CIEE Internships

Philosophy

CIEE believes that academically focused internships can add real value to the study abroad experience. CIEE also believes that students should not earn academic credit simply by undertaking an internship. An internship becomes "academic" and worthy of credit, when students demonstrate that they can hypothesize about, reflect on, collect data about, draw conclusions about, and formally report on the internship experience. It is only when students have successfully completed all academic requirements associated with an internship that CIEE awards credit. The specific grade for an internship is assigned following an assessment of the student’s learning throughout the semester.

This document outlines the CIEE approach to ensuring that academic learning occurs through a student’s participation in for-credit internships. We ask study abroad advisors, academic advisors, and students to closely read through the CIEE standards and procedures, as well as templates related to learning goals and academic evaluation.

Overview and Offerings

CIEE provides support, at designated Study Centers, for students interested in carrying out for-credit internships. The policies described below apply only to for-credit CIEE-administered internships, not to internships administered by a host institution. In the latter case, CIEE follows host institution policies. Several designated Study Centers offer for-credit internships through a course offered on site. At other designated Study Centers, students carry out credited internships independently. Please click here for a list of Study Centers that offer for-credit internships.

Standards and Procedures

Students choosing to do a CIEE-administered internship need to complete the following requirements.

• Students must indicate on their pre-departure course registration form that they wish to enroll in an internship and complete a separate Internship Proposal Form prior to departure. Each CIEE Study Center offering a for-credit internship has a specific form that students must complete prior to departure. This form is available online along with other pre-departure forms and will be available to students following acceptance to the CIEE Study Center. The form will require signatures from the study abroad advisor and the academic advisor at the home institution.
• Also prior to departure, students must submit a résumé and cover letter with academic, professional, volunteer, or relevant experience for carrying out their internship in the desired specific academic discipline.
• Once on site, students will complete on-site visits and/or interviews with one or more of the potential internship host companies or organizations.
• Finally, once the internship placement is confirmed, students will complete an Internship Learning Contract. The contract clearly identifies the student’s academic responsibilities, including the specific learning goals and the specific means by which the internship will be assessed.

Key Players

Whether a student carries out an internship independently or as part of a course, he or she will interact with several key players while abroad:

• The Resident Director (RD) or CIEE Internship Supervisor
• The on-site Course Instructor or Academic Advisor for a specific internship assignment
• The Internship Sponsor
• The Mentor

The Internship Supervisor is the CIEE representative at a specific Study Center who is responsible for the coordination of all internships.

The on-site Academic Advisor for a specific internship assignment is normally a faculty member with expertise in the discipline associated with the internship.

The Course Instructor for a CIEE internship course may serve as Academic Advisor for all students completing internships as a part of this course, so long as he or she has the necessary academic training. If the Course Instructor decides not to serve as Academic Advisor, he or she will identify another qualified individual to play this role. For example, if the student will be working as an English teacher’s assistant in an elementary school, it would be appropriate that the Academic Advisor be a faculty member in an English or Education department/school.

The Internship Sponsor is the company, organization, or other entity that hosts the student intern.

The Mentor is typically an employee of the Internship Sponsor and provides day-to-day supervision and guidance to the student intern at the work site.

Academic Requirements and Evaluation

Independent Internship

After the internship site and all key players have been identified, the student intern will meet with the Academic Advisor and Mentor to work out a specific Learning Contract detailing the student intern’s academic and work responsibilities, and the specific means by which the internship will be assessed. This document will provide the following information:

• Academic focus area(s)
• Name of internship sponsor
• Contact information of all key players
• Type of work to be completed at internship sponsor
• Specific work goals

Further, the student will agree to complete no fewer than 135, and no more than 160, hours to be eligible for three academic credits. These hours will normally be divided as follows:

• 90-130 hours working at the internship site
• 10-12 hours meeting with the Academic Advisor
• 3-4 hours meeting with the Mentor
• 25-30 hours working on academic assignments

The Academic Advisor’s evaluation will provide 85% of the intern’s final grade; the Mentor’s evaluation will provide the remaining 15%. The Academic Advisor will assess students by grading their success in completing a series of specific assignments throughout the semester: one or two academic papers (for a total of no fewer than 15 and no more than 25 typewritten pages); a journal with substantive entries at least twice a week; one or two formal oral presentations; and one-on-one meetings or small group discussions with the Academic Advisor and the Mentor. The Mentor will, three to four times during the semester, assess a student’s progress toward meeting three to four specific work goals.

Assignment descriptions and percentages may differ slightly at each site, but here is a typical break-down of grading for a credit-worthy internship:

Internship through a CIEE Course

After the internship site and all key players have been identified, the student intern will meet with the Academic Advisor and Mentor to work out a specific Learning Contract detailing the student intern’s academic and work responsibilities, and the specific means by which the internship will be assessed. This document, which must be received no later than the end of week four following orientation at the Study Center site, will provide the following information:

• Academic focus area(s)
• Name of internship sponsor
• Contact information of all key players
• Type of work to be completed at internship sponsor
• Specific work goals

Further, the student agrees to complete no fewer than 135, and no more than 160, hours to be eligible for three academic credits. These hours will normally be divided as follows:

• 60-100 hours working at the internship site
• 30-45 hours class time
• 4-12 hours meeting individually with the Academic Advisor (or Course Instructor, in which case the number of meetings with each student will presumably be in the range of 4-6 hours)
• 3-4 hours of meetings with the Mentor
• 20-25 hours working on academic assignments

The Academic Advisor’s evaluation will provide 85% of the intern’s final grade; the Mentor’s evaluation will provide the remaining 15%. The Academic Advisor will assess students by grading their success in completing a series of specific assignments throughout the semester: attendance and engaged participation in academic class sessions, one or two academic papers (for a total of no fewer than 15 and no more than 25 typewritten pages); a journal with substantive entries at least twice a week; one or two formal oral presentations; and one-on-one meetings or small group discussions with the Academic Advisor and the Mentor. The Mentor will, three to four times during the semester, assess a student’s progress toward meeting three to four specific work goals.

Assignment descriptions and percentages may differ slightly at each site, but here is a typical break-down of grading for a credit-worthy internship course: