Academic credit internships require the supervision of an ICT faculty member and an on-site internship supervisor, creating a bridge between the education received at the university and workplace expectations.
Qualified undergraduate ICT students enter the professional sector to understand how and apply their ICT skills and knowledge. Supervised internships approved by the School allow placements in a variety of environments. Students who complete internships gain on-the-job experience and develop professional skills like networking and office skills are more prepared for jobs after graduation. Interns are expected to have basic skills necessary for the company for which they will be working. They are also expected to gain experience and learn new skills for their professional career.
Learning contracts must be approved by the last day to add a course for the semester you wish to be enrolled.
Internship Steps
Below are the steps you need to take to secure an internship and earn academic credit for it. Please read through them all carefully before beginning the process.
If you have any questions once you have looked over all of the material below, please contact Sarah Jane Kaelin.
You should complete your ICT 399 internship at a time in your academic career when you will not only benefit from the internship, but will be able to make a contribution to the organization that is sponsoring your internship.
- In order to register for ICT 399, you must be a junior or senior and have successfully completed two 300-level ICT courses.
- If you do not complete two 300-level ICT courses before the internship is to begin, you will be dropped from ICT 399 and will not be able to do the internship that semester. Remember that you can complete an EXP internship before you meet these requirements, though that credit will not count towards graduation.
- 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 you to have as many additional internships as possible).
We recommend you start looking for an internship early. Most times that is at least a semester before you would like to complete it, because some summer internships often have deadlines in November and December. You should be sure you know when the application is due. You should decide on an internship before you apply and are approved.
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 additional criteria.
We recommend the following internship resources:
- ISC 399 Current Internships
- CI Career Coordinator, Brooke Nowicki (students can set up an appointment with Brooke in order to receive advice on internship hunting, resume/cover letter review, interview prep, etc.)
- CI Internship and Job Opportunities
- UK Stuckert Career Center, Handshake
- ICT Listserv (please contact sarah.tamme@uky.edu for instructions on being added to the Listserv)
- Career Fairs
- ICT Networking Opportunities
Note about internships: For liability reasons, the workplace may not be a private residence or home office. Additionally, the internship must be a new experience. If you choose to complete the internship at your current place of employment you must work under a different supervisor and department/division (i.e., if you work in information security, you could intern in networking) and the internship hours should be outside the regularly scheduled hours. Lastly, students cannot designate a family member as their internship supervisor.
Check for internship listings on Handshake, the CI Internship and Job Opportunities page, the ICT Listserv, LinkedIn, or other internship search sites. If an application page is not set up, figure out who the contact person is for the organization and how they prefer to be contacted. Some organizations would like an email with a cover letter and resume, while others prefer a phone call. Ultimately, it is up to the student to secure the internship. If you need direction on finding an internship for the semester, please contact Sarah Jane Kaelin.
You will need to:
- Meet the ICT 399 eligibility requirements mentioned in Step 1.
- Secure an internship placement.
- Reach out to Sarah Jane Kaelin and let her know you have an internship in place. She will then assign an ICT course instructor to oversee your ICT 399 coursework and provide detailed instructions on submitting your learning contract, which will be submitted via Handshake.
- Submit the learning contract.
- Once the learning contract is approved by your internship supervisor, ICT course instructor, and the ICT Program Coordinator, Sarah Jane will register you for ICT 399.
You will not be able to register yourself for this course online.
The learning contract states your responsibilities and duties during the internship, and what you expect to learn.
The learning contract is to be completed by the student in consultation with the internship supervisor, except that the student is to complete the description of the final poster project and 2 meeting times in consultation with their ICT course instructor.
When the contract is submitted by the student, it will then go through an approval process. The contract will first be approved by the internship supervisor, then the ICT course instructor, then the ICT Program Coordinator. After the contract is approved by all three individuals, it will be sent to the internship coordinator, who will then register the student for ICT 399.
Students must submit their learning contract before the first day of classes for fall and spring semesters. In the summer session, the last date to have a contract approved and begin work in the internship is one week after the summer session begins. Tuition is included when you register for fall or spring semesters between 12 and 19 hours. If you take a summer internship for ICT 399 credit you will pay for three credit hours. Check the academic calendar on the Registrar's website for the semester you will intern. You will be billed for tuition during the semester in which you are working at the internship site. Click here for a full breakdown of UK's cost of attendance. For specific questions about payments, please contact Student Account Services.
The School requires you to spend 90 hours at your internship for three credits. It is highly recommended that students work on-site in blocks of at least three hours at a time. For a three-credit internship, a total of 90 work hours (six hours per week) are required. All work must be sanctioned by and documented.
PRO TIP: Treat the internship as the first step in your career. Be on time, stay the hours that you have said you were going to work, avoid doing personal errands, etc. Expect to work holidays, weekends and long hours. Remember that the internship supervisor evaluation is a vital part of the evaluation process. Negative feedback can adversely affect your grade. Your internship site will need to provide any necessary hardware and software.
No academic credit is granted for any internship taken prior to formal enrollment in ICT 399 and completion of all required preliminary procedures. You will only receive credit for the ICT 399 internship during the same semester you are completing hours. This is because a you are under faculty supervision while interning.
Note about expectations: The internship and academic components must be concurrent; therefore, retroactive assignment submissions are not granted for internships. Non-attendance, failure to complete the required internship hours or failure to do the end-of-term presentation will result in non-passing grade.
Students enrolled in ICT 399 receive a pass/fail grade. The faculty advisor who serves as the course instructor assigns the grade based on the evaluation of the academic components.
During the semester there are several other mandatory steps you must complete to receive a grade:
- Meet with your ICT course instructor before the internship begins to agree on how you will communicate and to set up 2 meeting times during the semester.
- You will submit at least four progress reports as part of the internship program along with a midterm hours sheet. The body of the report should include the internship location, number of hours worked that week and the total hours worked to date.
- At the end of the semester, you are required to develop a poster presentation that describes what you experienced in your internship. Interns should talk with their course instructors about what to include in the visual aid and format. Prior to submitting the presentation, you will submit a complete draft of the poster to the course instructor for feedback.
- In place of a final examination, you are required to submit a resume, cover letter, and end-of-year summary report. The report should be typed and double-spaced. You are expected to summarize the activities undertaken in the internship with specific reference to what you did, what you learned, how the internship has affected your interest in a career in the field and what it was like to work at the internship site. You may also offer recommendations on ways to improve or expand your experience. You will also include one exemplar product from an ICT class to showcase your skills.
- The internship coordinator will reach out to the internship supervisor prior to the last week of class to request that they complete an evaluation of the intern's work. You should also remind your supervisor to complete the form in a timely manner. You will not receive a grade until the supervisor has submitted the evaluation.
All interns are encouraged to write a brief thank you letter to the internship supervisor. You should mention what you got out of the internship and how it helped your career.
