The Hendrix Internship Program provides students with the opportunity to gain additional experience in their areas of study and to explore potential career and vocational strengths and interests. The structure of the program offers a platform for students to apply classroom theories to the solutions of actual workplace problems as well as investigate whether a specific career path is relevant and exciting for their personal goals. Internship site supervisors assist interns by providing training, projects and direct supervision throughout the semester/summer, while Faculty or staff internship supervisors help provide an academic reference point for real world experiences. Interns also participate in professional development workshops through the Office of Career Services to help support and guide them through the process. The combination of activities, hands-on experience, and reflection provides a rich environment for academic, personal and career-oriented growth.
Administration
The Coordinator of Employment and Internships in the Office of Career Services is responsible for administering and coordinating the internship program consistent with the policies and guidelines approved by the Hendrix Faculty, for keeping records of internship experiences, for doing the necessary publicizing, and for making periodic progress reports to the Faculty.
Eligibility
To participate in the internship program, students must be at least sophomore level and in good academic standing with the College. All participating students must fully complete an online Internship Proposal Form (made available after the student meets with the Coordinator of Employment and Internships) before starting an internship.
Requirements
Internships must meet the minimum standards listed below.
For all internships:
- A minimum of 120 hours of work over a minimum of 8 weeks with an internship site outside of Hendrix College
- A maximum of two academic semesters, or one semester and one summer
- Participation in the Professional Development Workshops offered by the Office of Career Services
- A reflective activity meeting Odyssey Program requirements.
- Supervision by a member of the Hendrix Faculty or administrative staff
For academic credit internships, additionally:
- Supervision by a member of the Hendrix Faculty
- reflective journal based prompts provided by Faculty advisor
- two readings selected by the Faculty advisor from academic journals, textbooks, books, articles, etc., and
- one of the following:
- A six-page academic paper on a topic agreed upon by the Faculty advisor and student
- a presentation to the public on an academic topic weaving in internship experiences
- a portfolio of work linking academic learning with the internship.
Professionally-related experiences that do not meet these criteria may still qualify as “professional field experiences” appropriate for Odyssey credit in the PL category. See Odyssey Program Guide.
The Miller Center for Vocation, Ethics, and Calling offers distinctive programming that assists students in the exploration and integration of their vocational passions, career aspirations, and calling.
Internship Proposal Forms
All participating students must fully complete an online Internship Proposal form available on HireHendrix (access is granted after the student meets with Coordinator of Employment and Internships) before starting an internship. A complete proposal includes:
- Internship Site Agreement: An agreement entered into by both the student and internship site that Includes project descriptions and responsibilities for student work as well as expectations and outcomes from that work.
- Hendrix Internship Supervisor Agreement: An agreement between the student and Hendrix supervisor clearly outlining which type of credit the student is seeking and what academic objectives and requirements the student must fulfill.
- Internship Program Waiver and Release Form
- Student Code of Professional and Ethical Conduct
- Approval of academic advisor and college registrar
Note: Faculty can find a step-by-step guide to navigating the online approval process HERE.
Faculty Internship Supervisor
The Faculty internship supervisor provides the academic framework for a student’s internship experience by identifying clear learning objectives and determining appropriate academic assignments. Internships taken for academic credit must have a Faculty supervisor oversee these assignments and learning goals. Internships take only for Odyssey credit can have either a Faculty or administrative staff supervisor to oversee reflection and learning goals. The Hendrix supervisor is responsible for assigning the credit at the completion of the internship. To that end, the Coordinator of Employment and Internships provides each supervisor with information regarding the student’s participation in and completion of the Professional Development Workshops as well as the evaluation by the internship site supervisor.
Career Services Professional Development Workshops
During the internship experience, students are required to participate in three Professional Development Workshops meant to build upon their work-site experiences and bridge the gap between student and professional. The workshops include professional development, career/personal exploration topics and assignments as well as group discussion on the nature and purpose of the student’s internship.
Credit Options
Internships can satisfy certain credit types within the academic field:
- Odyssey Credit (internships are preapproved for Odyssey PL credit; students wishing to earn Odyssey credit in a different category must submit a proposal to the Odyssey Office)
- Academic Course Credit AND Odyssey PL (no letter grade assigned, counts for graduation, and included in student's schedule)
- Completion of a major or minor internship requirement
At most two academic course credit internships are allowed to count as a course credit toward graduation. Students wishing to take an internship for credit as a fifth class must pay the fifth class fee.
Summer Internships
Students wishing to enroll for an internship for academic course credit over a summer may do so. For summer internships, the student selects either the spring semester before the experience or the fall semester after the experience to allocate the credit in the student's course load. These are the only two options and one must be selected when the student adds the internship with the college registrar. If the spring semester is chosen, students receive an NR grade (No Report) until the internship requirements have been met.