Course Syllabus

BSAD 395: Professional Internship

 Course Description

 Internship for Credit Approval

All students are encouraged to do internships during their undergraduate studies to gain experience and connect with employers. In order to earn academic credit toward your degree, the internship must meet certain standards and expectations. BSAD 395 uses the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE) definition of “internship”:

“To ensure that an experience—whether it is a traditional internship or one conducted remotely or virtually—is educational, and thus eligible to be considered a legitimate internship by the NACE definition, all the following criteria must be met: (1) The experience must be an extension of the classroom: a learning experience that provides for applying the knowledge gained in the classroom. It must not be simply to advance the operations of the employer or be the work that a regular employee would routinely perform. (2) The skills or knowledge learned must be transferable to other employment settings. (3) The experience has a defined beginning and end, and a job description with desired qualifications. (4) There are clearly defined learning objectives/goals related to the professional goals of the student’s academic coursework. (5) There is supervision by a professional with expertise and educational and/or professional background in the field of the experience. (6) There is routine feedback by the experienced supervisor. (7) There are resources, equipment, and facilities provided by the host employer that support learning objectives/goals.” (www.naceweb.org)

Internships approved for BSAD 395 are a learning opportunity. Academic credit is based on the quality of academic assignments submitted about the internship. The intention/goal of internships approved for credit is to provide students with opportunities to gain additional skills and experiences in a new area that will help them obtain a job or advance. Students cannot earn internship credit for their current job. They can earn internship credit for an experience in a new area at their current organization if it relates to their undergraduate academic studies. Regardless of the academic credit awarded for the internship (0, 1, 2 or 3 credit hours), all internships must involve at least 150 hours of work. Students pursuing 1-3 credits will meet with their faculty sponsor regarding specific academic expectations but a generic rubric can be found here.

 Benefits of BSAD 395

While students do not have to register for BSAD 395 to complete an internship, registering for BSAD 395 (for either 0 or 1-3 credits) provides multiple benefits...

To the student: 

• Transcription of the internship onto the student's academic record
• Credit toward graduation (if selecting the 1-3 section)
• Opportunity to collaborate with a faculty member
• Deeper processing of the internship experience and how it relates to academic content and future career goals

To the College of Business:

• Greater ability to confirm that students are obtaining internships
• Greater transparency into the quality of students' internship experiences to ensure quality experiences for future students

To future and prospective College of Business students:

• Greater access to information about internships, including which types of internships are available to College of Business students, which organizations hire interns by major, and what hourly wage to expect

 Advising Considerations

As part of the requirements for BSAD 395, you will be required to meet with a BASE academic advisor to determine if/how BSAD 395 credits will apply toward your degree. For most majors in the College of Business, BSAD 395 credit generally can be used only to meet upper-level business elective or general elective requirements.  

0 versus 1-3 credits.  BSAD 395 can be taken for 0, 1, 2, or 3 credit hours. BSAD 395 can be taken for 0 credit hours to allow for a transcript notation proving the completion of a professional internship. Variable credit of 1, 2, or 3 credit hours is allowed to provide for flexibility in managing credit hours applicable to a degree (e.g., a student who already has 119 earned credit hours and only needs one credit hour of elective credit could elect to receive one credit). However, regardless of the amount of credit earned, students must complete all of the requirements of the course and at least 150 hours of approved internship work.

Cross-Listings.  BSAD 395 is cross-listed in multiple College of Business departments. Students should discuss which cross-listing makes the most sense for their individual situation with their academic advisor during their required advising session. 

Pass/No Pass versus Letter Grade.  For students selecting the 1-3 credit option, the default grade option is Pass/No Pass. Graded credit can be awarded only with the permission of the sponsoring faculty member and department chair. For students selecting 0 credit hours, the grade option is Pass/No Pass only.

Multiple Internships.  A maximum of 6 total hours of BSAD 395 can be counted toward a bachelor’s degree, but typically 3 credits must be earned in one semester and 3 credits in a different semester.  An exception is the full-time Accounting spring split internship program; see the appropriate accounting faculty sponsor for more information. Two internships can be completed at the same organization as long as the job functions are different. For example, 3 credits earned in a sales role and 3 credits earned in a finance role.

 DocuSign

DocuSign will be used for all forms that require signatures, which allows them to be signed digitally. Click here for a description of how DocuSign works. 

 BSAD 395 Process Overview

  College and University Policies & Resources

Students are responsible for knowing the university policies and resources found on this page https://go.unl.edu/coursepolicies:

• University-wide Attendance Policy
• Academic Honesty Policy
• Services for Students with Disabilities
• Mental Health and Well-Being Resources
• Final Exam Schedule
• Fifteenth Week Policy
• Emergency Procedures
• Diversity & Inclusiveness
• Title IX Policy
• Other Relevant University-Wide Policies