Internships at Aquinas College

• While any AQ student can complete in an internship for credit, some majors and minors require an internship for graduation. We recommend students consult with their academic advisor or referring to theirr academic plan
  
  
• Students can receive up to 12 academic credits for their internship experiences during their academic career
  
  
• The amount of credits requested will determine the number of hours you will need to complete during your internship. 1 credit = 45 hours
  
  
• Semester matters! Internships completed during the fall and spring will incur additional tuition fees if the requested credits will put you over 18 credit hours that semester; summer internships are subject to summer tuition rates

Internship Seminar

All students completing an internship for credit are required to participate in a seminar, which provides support, opportunities for reflection, a learning assessment, and ways to articulate your experience. Seminar meetings occur three times a semester and attendance is mandatory.

Midpoint Learning Assessment

During the semester, you will meet with your supervisor and the Internship Director in a Midpoint Learning Assessment to discuss your learning goals, strengths and opportunities for growth

Seminar Assignments

Students are required to complete all assignments associated with each seminar meeting and complete a final project to articulate their internshp experienes in a manner useful to future career development.

Application Process

Step One: Log into Handshake

Step Two: On the top navigation bar, select Career Center

Step Three: Select Experiences from the drop down menu

Step Four: Click Request an Experience 

Step Five: Under Experience Type: Select either a.) Internship for Academic major/minor credit (if an internship is required for your major or you wish to have the internship count as elective credit for a major, minor, or concentration),  b.) Internship for General Elective credit (GEN 397, these credits count towards the 120 credits needed for graduation),  c.) Global students should select the Internship for Credit Request - GLOBAL STUDENTS ONLY. 

Step Six: Select which term you will be completing the internship

Step Seven: Completely fill out the form. 

• Under the APPROVERS section
• The internship supervisor/mentor is your supervisor/boss at the business or organization. This person is NOT Mallory Miller or Brigid Avery!
• To find your academic advisor’s name, check MY AQ under Academic Profile - My Profile. 
• To find the chair of the department, visit the department website on aquinas.edu
• IMPORTANT: Be sure to double check the spelling of the email addresses. If you enter the wrong email, the approver will never get the email! 

Step Eight: Click Submit Experience

Step Nine: You will want to notify your internship supervisor, advisor, and department chair that they will receive an email from Handshake asking them to approve the internship. These emails come in sequential order and every approver has up to four days to approve or decline the experience. Your internship may take up to 15 business days to process. 

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Other Tips:

• If there is anything we might need to know, special circumstances, comments, etc. please note these under the tab Comments and Activity.
• GRADES: If your internship is required for your major or minor, you will receive a letter grade, with the exception of Communication and Accounting which are CR/F only. If your internship is an elective or for general electives, you may choose the option of a letter grade or CR/F.

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Approval Process

After you submit the experience, the Advantage Center office will review it and begin the approval process. An email will be sent to each approver in sequential order and each approver has up to 4 days to either approve or decline the experience.

You can check the status of your internship approval through Handshake. Once logged in, click  Career Center > Experiences. Select your internship to view the details. This will show you who has and has yet to approve your internship. If you are waiting on an approval from a particular individual, you are encouraged to reach out to them.

Global students on F-1 visas interested in participating in an internship opportunity must do so for-credit and it must be directly related to their major area of study. The US government refers to this as Curricular Practical Training or CPT. An updated I-20 with CPT authorization is required to participate in any internship, so please reach out to the Office of International Programs to comply with visa regulations.