Satisfies 3 Credits

Internships provide practical training and experience for students. Working within a firm or organization allows students to acquire and apply knowledge through direct experience in a field related to their academic program. There are two types of internship for credit opportunities:

  • Academic Internships: Generally part-time positions and may be paid or unpaid positions. Requires a minimum of 150 hours. Credits earned through this internship can be applied to business or general electives.
  • Professional Internships: Must be a full-time and paid position that is intended to lead to full- time employment. Requires a minimum of 400 hours (typically minimum of 10-weeks). Credits earned through this internship can be applied towards major requirements.

Eligibility

Students who have faculty approval and have completed the course prerequisites are eligible to enroll in an internship. Course prerequisites are stated below and are enforced.

Academic Internships

  • Supply Chain and Operations Management – Bus Adm 398: junior standing, admission to the Supply Chain and Operations Management (SCOM) major or General Business major; written consent of a designated instructor.

Professional Internships

  • Supply Chain & Operations Management – Bus Adm 479: junior standing and admission to the Supply Chain & Operations Management or General Business major; BUS ADM 300(P) or BUS ADM 303(P); completion of at least one 400- or 500-level course in the SCOM major; written consent of the designated instructor.

Policies

  1. Credit for the internship must be approved prior to the start of the internship.
  2. Students completing the internship must have an approved faculty supervisor and an on-site supervisor during the internship.
    1. The designated faculty supervisor (listed below) in conjunction with the Career Services representative will determine if a position qualifies for internship credit.
    2. You must meet with the supervising faculty member to review your learning goals and professional development plan and to complete the Method of Assessment.
  3. The duties or responsibilities called for by the internship:
    1. require the student to have a significant knowledge base. Please refer to the internship prerequisites listed under the Eligibility Section above;
    2. must present new areas of the discipline that are uniquely and significantly different from that experienced in previous positions of employment;
    3. must cover minimum number of hours (see above);
    4. directly relate to the major area;
    5. include learned skills that are transferable to other settings.
  4. All internships are completed for 3 credits and are graded Credit/No Credit.
  5. Credit for an internship will be granted only when the internship is completed. Students must be registered for and complete the internship during the semester in which they receive academic credit.
  6. You may complete only one internship course per major area.
  7. Students cannot complete an internship and a Bus Adm 499 – Research in Industry with the same company.

How to Find Internships

  • Search for open positions on Handshake, LinkedIn, Indeed, or by attending the career fair. If new to Handshake, you must activate your account first.
  • The Career Services Center in Lubar N203 can help find positions. They can also provide feedback on your resume, cover letter, and interviewing skills. Schedule an appointment via Handshake or reach out to them by email (careerserv@uwm.edu) or by phone (414-229-5445)

How to Register

  1. Check if you are eligible by using the Internship for Credit Eligibility Survey.
  2. Create an Internship Learning Plan (see tips below). This will be entered into Handshake.
  3. Share the learning plan with your site supervisor, so they can agree on supporting you with those goals.
  4. Meet with a designated faculty supervisor (see below) to review the internship position and learning plan. Ask about their expectations for the method of assessment and internship closing activity.
  5. Submit your Internship for Credit application through HandshakePlease note, responses cannot be saved and completed later. Gather the required information in advance of filling out the application.
    • Watch this detailed video on how to submit the application as an “experience” in Handshake
    • In Handshake, click on “Career Center”
    • Click on “Experiences,”
    • Then click on “Submit an Experience”
    • Select the experience template that relates to your major or internship.
    • Fill out the required information.
    • After submitting the experience, attach a document for the position description if needed.
  6. Tell your site supervisor to expect an e-mail from Handshake requesting their approval of the internship. They may need to check their junk folder. A Handshake account is not required.
  7. Monitor the approval progress in Handshake:
    • Career services will review the submission for approval.
    • The designated faculty member will then review for approval.
    • If academic prerequisites are met, your academic advisor will approve and give you permission in PAWS to enroll in the course.
    • After your advisor notifies you about the permission, you must enroll in the class on your end.
    • The approval process may take up to 2-3 weeks to complete, so start this process early to complete on time.
You must submit the internship experience application via Handshake and obtain all approvals by 4:30pm on October 31.

Guidelines for Creating a Learning Plan

Complete the Learning Goals & Professional Development sections prior to meeting with your faculty and site supervisors. The purpose of the Learning Plan is to think through your goals for academic learning and/or application prior to the internship experience.

Academic Learning Goals

Learning goals should be reflective, intentional, and relevant to your internship experience. The following are examples of how to state your learning goals:

  • “I will demonstrate the ability to …..”
  • “I will apply theory/concepts/learning from __ courses to…..”
  • “I will learn/develop…..”
  • “I will intentionally explore…..

Skill Development

Depending on the focus of your internship, you will likely have a chance to develop discipline-specific and/or transferable skills. Discipline-specific skills will depend on your major. In addition to discipline- specific skills, consider these other skill-development areas:

  • Critical thinking
  • Information literacy
  • Communication
  • Citizenship
  • Leadership
  • Organization/Planning
  • Team building
  • Computer skills
  • Networking

List your primary goals for academic learning and/or skill development and application. What is it you want to learn or be able to do? How will you apply course concepts into this internship?

Personal/Professional Development, Career Awareness

In addition to your academic learning goals, consider how this experience will allow you to develop professionally. Consider your values, skills, interests, abilities and how they may impact or be impacted by this learning experience. Take every opportunity to learn about specific career positions and occupations, training required, and professional development opportunities. Consider how this internship will contribute to your understanding of the workplace, operational procedures, organizational structure and culture and get a sense of the overall work environment. Contemplate your short-term and long-term career goals.

Faculty Mentors

Choose your past instructor from the list below. If you have not taken a class with anyone yet, choose anyone:

Student Last Name First InitialNameEmailPhoneOffice
A, BAmir Alwanaalwan@uwm.edu414-251-6132S467
C, D, ELayth Alwanalwan@uwm.edu414-229-6253S497
F, G, HDawei Jianjiand@uwm.edu414-251-6994S493
I, J, K, LMark Kosfeldkosfeld@uwm.edu414-229-2673S490B
M, N, OKaan Kuzukuzu@uwm.edu414-229-6208S485
P, Q, RDongsheng Lili376@uwm.edu414-229-4360S487
STimothy Smunttsmunt@uwm.edu414-229-3233N393
T, U, V, W, X, Y, ZXiaohang Yuexyue@uwm.edu414-229-4657S491

To be completed by faculty supervisor in Handshake approval process:

  • Describe how progress toward the learning objectives will be measured. Indicate requirements for ongoing evaluation (e.g. periodic journal, reflection on learning goals, readings, reaction
    essays, etc.) Indicate how often you will correspond with the student.
  • Provided a description and criteria for the closing activity, which is intended to facilitate thoughtful reflection integration of academic and experiential learning (e.g. integrated paper, reflective paper, portfolio, seminar presentation, etc.)
  • What is the due date of the closing activity? Must be submitted prior to the grade due date.