Can I get academic credit for doing an internship?

Potentially, yes. In general, there are three basic ways students can receive academic credit in conjunction with an internship:

  • Registration in an existing departmental internship course (e.g. Government, Sociology, History, English, etc.).  Not all departments offer a specific internship course, however, and some may have restrictions on the internships that may be done in conjunction with the departmental course.
  • Registration in an independent study with a professor who agrees to supervise and evaluate your scholarship/academic work developed through the internship. This is typically a 1- or .5- unit course that you would register for in conjunction with an approved internship, which functions as the “field work” for the report, academic paper, or project that the student has worked out with the professor.
  • Registration in ND 230: Career Connections Internship (.25 unit, mandatory pass/fail course).  Internships must be approved by the Director of Experiential Learning & Employee Engagement Center for Career Excellence and must be at least six weeks and 50 hours in duration. Students may have longer internships, but the amount of credit is capped at .25 units per internship. Students may count up to two internships for credit toward graduation in conjunction with ND 230.