School of Business: Internships

Form A: Internship Approval Form (PDF)

Form B: Internship Supervisor Authorization Form (PDF)

Form C: Employer Evaluation Form (PDF)

Reflection Paper Guidelines (PDF)

CPT Request Form for International Students

• Full-time or part-time undergraduates
• Junior standing or above
• Completion of at least twelve hours at Avila
• Business major
• G.P.A. Requirement: Cumulative and BU/EC G.P.A. of 2.8 or above or Cumulative and BU/EC G.P.A. of 3.0 or above for last 30 hours
• Have had no significant business experience or wish to enter an intensive new phase of a chosen career path.
• International Students:  Avila’s School of Business encourages eligible international undergraduate and MBA students to consider for-credit internship experience to integrate degree program knowledge with real-world business training and to explore professional aspects of U.S. culture.

How to Apply:  Submit a typed petition for acceptance into the Business Internship Program. The petition should include educational objectives, career objectives, description of the student’s ideal internship, exceptions to the criteria listed above, number of hours desired in the internship, and if an internship has already been arranged – a description of this internship including employer, contact, telephone number, and address.

Submit a typed resume for use during internship interviews, a completed information form, and a completed/signed Form A.

The Learning Contract has four major uses:

1. It serves as a tool for instructing students in the process of self-directed learning, teaching students to plan for learning, establish learning objectives, and design activities that will achieve their learning objectives. For many students, using a learning contract may be their first effort at taking responsibility for their own learning via the development of a consciously and carefully conceived learning plan.
2. It clarifies the learning expected to occur during the internship, often describing the methods to be used in achieving that learning.
3. It will establish the rationale for the internship’s “fit” within the student’s overall academic program.
4. It communicates the learning plan of the student to all those involved in the internship. This develops a common perception of the learning plan for the Internship Coordinator/Advisor, student and internship supervisor. By virtue of signing the Learning Contract, it also generates a tacit agreement to support the learning plan.

The actual learning contract is developed the point that the student is ready to undertake the internship. The learning contract is developed by the student and internship supervisor after the student has been placed at a site to build the learning plan around the specifics of the work assignment.

Listed below is the information that should be found on a learning contract.

Internship Information –Terms of the Internship

• Name and address of placement site
• Type of organization
• Dates the Internship begins/ends
• Work schedule (hours, days) or total hours
• Amount of payment
• Number of credit hours

Intern’s Responsibilities at Placement Site

• Job title and role
• General Description of internship activities
• List of specific tasks
• Performance standards
• Outputs or products expected from intern

Information on Supervision

• Name and title of placement supervisor
• Supervisor’s telephone number
• Description of supervision

Learning Plan

• Statement of what the intern expects to learn or accomplish (skill development, content mastery, product development)
• List of expected post-internship knowledge, behaviors

Students are responsible for completing their own internship arrangements, but they are assisted by the Internship Coordinator/Advisor as needed. A list of potential internship sites is available from the Internship Coordinator/Advisor. Students need to contact potential employers and arrange for an interview. Time must be allowed for negotiations that will yield the most meaningful placement for each prospective intern.

Register for BU 495-50 with the appropriate number of hours. The usual internship is three semester hours (50 hours of supervised work for each semester hour credit).

Notify the Internship Coordinator/Advisor immediately after the confirmation of internship employment or placement with company name, supervisor’s name, phone number, and address.

Submit a Learning Contract to your internship supervisor during the second week of the semester. Make sure Form B, signed by both the intern and supervisor, with an attached, typed Learning Contract is submitted to the Internship Coordinator/Advisor during the third week of the semester.

Arrange for an on-site visit for the Internship Coordinator/Advisor by the eighth week of the semester. The purpose of the on-site visit is to monitor progress and problems of interns in the field. The on-site visit should include a private meeting with the intern, a private meeting with the internship supervisor, and a tour of the facilities. The student’s journal should be submitted to the Internship Coordinator/Advisor prior to the on-site visit.

Submit the evaluation form with the first two pages completed and typed to your intern supervisor by the 15th week of the semester. Make sure the evaluation form, completed and signed by both the intern and supervisor, is submitted to the Internship Coordinator/Advisor by the 16th week of the semester.

Submit your journal and typed term paper to the Internship Coordinator/Advisor by the 16th week of the semester.

The student will conduct himself/herself in a manner expected of an employee of the cooperating firm. They will comply with the firm’s regulations and with requests made by its officers. They will maintain expected standards regarding attendance, promptness, dress, and appearance.

The student will recognize the educational objectives as the primary purpose of the program and will devote their major attention to fulfilling them.

• Describe position or program.
• Establish referral and interviewing procedures.
• Determine job specifications: work period (school session), compensation, benefits, hours.
• Notify the Internship Coordinator immediately/provide the name of the student after the selection of a student intern.
• Submit a typed Learning Contract and Form B, signed by both intern and supervisor, for approval by the Internship Coordinator during the third week of the semester.
• Help student arrange for an on-site visit for the Internship Coordinator by the eighth week of the semester.
• Submit completed evaluation form signed by both the intern and supervisor by the 16th week of the semester.
• A representative of the firm will be responsible for supervision of the students’ work and assign duties/activities.
• The firm will undertake to give the student an overall view of the organization and its functions, in addition to whatever specific assignments are considered appropriate.
• The firm recognizes the educational objective of the program and will keep this criterion foremost in judging all matters concerning the assignment of the students.

• Develop internship job opportunities, which combine education and practical experience.
• Bring job opportunities and job requirements to the attention of students and assist qualified individuals to arrange interviews.
• Academic credit will be given and grades will be on a PASS/FAIL basis.
• Number of hours of credit will follow guidelines established by the Business Internship Program.
• “Jobs” will not be guaranteed by Avila. All arrangements (e.g., hours, compensation, personnel policies) will be between the cooperating employer and the student.
• Work with students prior to, during and after the internship, maintain files, monitor work experience, and collect/file all documentation necessary for completion of the internship.
• Approval of petitions for internships.
• Approval of Learning Contracts for internships.
• Maintain and update list of potential internship employers. This list is available from the Internship Coordinator.