhance the student's knowledge about the industry. Internships should involve exposure to the mission, vision and values of the organization, working on projects that encourage practical application of skills and teach about the industry through activities such as attendance at conferences and/or meetings, being mentored, etc. Virtual or remote internships may need to meet additional criteria.

The internship must be a new experience for the student (i.e., it cannot be a continuation of volunteer work or a summer, part-time job). The internship course is intended to engage students in new field experiences to broaden their scope of knowledge of the profession. Therefore, students who complete the internship at their current place of employment must work under a different supervisor and department/division (i.e.., if you work in information security, you could intern in information assurance), and the internship hours must be outside the regularly scheduled hours.

To add, students may not designate a family member as their internship supervisor, or, for liability reasons, intern at a private residence (e.g., a home office).

For students who intern during the Fall or Spring semester and register for between 12 and 19 hours, ICT 399 will be included in tuition for the semester. If students enroll in the Summer term, they will be registered for ICT 399 during the Summer session and will pay per credit hour at the part-time/intersession rate. ICT 399 is three credit hours. Click here for a full breakdown of UK's cost of attendance. For specific questions about payments, please contact Student Account Services.

An ICT junior or senior may start the process to be enrolled in the academic-credit internship in any term after they have successfully completed two 300-level ICT courses. Students should complete an internship at a time in their academic career when they will not only benefit from the internship, but will be able to make a contribution to the organization that is sponsoring the internship.

If students do not complete the required courses before the internship is to begin, they will be dropped from ICT 399 and will not be able to do the internship that semester.

Students may complete an EXP internship before they meet these requirements though that credit will not count towards graduation.

1. Identify an internship site with help from the ICT Internship Coordinator, CI Career Coordinator, UK Career Services, a faculty member, or using your own resources. We highly recommend you complete a resume and have it critiqued before asking an organization for an internship with them. Resumes are the norm in the business world and potential sponsors will expect one. Remember this is an educational experience. Some clerical work may be required in the position you will hold, but major duties of the internship should be new to you and should stretch your knowledge and skills.
2. Identify an on-site supervisor as the internship supervisor at the employment site. Students cannot designate a family member as their internship supervisor.

1. Please see the Must-Read for the ICT 399 Internship page for information on how to get enrolled in ICT 399. Students may not register for the course themselves.
2. After finding an internship placement, reach out to the internship coordinator, Sarah Jane Kaelin, who will assign your ICT course instructor.
3. Discuss goals and objectives for the internship with your internship supervisor and course instructor and, together, determine the final poster project and academic components of the internship.
4. Complete the ICT 399 Learning Contract (instructions for submitting the learning contract will be sent by the internship coordinator at the time they assign your ICT course instructor).

EXP Internships
EXP internships are a great option for pre-major students and upper division students who have not yet met the requirements for an ICT internship. EXP internships have no prerequisites and you can do as many internships as you want, for one-three credit hours each (meaning that you can work - and pay for - fewer hours during the semester if you need to).

For example, students can complete an internship as a freshman and an internship as a sophomore, building thier portfolio and resume before having to find an ICT internship. This gives them the chance to gain additional professional experience while in college.

Please note that the credits received through EXP will not count towards the 120 credits to graduate. That means in order to graduate from our College, students must complete extra credits if they do an EXP internship. However, many students benefit from a second or third internship and they do it through the EXP program.

For questions about EXP internships, contact your Career Center representative.
 

Multiple Internships
Students may complete one internship for three credits within our School. Any other internships would have be through EXP 396 and our College does not accept those credits toward graduation.
 

Internships Abroad
ICT 399 credit is for internships completed in the U.S. There are several internship opportunities abroad (see the UK Education Abroad website for what's available). Students can earn EXP credit for non-US internships.
 

Paid vs. Unpaid Internships
Although there are a few paid internships, most are unpaid. An internship is an opportunity to develop skills and help your career. Paid internships usually require more skills and are more competitive, so students need to start planning for them and applying for them early. Completing EXP internships and working in student technologies can increase your chances of earning a paid internship.

An internship is a form of experiential learning that integrates knowledge and theory learned in the classroom with practical application and skills development in a professional setting. Internships give students the opportunity to gain valuable applied experience and make connections in professional fields they are considering for career paths and give employers the opportunity to guide and evaluate talent.

To ensure that an experience is educational and thus eligible to be considered a legitimate internship, all the following criteria must be met:

• The experience must be an extension of the classroom - a learning experience that provides for applying the knowledge gained in the classroom. It must not simply advance the operations of the employer or be the work that a regular employee would routinely perform.
• The skills or knowledge learned must be transferrable 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 for 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.