The internship seminar (IDPT410) is a half-semester, 0.25-credit course where you meet other interns and reflect on your internship experience with a course instructor. The internship seminar is offered every half-semester.

In an internship tutorial, you work one-on-one with a faculty mentor to reflect on your experience. As with any tutorial, the internship tutorial requires you to find a willing faculty mentor and is variable credit depending on the amount of academic work (see the next FAQ). This internship type can be registered as a departmental or interdepartmental (IDPT) tutorial (see the FAQ below).

During the academic year, the internship tutorial and internship seminar are built into your regular tuition and fees for full-time students.

During the summer, the internship tutorial incurs additional tuition and fees and the internship seminar is free. If you want to enroll in the free summer internship, you should register for the 2-course sequence: IDPT41500 Summer Internship (the 0-credit summer internship experience) & IDPT 41002 Summer Internship Seminar (the 0.25-credit first-half fall semester course, in which you’ll reflect on the summer experience).

The amount of credit is based on the amount of time at the internship site (see the FAQ below) and the amount of time you will spend on academic work.

Most students sign up for the interdepartmental (IDPT) seminar or tutorial, however, some departments prefer or require students to register for departmental tutorial internships (e.g., DATA 410 or URBN 410). Check with your faculty mentor.

All internships require approval from the on-site supervisor to confirm their participation and support.

• For the internship seminar, approval is also required from your academic advisor.
• For the internship tutorial, approval is also required from your faculty mentor and their department chair.

If you are an international student on an F-1 visa or are interning abroad, there are additional requirements for ISS and GEO (see Step #4 above).

The internship registration process follows regular registration guidelines. You may need to complete additional academic forms for a late add, course overload, or other petitions as your situation requires.

During the summer, all internships require 160 hours on-site.

During the academic year and winter break, the minimum required hours depend on the amount of academic credit.

If your internship does not meet the minimum hours, you may be able to make up the difference by completing LinkedIn Learning modules or some other career-related experience.

• Meeting the criteria to enroll in an internship course.
• Securing a position with an organization that provides mentoring by an on-site supervisor and allows for the minimum required hours of on-site experience. If the internship does not meet the minimum required hours, the difference must be made up by investigating the field in some other way.
• In the case of a tutorial, securing an agreement from a faculty mentor to provide guidance during the internship experience. (Faculty participation is entirely at their discretion).
• Registering for the appropriate internship course and obtaining all necessary approvals.
• Adhering to professional work standards.
• Completing agreed upon course assignments while meeting professional work obligations.

• Providing the student with a supervised professional learning opportunity that includes meaningful tasks.
• Consulting with the student in developing learning goals for the experience and identifying opportunities for the student to meet them.
• Orienting the student to the organization, including the provision of on-the-job training, information about relevant safety precautions and codes of conduct, and appropriate work space and equipment. Introducing the student to key people who can assist them with their professional development and become part of their network.
• Overseeing the work and providing frequent feedback about student performance. At the very minimum, we expect the student to be evaluated on their performance and skills development at the end of the internship. We encourage mid-point evaluations.
• Consulting with the College of Wooster regarding the student’s progress. We request that you immediately alert us to any significant performance issues such as absenteeism or other unprofessional behavior.

• Approving, overseeing, and grading academic assignments.
• Serving as the primary contact for the on-site supervisor regarding concerns with student performance.
• Helping the intern get the most from their experience through regular check-ins and feedback.
• Submitting the S/NC grade.
• Consulting with the Associate Dean for Experiential Learning with questions as they arise.

In the case of the tutorial, these are the responsibilities of the faculty mentor.

In the case of the academic-year seminar, these are the responsibilities of the seminar instructor.

In the case of the summer internship 2-course sequence, the academic advisor is responsible for contacting their advisee at the start of the fall semester to confirm they completed their summer internship, then enters a grade (S/NC) through self-service. The seminar instructor and Associate Dean for Experiential Learning maintain all other responsibilities.