Internship & Practica Program - Spring 2012
On-line Internship Learning Agreement Forms are due Wednesday, February 8th by 3:30 PM.
An internship is a semester-long, supervised work experience related to a student's major or career goal for which the student earns academic credit. The work experience is part-time, paid or unpaid, and off-campus. What distinguishes an internship from a short-term job or volunteer work? Intentional learning takes place in the form of a self-directed learning plan. The plan is put together in consultation with a faculty advisor and the supervising employer. Westmont interns participate in a concurrent seminar on campus in order to read about and discuss issues of calling as well as to process both verbally and in writing the work experience in a community of peers. Internships are made available to juniors and seniors in the fall and spring semesters. The Westmont Internship Program offers a wonderful opportunity for matching students with opportunities in the community. We can assist you in publicizing your position on campus. To post a position, please enter your information here.
Spring 2012
Does your company or organization have a pre-professional opportunity for a Westmont student? Spring semester 2012 officially starts on Monday, January 9. In order to receive academic credit, a student must register for an internship within 4 weeks of the beginning of the semester. Ideally a student should secure an internship before the beginning of the semester up through the 2nd week of classes.
Once an employer has agreed to hire an intern, the site supervisor must approve of the internship by means of an electronic signature. This happens after the intern launches an on-line form that is emailed directly to the site supervisor for his/her approval. A student must be registered for an internship before he/she may officialy log hours on site. Employers may post a an internship position here.
General Information
As much as possible, we try to line up the student's schedule with the employer ’s needs within the semester calendar. Ideally, a spring internship would start up in January and end in late April. During the academic calendar year, students generally work an average of 10 to 12 hours per week. However, they may work as few as six or as many as 20, depending upon the circumstances. See the chart below that reflects approximately 13 weeks of logged hours out of a 16 week semester. Three weeks or less are allowed for the internship search, holiday breaks, and finals week. Our new internship management system allows employers to update their listings as the organization’s needs change. For more information, please contact Jennifer Taylor, Director of Internships (jmtaylor@westmont.edu).
| Units | Hours per Week | Total Semester Hours |
| 2 | 6 | 80 |
| 3 | 9 | 120 |
| 4 | 12 | 160 |
Serving Society
Outside of a service-oriented internship, students have the option of fulfilling the Competent and Compassionate Action area of the GE requirement another way.
By enrolling in APP-191SS (Serving Society for zero credits) in advance of the service, a student participates in a minimum of 12 hours of community service over the course of the semester. Does your organization have a project or need that may be met by a student volunteer? The student's hours are documented and his or her work is evaluated by a supervisor in the community. On this end, some reading and written reflection is required. See the Community Partners Site List of participating organizations on the left side menu.
For more information, please contact Mrs. Jennifer Taylor, Director of Internships (jmtaylor@westmont.edu).