Graduate Student Requirements (V585/E589/Y750)

Internship Pre-Approval Instructions

In order to register your internship to meet your degree requirement (V585/E589/Y750), students will submit their internship for review through the Handshake portal. The review process can take between 7-10 business days. Once reviewed the O’Neill Internship Coordinator will follow up with any questions about your internship or send you an email with enrollment instructions. It is important that you then enroll in the appropriate course, internships not enrolled will not count toward your degree requirement. The following document will lead you through the internship approval process.

Internship Registration Instructions

  1. Once you have received an internship offer from an organization, use the button above “Submit your internship for review here.”
  2. This will take you to the Handshake platform, if you have never logged in before it may ask you a few questions to establish your profile.
  3. Once on Handshake, click “Career Center” on the left-hand side of your screen, then click “Experiences” on the Career Center page.
  4.  Click “Submit an Experience” on this form use the drop-down Experience Template and choose one that says “O’Neill” and either “Graduate” or “Undergraduate.”
  5. Choose the dropdown for the term that says “O’Neill” and the academic term. Students who select the incorrect term or template will be asked to complete another form.
  6. Complete the form as fully as possible, incomplete information can delay the review process.
  7. Once submitted, please monitor your email because if we have any questions and your next steps for registration will be communicated directly to you through your university email account.
  8. The review process can take 7-10 days.
  9. You cannot enroll in the class before you receive your approval and enrollment instructions.
  10. If your internship is approved you will receive enrollment instructions, please be sure to add the correct class number and section to your class schedule.
  11. Students who do not enroll by the deadline will not receive credit for their internship and will be required to complete another internship to meet the degree requirement.

**International students on an F1 student are required to have authorization from the Office of International Services (OIS) before the internship begins. Working without proper authorization is a violation of the legal status that could require the termination of the Student and Exchange Visitor Information System (SEVIS) record. OIS strongly recommends that students apply for Curricular Practical Training (CPT) authorization before beginning their internship opportunity. More information on CPT can be found here.

Important Internship Application Deadlines

Students are required to be enrolled on the academic term on which their internship occurs.  Internships should be submitted 2 weeks prior to enrollment deadlines established on the Official Academic Calendar of the relevant semester or term to allow time for the internship to be reviewed. If approval is provided students are required to enroll in the course and class number provided in the approval email.  Please note that if enrollment occurs after Open Registration ends students may incur a late schedule change fee. For more information on the late drop/add period, please visit Student Central. Internship applications will not be reviewed after February 26, 2024, for the Spring 2024 Semester, and June 3, 2024, for the Summer 2024 Semester.

Internship Information

At O’Neill, we believe that internships are essential to professional development. Internships provide meaningful, real-world experiences while allowing the space for students to be supported while developing the skills necessary to have successful and impactful careers.

Need help finding an internship? Give the Career Hub a call at (812) 855-9639, stop by the Career Studio during office hours, or email us internqs@indiana.edu

FAQ’s

  • What O’Neill Graduate Degrees Require an Internship?

    • Degree Class Credit Options* Grading Scale Hours Requirement
      Public Affairs (MPA V585 0-6 credits** Pass/Fail 120 hours***
      Environmental Science (MSES) E589 0-6 credits** Pass/Fail 120 hours***
      Arts Administration (MAAA) Y750 3 credits Letter (A or F) 280 hours
      MPA/MSES Dual Degree V585 or E589 0-6 credits** Pass/Fail 0-6 credits**
      MAAA/MPA Dual Degree Y750 3 credits Letter (A or F) 280 hours

      * All credits enrolled in will be assessed for tuition based on the students status as in-state or out-of-state and the academic term the credit is enrolled, use this calculator to assess your tuition costs.

      **Each additional credit beyond the required 120 (0-1 credits) is an additional 80 hours and will be assessed for tuition.

      ***For 0 or 1 credit students must complete at least 120 hours, the hour’s requirement will change depending the credits selected. Students can intern for additional hours without needing to enroll in additional credit. Students cannot earn credit from internships not enrolled

  • What criteria are used to approve an internship?

    “An internship is a form of experiential learning that integrates knowledge and theory learned in the classroom with practical application and skills development in a professional setting. Internships give students the opportunity to gain valuable applied experience and make connections in professional fields they are considering for career paths, and give employers the opportunity to guide and evaluate talent (The National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE)).”

  • Internship Requirements

    • Before hours can begin to be counted towards your minimum hours, internship must be submitted for review and approval to the O’Neill Career Hub through the Handshake link on this page.
    • Student must be successfully enrolled in V585/E589/Y750 by the University’s enrollment deadline
    • Students are required to have two completed evaluations by the end of the internship: one self-evaluation and one supervisor evaluation. The supervisor evaluation will be sent directly to your supervisor. Please keep your instructor up to date on your supervisor’s contact information during your internship.
    • It is the responsibility of all students to confirm that their supervisor completes a final evaluation (including the total number of hours interned)
    • International students working in/from the US have acquired the proper paperwork

  • Internship Experience Criteria for Approval (Adapted from the NACE Criteria)

    • 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
    • The skills or knowledge learned must be transferable to other employment settings.
    • The experience has a defined beginning and end, and a job description with desired qualifications
    • There are clearly defined learning objectives/goals related to the professional goals of the student’s academic coursework
    • There is supervision by a professional with expertise and educational and/or professional background in the field of the experience. Supervisor is not related to intern, or another student
    • There is routine feedback by the experienced supervisor
    • There are resources, equipment, and facilities provided by the host employer that support learning objectives/goals

  • How long does it take for an internship to be approved?

    • Internships can take a minimum of 7-10 business days to be reviewed. It is important that you provide as much information as possible regarding your internship responsibilities. Your application may get held up if the internship coordinator needs to reach out for more information. Once your internship is reviewed it will be moved to either APPROVED or DENIED. If your internship has been APPROVED you will receive an email with information on how to enroll in the appropriate course. If your internship is DENIED you will receive an email detailing why it was denied. You are welcome to appeal the denial with Melissa Todd at internqs@indiana.edu. It is important to enroll in the course ASAP if you have been APPROVED.

  • How much does the internship credit cost?

  • How many work hours do I need to complete in order to receive internship credit?

    • Required work hours for each internship are based on degree program and number of credit hours you are enrolled in. Please see the tables below for more details on academic degree programs, number of credit hours and required work hours.

    • MPA, MSES, MPA/MSES Degrees:

    Course (Credits) Total Hours
    V585 or E589 (0-1 cr) 120
    V585 or E589 (2 cr) 200
    V585 or E589 (3 cr) 280
    V585 or E589 (4 cr) 360
    V585 or E589 (5 cr) 440
    V585 or E589 (6 cr) 520

    MAAA, MPA/MAAA Degree:

    Course (Credits) Total Hours
    Y750 (3 credits) 280
    Y750 (3 credits) V585 (1 cr) 360
    Y750 (3 credits) V585 (2 cr) 440
    Y750 (3 credits) V585 (3 cr) 520

  • What about additional internship credits beyond my requirement?

    • Students may enroll in additional credits beyond their requirement up to 6 total experience credits during their academic experience. For each additional credit requested, you will need to intern 80 additional hours. See the conversion table above.

  • What are my degree requirements if I am in the Accelerated Master’s Program (AMP)?

    • The highly competitive Accelerated Master’s Program grants students a unique opportunity to gain twice the experiential learning. AMP students must complete an internship to fulfill their undergraduate requirement and an internship to fulfill their graduate degree requirement
    • For more resources on how to market the AMP degree to employers, please view our blogs here, stop by the Career Hub, Monday-Friday from 10am to 4pm for drop-in hours, or make a one-on-one appointment with one of the Career Hub Career Consultants

  • Can my research count as my internship requirement?

    • In specific situations, student can apply for a research internship to be approved as their degree requirement. In order for research to count towards the internship requirement, student research internships must meet the following criteria:
    • Interaction with practitioners in the data collection process and/or in the presentation of results
    • Transferable skills to other professional settings
    • Defined start and end dates
    • Job description outlining qualifications and learning objectives/goals related to student professional goals
    • Supervision provided by IU faculty with relevant expertise
    • Routine feedback provided from supervisor
    • Note: If the criteria is met, students must submit their internship using the Handshake link on this page for review. If review is successful, student will be sent the O’Neill Research Contract. The student is responsible for having their supervising faculty member complete the contract. Contract should be submitted at least 1 week prior to counting any hours

  • What type of internships will not be approved?

    • The student’s supervisor is a relative, students can work for a relative’s company, but the direct supervisor MUST not be related to the student.
    • The student’s supervisor is not another student OR a recent graduate. If the supervisor is a recent graduate, they need to have at least 2 years in the field.
    • Positions should not require the applicants to purchase or rent any kind of training or marketing and sales material to become employed
    • Positions should not require students to provide on-campus solicitation or products, or services not authorized by the university
    • Employers should not be private individuals requiring candidates to work out of private premises
    • Posting containing advertising, promotion, solicitation for goods, services, funds, or solicitation for others to become members of an enterprise or organization, will not be approved
    • Positions requiring the candidate to work with a product or service which is not legal on a state or federal level.
    • Positions requiring door-to-door solicitation and telemarketing will not be approved
    • Employers who offer housing may not be approved and will need to be reviewed on a case-by-case basis
    • The internship cannot be a Residential Advisor (RA), Teaching Assistant (TA), Research Assistant (RA) position, or a regular part time job.
    • The student is an international student and is doing their internship in the U.S. and has not obtained the proper work authorization (CPT or Academic Training)