Internships in WGSS
WGSS majors and Women's and Gender Studies minors have the option to complete 3 credits of WGSS internship. Sexuality and Queer Studies minors and WGSS Graduate Certificate students may choose to complete a WGSS internship to fulfill partial program requirements. All enrolled AU students who meet minimum requirements — not only WGSS majors, minors, or certificate students - are welcome to enroll in a WGSS internship for academic credit if they have completed the required prerequisite or receive permission of the program director. WGSS-125, WGSS-150 OR permission of the WGSS program director, is a prerequisite for registration for an internship.
For more information on registering for a for-credit academic internship, please visit the following pages :
AU Career Center, Internship Basics
AU, Office of the Registrar, Internship Registration Information
WGSS Internship Info & Registration Forms
FAQ
Are All WGSS students required to complete an internship?
As of Summer 2020, all WGSS Majors and Women's and Gender Studies minors are no longer required to complete 3 credits of internship. Sexuality and Queer Studies minors and WGSS Graduate Certificate students may choose to complete an internship to fulfill program requirements. Students for whom their catalog still mandates an internship may complete one, or substitute another 300-400 level WGSS course. This substitution should be confirmed in writing with the student’s CAS advisor and the WGSS program director.
Can I get paid for my internship work while earning academic credit?
Yes! WGSS encourages students to seek out paid internships. You are permitted to earn academic credit while you are earning a stipend or wage.
Does my internship need to be 3 credits?
No! You can do a smaller internship of 1-2 credits. Given that the credit-hour requirements for the majors are always a multiple of three, you can combine a smaller internship with 1-credit classes. Combined, you can replace a three credit class to count toward your WGSS credit hours.
How many hours a week do I have to work to earn internship credit?
| Earned credits | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Minimum total hours interned required by end of term | 70 | 140 | 210 | 280 | 350 | 420 |
| Average number of hours interned weekly over 14 weeks | 5 | 10 | 15 | 20 | 25 | 30 |
Am I limited to 3 hours of for-credit internship during my course of study at AU?
Undergraduate students may earn and count a maximum of 12 internship credit hours toward your 120 credit hour degree program. Graduate students may count no more than 6 credits of internship toward fulfilling their graduate program(s).
Could I count 12 hours of internship toward my WGSS major or minor?
A maximum of six internship credit hours may count toward your undergraduate major.
Can I intern anywhere? What sort of work are interns expected to do in order to receive academic credit?
WGSS internship placements should relate to our field of study, and for-credit internships must be 85% substantive (no more than 15% administrative or clerical). Making coffee, copies, or picking up the boss's dry cleaning do not count as substantive work experience, and no more than 15% of your time should be devoted to filing, copying, mailing, data entry, or receptionist duties. There is also a formal syllabus and internship course that students must complete.
Once I find an internship, what do I need to do in order to register?
Once you have secured a position, you'll need to complete an internship registration form and an Internship Consent and Release form. There is a link at the top of this page to these forms. The Registrar's Office will not process unsigned forms.
The internship forms are confusing, what do I need to make sure is correct in order to register?
Please make sure you've signed both the internship registration form and consent form and have completed all requested information. For internship dates, use the first and last day of classes for the semester. Please note: The average number of hours per week is calculated based on 14 weeks of work, so if you're working fewer than 14 weeks, you'll need to increase your total number of hours per week to reach the minimum required number of total hours for the semester.
What do I do with the forms once I fill them out?
After you fill everything in, you'll need to secure the signature of your internship site supervisor.
Once you've completed the forms, signed them, and obtained the signature of your site supervisor, pass them on to your faculty supervisor as listed in the schedule of classes. In Fall 2020 this is Amy Barber. Amy Barber will assist with obtaining the signature of your Academic Advisor for WGSS, Hadiya Alexander.
The Registrar's Office must receive your paperwork by the registration deadline (the last day of drop/add). You'll need to get your signed and completed forms in least a day or two in advance of the registration deadline in order to ensure that your registration is processed in a timely manner.
I've registered for a for-credit WGSS internship, what do I do now?
If you have any additional questions about internship registration please contact Amy Barber. Once your registration is processed you will be enrolled in the internship course and the course site. Please check the course site for the course syllabus and requirements after the final internship registration deadline.