Internship Criteria

The Professional Practice/Internship is a supervised work experience. Students arrange their internship and the School approves it.

Requirements

To achieve the goals of the Professional Practice experience, your internship must:

• include professional tasks related to your academic program and anticipated career choice
• serve as a learning environment
• be supervised daily by an IT/IS professional
• provide appropriate compensation based on your professional level activity

Appropriate Work Sites

Internships can be found anywhere, including on campus. You may decide to stay in the local community or find something within the state of Illinois or out of state. Wherever you decide to go, keep in mind the following restrictions:

• You cannot work for yourself.
• Your parents or close relatives cannot provide your direct supervision.
• An internship at a company owned by your parents or a close relative will not be approved.
• Remote work internships that provide regular team interaction and professional mentorship may be approved. The internship coordinator must approve a closely supervised telecommuting opportunity in advance.

Internship Length

The length of an internship depends on the company you select and the term in which you do the internship. The typical summer internship lasts 10 to 12 weeks. An internship in the fall and spring semester lasts 15 to 16 weeks. A few companies require 25 to 28 weeks over a spring/summer or summer/fall term.