Internships

Students pursuing a major within the Office of Multidisciplinary Degrees are able to earn academic credit for completing an approved internship experience and accompanying coursework. The purpose of the senior-level internship course is to give students comprehensive, practical experience in a real world employment setting. The internship experience allows students to apply their academic knowledge and critical thinking skills in work environments and in proscribed written assignments while engaging in initial personal professional development.

For some examples of internships students have participated in over the last few years see this PDF file:  International Studies Internship Examples.

Policies  

  • Students must be in good academic standing (term and cumulative GPA of 2.0 or higher) and cannot be on academic probation to apply for approval of an Internship.
  • General Studies and Interdisciplinary Studies majors must have completed 60 credit hours and filed a graduation plan to apply for approval of an Internship.
  • Students must not have any active Student Conducts holds to apply for approval of an Internship.
  • Students may not complete an Internship at a current place of employment.
  • Students must work 50 hours for each credit hour earned. 3 credits =150 hrs; 6 credits =300 hrs.
  • Students must fulfill all the assignments outlined in the syllabus, and the Internship supervisor must submit a performance evaluation.
  • Internships receive a grade of S or U (pass/fail).
  • Students may not earn retroactive credit for Internships.
  • A maximum of 6 hours of Internship may apply to graduation for General Studies and Interdisciplinary Studies majors.
  • A maximum of 12 hours of Internship, Readings, and/or Special Problems may apply to graduation for General Studies and Interdisciplinary Studies majors.
  • The Office reserves the right to deny internship project approval to any student or any internship site it believes will not reflect positively on the University.
  • NOTE: Students planning to complete an Internship abroad must complete the steps outlined in the Internships Abroad section below BEFORE submitting an internship application.

Internship as Capstone

  • The Capstone must be completed in the final 45 hours of coursework.
  • Students must have a Capstone approved by their academic advisor.
  • Students must earn a grade of Satisfactory (pass) to fulfill the Capstone requirement.
  • Students may complete an Internship without using the course to fulfill the Capstone requirement.

Application Process

  1. Complete the entire Internship Application AFTER reading page 2 of the application.
  2. Attach a proposal to the Internship Application. Proposal instructions are included on page 2 of the application.
  3. Have your Internship supervisor sign the form or attach an email from them verifying you are completing an Internship.
  4. Bring the completed application to 326H Strickland Hall (9am-noon or 1pm-4pm), or email it to umcasomd@missouri.edu before the beginning of the term in which the internship will be completed (preferably early May for Summer internships; early August for Fall internships; and early January for Spring internships).
  5. The Office will review your application. If approved, you will be given permission to enroll in the course in myZou. Students must register by the last day to add a course for the semester. To avoid late fees, enroll during the early registration period. These dates are available at http://registrar.missouri.edu/academic-calendar/.

Internships Abroad

Students pursuing an internship abroad must complete the steps listed at the International travel registry program BEFORE submitting an internship application and proposal to the Office of Multidisciplinary Degrees.

Questions about the travel registry program should be directed to Barbara Lindeman (LindemanB@missouri.edu).

Once you have completed the steps involved in registering through the international travel registry program, you should complete and submit the internship application and proposal referenced above to the Office of Multidisciplinary Degrees. 

Assignments

Find detailed information about the course requirements and assignments in the Internship 4940 Syllabus.