The Jake Jabs College of Business & Entrepreneurship congratulates you on considering an internship for credit. We strongly believe that an internship can be an extremely valuable and even life-changing learning experience. Moreover, an internship is often the pathway to a full-time job upon graduation.

Purpose of an Internship

The purpose of an internship for credit is to gain valuable experiential on-site learning that enhancesyour academic studies. Therefore, there are two essential components to a successful internship:

1. A substantive work experience related to your field of study that requires skill and judgment, supervised by a knowledgeable manager who mentors and trains you.

2. Your thoughtful reflection upon what you are learning and how this learning enhances, and is enhanced by, your academic studies.

It is important that you select your internship worksite carefully to ensure that you will be able to achieve the purpose of an internship. Please consult with the Bracken Center for internship opportunities and career mentorship.

Eligibility for Internship for Credit

Prerequisites:

    • ACTG 598: Admission to the MPAc Program.
    • ACTG 498: ACTG 327 or another upper-level accounting course relevant to the specific internship.
    • BFIN 498: Junior Standing & Consent of instructor. 
    • BMGT 498: BMGT 335
    • BMKT 498: BMKT 325

*Please note, you cannot be enrolled in these courses concurrently of earning the internship credit. These courses must be complete prior to registering for internship credits.

  1. Must be registered for the internship in the same semester you are doing the internship. For example, you may not do your internship in the summer but register for the internship the following fall semester. If you start an internship mid-semester, you should register for credit in the semester that most of your work will occur. Last day to add internship for credit is 15th class day.
  2. You may not earn internship credit for continuing employment in a job you already hold unless the duties of your internship are substantially different from your current or previous job duties.
  3. Your internship must be a minimum of 3 credits to serve as one of your upper division business electives (ACTG 498/598, BFIN 498, BMKT 498 or BMGT 498). 
  4.  You must be working at the internship a minimum of 9 hours of work per week over 15 weeks to qualify for 3 credits. Internship credits will be determined by average number of hours worked per week over the 12-15 weeks of the semester. The max number of credits earned for an individual internship is six. Multiple internships can be completed for up to 12 credits
Number of Hours Per week Number of Credits
9-20 3
20-40 6

 

Students have the option of completing these hour requirements in a full academic semester. Special arrangements to fulfill the on-the-job work experience hours require a mutual agreement with the intern's work supervisor, the Bracken Center Center, and faculty internship advisor. For internships, the grade is pass/fail only. 

What Makes an Experience Qualify for Internship Credit

You are receiving course credit for your internship. You are expected to demonstrate as much learning from your internship as you do in other upper-level courses in Jabs. Internships are graded on a pass/fail basis. In order to earn MSU credit for your internship, you will:

  1. Fulfill your on-site responsibilities professionally, in accordance with the College’s PRIDE Code (Performance, Respect, Integrity, Diligence, and Engagement).
  2. Actively seek to learn about all aspects of the organization in which you are conducting your internship.
  3. Consciously strive to achieve the learning objectives you established in your Learning Contract (see more below).
  4. Reflect thoughtfully on your experiences by regularly writing and submitting the required weekly reports and the final report on time (please see more about these reports below). Some faculty members, at their discretion, may require one or more written submissions in addition to the required weekly reports and final report.
  5. Maintain regular contact with your faculty internship advisor throughout your internship to ensure that you are meeting your internship advisor’s expectations and to discuss opportunities and challenges you are facing at your internship.
  6. Be responsible for meeting all requirements of your internship without prompting from your work-site supervisor, faculty internship advisor, or member of the Jake Jabs College of Business & Entrepreneurship staff.

Steps to Register for an Internship

  1. Meet with a internship coach at the Bracken Center and ger your internship approved. Please review the internship for credit guidelines linked above.
  2. If approved, you will be sent a learning contract through DocuSign to fill out. This learning contract serves as a syllabus for the course.
  3. Meet with your site supervisor who will be supervising your field experience and obtain his/her signature on the Learning Contract. 
  4. After all forms are received, you will be registered for the number of credits approved. Deadlines for registering for an internship are the same as registering for any course. Adds after the 10th class day require a check in with either your academic advisor or the Office of Student Services in Jabs 124.

Internship Workload

Weekly reports, communication with your internship advisor, and final report.

  1. Submit all weekly reports to the D2L shell.
    • Weekly reports are designed to help you reflect thoughtfully, from your first day on the job, continuously through your experience. This will help you place the learning to context.
    • If you are having trouble understanding the weekly report prompt, consult with the internship faculty advisor.
    • You may not wait to write your weekly reports in the last week of the internship as it will not allow you to reflect upon your experience or improve your learning and performance during the internship.
  2. Maintain regular contact with the faculty internship advisor.
  3. Three weeks before the end of the internship, remind your on-site internship supervisor to submit their performance evaluation to Jabs. Follow up with your internship supervisor one week before the end of the internship to ensure this has been completed.

Grading of Internship

Graded as pass/fail.  Your faculty internship advisor will evaluate:

  • The quality of your weekly reports and final report, including demonstrating of what you have learned from the experience.
  • The timeliness of your weekly reports and final report.
  • The quality and timeliness of any additional work or project as required by your faculty internship advisor.
  • The performance evaluation from your internship work-site supervisor. Your faculty internship advisor may contact your work-site supervisor for more detailed info beyond what is noted on the evaluation.

Support From Jabs

Should a dispute arise with your internship site or faculty advisor, it shall be mediated by Mariah Stopplecamp, Director of the Bracken Center with support from the Dean’s Office.

Questions?

Please email brackencenter@montana.edu.