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Internship “N” Designated Courses

Faculty can request the addition of an internship “N” designation to a new or existing course that meets a defined criteria for internship inclusion. The N-designation will appear on the student’s transcript allowing confirmation of participation by graduate schools and employers. Courses that carry the N-designation are considered best practice in meeting guidelines set forth by National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE), CAS Standards for Internships, and the Department of Labor’s Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA).

Defining Internship-Inclusive Courses

For a course to be designated as internship “N”, it must meet all six of the criteria listed below.

Definition: 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. – NACE

Criteria

  1. The internship course engages students in an experience in a professional or organizational setting performing work that is applicable to their fields of study, educational goals and/or career aspirations, and can be transferable to other employment or academic settings.
  2. The internship course requires students to conduct professionally applicable work within a defined period of time; and the required number of hours for course credit/per credit hour* received is clearly articulated.
  3. The learning objectives** related to the internship course are clearly articulated and are relevant to competencies in the field of study and/or career readiness competencies.
  4. The internship course requires routine supervision and feedback by a professional with expertise related to the field of study, educational goals and/or career and vocational aspirations.
  5. The course integrates assignments for self-assessment, reflection, application, and integration of the learning experience as it relates to career/academic decision-making and personal and professional development. Includes a combination of reflection assignments, evaluations, and a final synthesis project.
  6. The internship course requires a formal learning agreement to be signed by the student, internship site supervisor and university representative outlining the goals and objectives, rights and responsibilities, contact information and the internship job description.***

* Number of hours are determined by the extent to which the student is engaged in work activities related to identified learning goals (not solely hours at site or hours that solely benefit the employer/organization). UT semester credit hours earned in courses such as internships, research, theses, dissertation, etc. are based on outcome expectations established by the academic program.

** These are the same for all students in the course and should not be confused with the individual goals and objectives of each student and their internship site.

*** The individual student internship sites included in an approved course must abide by Department of Labor Fair Standards Labor Act (FLSA) on Internships and any accrediting body standards applicable to the discipline. For guidance, see FLSA and internships and NACE Position Statement on Internships.

Process For Review

Submission

Proposal application and accompanying materials (syllabus and learning agreement) are submitted through each college’s standard curricular approval process. The designated college representative then submits any proposals that have received college-level approval to Molly Sullivan at msulli27@utk.edu (Microsoft Word or PDF file).

Please refer to the Undergraduate Council EL Subcommittee webpage for information on college level approval processes and catalogue policies regarding the designation.

Deadline

Proposals must be submitted by the designated college representative to Molly Sullivan by October 15 for consideration of inclusion in the following year’s catalog.

Evaluation

The subcommittee will evaluate the application materials with the rubric to determine if courses meet the six criteria for consideration. A score of nine or greater on the rubric will be required to receive the designation, with no entries in the (0) ‘Does Not Demonstrate’ column.

Application

Rubric

Guide for Developing the Learning Agreement

Reassessment

Every five years, EL designated courses must be reassessed.

Learn about the process.

Resources

NACE Career Readiness Competencies

NACE Position Statement on Internships

FLSA on Internships

CAS Standards on Internships

Example Course Materials: