Internships for Academic Credit

Students may apply for three academic credit hours for internship experiences. Academic credit for an internship experience requires 150 hours of supervised work experience that directly aligns with a student’s declared major. Students must apply prior to the start of their internship. 

  • Junior or Senior standing

  • Declared Business Major (If you meet the requirements you can declare your business major by completing the Declaration of Major form.)

  • Minimum 2.0 GPA

  • Accounting majors only: ACCT 3312 of ACCT 3324 with grade of C or above

  • Approval of all internship documents via the Niblock Student Center internship for credit application process

If you have questions about internship for academic credit, contact: stcenterpd@uncc.edu to connect with a Professional Development staff member.

 

Students seeking academic credit must first attend an Information Session before beginning the application process. This is to ensure student understanding of eligibility requirements to enroll and criteria for qualified internship experiences. It will also be an opportunity for students to address common questions and concerns about internships for academic credit and internship searching more broadly.

  1. Attend the asynchronous Virtual Information Session
  2. Complete the online training (access will be provided at Information Session) and submit all the required application materials via the online training platform. Required application materials include a student application form, completed by the student intern, and a Supervisor Acknowledgement Form, completed by the intern supervisor.
  3. Upon review and approval of qualified internship experiences by course instructors and satisfactory completion of eligibility requirements, students will be issued permission to register for the appropriate course. Students will receive approval of their internship via their university email account. After receiving approval to enroll a student must log-in to Banner and manually enroll in the course; the process is not automatic.

 

Students are eligible to receive credit for an internship course at the same time they begin to perform the internship. All application materials must be submitted by the first day of class for the semester in which a student wants to enroll in the internship course. Any exceptions to this deadline must be for an extenuating circumstance and all materials must be received in time for the internship to be evaluated before the conclusion of the drop/add periods. Students will not be authorized to register for the course after the submission deadline has passed. Registration for internships for academic credit are available for Fall, Spring, or Second Summer semester.

The following policies apply to all internship for credit business courses.

  1. Students are eligible to receive credit for an internship course at the same time they begin to perform the internship. A student cannot receive retroactive credit for a past internship experience(s). 
  2. A student who is currently employed may not seek internship credit with the same employer unless the internship duties are significantly different from their current role.  
  3. Course prerequisites are enforced and cannot be taken simultaneously with the internship course.
  4. A student may not work for a current student or family member or for a company in which a relative would serve in a supervisory role. Students may not perform an internship in someone’s private home for credit.
  5. The internship for credit course is offered Fall, Spring, and Second Summer session only.
  6. A student may only receive academic credit for an internship once in the Belk College of Business.
  7. A student who accepts an internship offer after the posted application deadline for the current semester may apply for credit in the subsequent semester provided that (a) the internship experience will continue into the immediately following semester for 150 work hours; and (b) the student submits all application materials by the posted deadline for the subsequent semester.

To ensure that an internship experience is educational and eligible for academic credit through the Belk College, all the following criteria must be met: 

  1. 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 be simply to advance the operations of the employer or be the work that a regular employee would routinely perform.
  2. The skills or knowledge learned must be transferable to other employment settings.
  3. The experience has a defined beginning and end, and a job description with desired qualifications.
  4. There are clearly defined learning objectives/goals related to the professional goals of the student’s academic coursework. 
  5. There is supervision by a professional with expertise and educational and/or professional background in the field of the experience.
  6. Students should receive and have the opportunity to discuss a minimum of 2 evaluations from their supervisor- midterm and final- with emphases on progress toward the learning objectives mentioned above.
  7. There are resources, equipment, and facilities provided by the host employer that support learning objectives/goals. Employers should make available space, supplies and/or other resources for completing assignments.
  8. Student will earn a minimum 150 hours of supervised work experience related to his or her discipline. Students should receive meaningful training/orientation to learn about the organization’s practices.
  9. Virtual internship opportunities should have a specific plan for communication, engagement, encouragement of participation, and feedback at regular intervals. 

Internship Pay: Internships may be paid or unpaid; however, employers must meet the minimum guidelines established by the Department of Labor according to the Fair Labor Standards Act before designating an internship as unpaid to ensure ethical compliance. Visit the US Department of Labor website for more information.

Supervisor Form: If your intern requested to receive academic credit for their internship experience, please complete the internship supervisor acknowledgment form below on the student's behalf. The Belk College asks that internship supervisors pre-certify a student's work experience and commit to providing an ethical learning environment that prepares the student for their professional career.

Internship Supervisor Acknowledgement Form