Internship for Credit Course

CSPL 493 Overview

Wesleyan has established a credit/uncredit internship course, CSPL 493, for students to receive .25 credit upon successful completion of an internship, whether paid or unpaid. International students must receive CPT (Curricular Practical Training) through CSPL 493 for any internship or work experience, paid or unpaid. Many for-profit organizations require students applying for unpaid internships to document that they will receive such credit. To receive credit, students must satisfy the requirements of the internship and complete the course assignments. Students may receive internship credit through CSPL 493 up to two times during their undergraduate career. The internship must include at least 40 total hours of work.

Please see additional details below. If you have any questions, please email Tess Hamilton-Ward at internship_credit@wesleyan.edu.

The class does not meet, either in person or virtually, at any point. Students complete short assignments and a final reflective essay on Moodle throughout the internship to enhance students’ knowledge base and skills connected to their internship experience. It is helpful for participants to reflect on their experience throughout the internship and to have a record of work experience, lessons learned, and progress made in understanding professional, personal and academic goals. The student’s supervisor must also submit a verification form confirming that the student has completed their internship before credit will be awarded.

Grading

CSPL 493 is based on CR/U. Failure to complete course requirements by the deadline will result in a U for the course.

Overview of Process & Initiating Enrollment

The CSPL 493 enrollment forms can be found and completed on Handshake under Career Center > Experiences > Submit an Experience.

The enrollment process includes the following two forms:  

  1. Student Enrollment Form (completed & submitted by the student)
  2. Internship Description Form (sent automatically from Handshake & completed by the internship supervisor)
    ** Students cannot be enrolled in the course until both forms have been completed and submitted. An Internship Description Form not completed within 5 days of receipt will expire and pause the approval process. We encourage students to contact their internship supervisor to confirm they received and are able to complete the form.

If both forms are submitted and the application is approved as a whole, our office will submit the student to the Registrar’s Office for enrollment in CSPL 493. Students will not be notified of enrollment via email but rather should check Moodle periodically for course access.

International Students: Course Enrollment & CPT Enrollment

International students must enroll through the OISA. Please visit the OISA website for information regarding CPT and CSPL 493 enrollment.

CSPL 493 has several enrollment windows depending on the time of year, as listed below: 

Approximate Enrollment Dates

FALL September – mid-November
WINTER December – early January
SPRING February – mid-April
SUMMER  April – early July
All dates are subject to change

Enrollment is flexible because we recognize that not all internship start dates will align with the dates above. However, students must enroll with enough time to complete and submit all of the course assignments before the deadline. For students wishing to enroll after the last day of classes for a given term, we cannot guarantee enrollment but will do our best to accommodate students under the following circumstances. 1) The student requires CPT (must request enrollment through OISA as stated above). 2) Not receiving credit would significantly impact the student’s career (for example, if it violates the terms of a contract with their employer, if they would not be allowed to continue an internship, or if they would be ineligible to apply for future internships at the same organization). Cases will be considered individually. Access Wesleyan’s Academic Calendar for term dates. For questions regarding enrollment, please contact internship_credit@wesleyan.edu.

Please note, enrollment can take up to two weeks before you have access to course materials on Moodle. Students are encouraged to submit their initial Experience Request form on Handshake prior to the start of an internship so that the enrollment process can be finalized by then.

Students must complete a minimum of 40 working hours through the internship experience within the academic term in which they are enrolled in CSPL 493 ; credit cannot be rewarded retroactively.

Course Withrawal

Students wishing to withdraw from the internship course, CSPL 493, without having a “W” appear on their transcript must inform the Gordon Career Center (internship_credit@wesleyan.edu). If the student drops the internship, if the internship fails to materialize, or if it terminates for any other reason, the Gordon Career Center must be notified immediately of the circumstances. Otherwise, the student will receive a U for the course.

Fraudulent Employers

Wesleyan University cannot guarantee the accuracy of information provided by external employers. Students should conduct their own due diligence when evaluating opportunities and report any inaccuracies and concerns to the Gordon Career Center. The University is not responsible for safety, compensation, working conditions, or any other aspect of off-campus employment.

The following policies have been adopted by the Educational Policy Committee:

Tuition

There is no cost for students participating in internship course CSPL 493. Upon successful completion, students will earn .25 credit.

Eligibility

Students must be actively enrolled at Wesleyan University full-time in order to be eligible for internship credit through CSPL 493.  

Students who are not actively enrolled at Wesleyan, or who are on probation are not eligible to earn credit through CSPL 493. Additionally, students who are getting paid for their work by the University or who are receiving academic credit through other avenues (eg. independent study) are not eligible to earn internship credit through CSPL 493. 

Internship credit cannot be earned retroactively for internships completed during previous semesters.

Students must complete a minimum of 40 working hours through the internship experience, within the academic term in which they are enrolled in CSPL 493. There is no maximum hour limit; it is up to the intern to determine with the employer how many work hours are reasonable. Students are only eligible to earn a maximum of .25 credit per internship, regardless of how many hours are worked. 

Students may receive internship credit through CSPL 493 up to two times during their undergraduate career. Students may complete up to two internships within the same academic term. If you are earning credit through CSPL 493 for two different internships during the same academic term, you must complete CSPL 493 course requirements twice; you must submit separate course assignments for each internship.

Students are not eligible to receive internship credit for the same internship more than once. If a student plans to intern for the same organization twice and wants to receive credit for both, the internship experiences must be distinct from one another – including interning for a different department, with a different supervisor, and responsibilities and assignments significantly different from those of the first internship.

This course is only for internships external to Wesleyan. Please see a similar course for on-campus experiences: Ideals Into Practice Course: CSPL 405

Academic Integrity and Community Standards

All students in CSPL 493 are expected to adhere to the Wesleyan University Honor Code as described in the Student Handbook, and all work submitted must be the student’s own.

Please note that there may be instances where the content of your final reflective essay will prompt staff to take further action. For example, in the case of workplace harassment, faculty and staff will reach out to appropriate partners on campus to ensure student safety and privacy.

Wesleyan University is committed to ensuring that all qualified students with disabilities are afforded an equal opportunity to participate in, and benefit from, its programs and services. To receive accommodations, a student must have a disability as defined by the ADA. Since accommodations may require early planning and generally are not provided retroactively, please contact Accessibility Services as soon as possible.

If you have a disability or think that you might have a disability, please contact Accessibility Services in order to arrange an appointment to discuss your needs and the process for requesting accommodations. Accessibility Services is located in North College, rooms 021/022, or can be reached by email (accessibility@wesleyan.edu) or phone (860-685-5581).

Sidebar

Featured Resources

Contact & Location

Phone
860-685-2180
Address

Boger Hall
41 Wyllys Avenue
Middletown, CT 06459

Career Service Hours

Monday 9:00 am - 5:00 pm
Tuesday 9:00 am - 5:00 pm
Wednesday 9:00 am - 5:00 pm
Thursday 9:00 am - 5:00 pm
Friday 9:00 am - 5:00 pm