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Undergraduate Students

Eligibility for Academic Internships

General Information | Newhouse | CRS - VPA | Whitman | International Students

Students must meet the internship eligibility requirements of their respective home schools and colleges before they are permitted to register an elective internship for credit.

Some schools and colleges (Newhouse, for example) do not permit their students to take an internship for academic credit until they have completed prerequisite courses and are in their junior year, while others such as The College of Arts and Sciences permit students to take internships in their first year. Some departments such as the Department of Communication and Rhetorical Studies in the College of Visual and Performing Arts require a minimum GPA before a student may register for an internship. Students should check policies related to internships with their academic advisers in their home school or college.

Students who take "work experience" internships for experience only, not for credit, may take them whenever they can arrange them. This type of "internship" is a private arrangement between student and internship provider, and students are not required to inform the University of their arrangements.

S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications Students 

The Newhouse School of Public Communications has very strict rules related to the timing and number of internship credits that may be counted towards its degrees. Internships may not be taken until a student has completed the sophomore year; some programs have required courses that must have been completed prior to an internship. Students should consult the Newhouse School's Student Fact Book to make sure their internship plans fit with Newhouse graduation requirements.

Communications and Rhetorical Studies Students 
College of Visual and Performing Arts

CRS students with a minimum GPA of 2.5 are encouraged to take internships, but no CRS 470 credit may count towards the CRS major. However, CRS students may take VPA 470 internship credits from their 12 experience credit electives. Freshmen and most sophomores may take only a ONE credit internship; juniors and seniors may take internships for from 1 to 6 credits. Further details related to CRS internships are available on the CRS web site.

Martin J. Whitman School of Management Students 

All School of Management undergraduates must include an internship in their program of study; the internship may or may not be registered for academic credit. Students who wish to register an elective internship for credit should follow the registration instructions. Those who do not want to earn academic credit for their internship should comply with the requirements of the School's Community Service and Internship Program. Further information about this program is available from Professor Steven Matyas, Director of Community Service and Internships, at 315-443-2361, and from the School of Management's Community Service and Internship Program web site.

International Students  

International students who want to take elective internships must ensure that they comply with both the eligibility requirements of their home school or college, and the conditions of their student visas. It is the responsibility of the student to ensure that he/she is in compliance with visa requirements. Information about eligibility for Curricular Practical Training (CPT), which includes internships, is available from the Lillian and Emanuel Slutzker Center for International Services. ( 443-2457)