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Behavioral Sciences Internships

Drury University > Robert and Mary Cox Compass Center > Career Planning & Development > Internships > Behavioral Sciences Internships

INTERNSHIP GUIDELINES

  • Students become eligible to complete an internship for credit when they meet the following criteria:

    1.) 60 or more credit hours earned.

    2.) 2.5 grade point average or higher, or department chair approval.

    3.) Have completed coursework appropriate for the internship experience.

    4.) Have selected an internship experience related to their field of study. 

    5.) Ensure ability to work at least 135 hours at the internship site over the course of the semester for the 3 credit internship.

  • Internship credit cannot be granted retroactively, which means you must be registered for internship credit during the same semester in which your internship is completed.
  • Existing jobs do not qualify for internship college credit; this is meant to be a new learning experience. Please contact career@drury.edu if you have questions about this guideline.
  • Family members cannot act as site supervisors, so if you are doing an internship in a family business, identify someone not related to you to oversee the internship.
  • You must complete all internship site hours within the semester at the same site under one site supervisor (though you may rotate through various departments for a broad based experience).
  • Students are encouraged to engage in as many internship experiences as possible but only two internships for a total of 6 credits can be applied towards an undergraduate degree.

NOTE: Students are responsible for notifying their faculty sponsor and Career Planning and Development if their internship circumstances change for any reason.

For questions about internships, contact Career Planning & Development at career@drury.edu.

Where Do I Start?

  1. Discuss your internship plans with your faculty sponsor – Dr. Valerie Eastman. Identify specific, program related, learning objectives that you will meet through your internship experience.  (see Faculty Sponsors)
  2. Apply for and secure an internship. (see Finding an Internship)
  3. Complete the online Internship Commitment Form. (see Forms )
  4. Read email notifications for final steps on how to submit paperwork and complete the registration process in order to register for credit. (see Deadlines )

NOTE: Submit summer semester internship paperwork before leaving campus for the summer.

International Students: Check our tip sheet for information specific to international students.

Deadlines

NOTE: Registering for internship credit involves signatures from many people which takes longer to complete than registering for a regular class. Start early to complete the process by the deadline.

For summer internships, submit Internship Commitment Form and complete registration before leaving campus.

Once registered, you may begin counting site hours toward the minimum requirement (see Credit & Tuition).

Finding An Internship

Students are responsible for finding their own internships though faculty and Career Planning and Development provide support and guidance. Finding an Internship Site has some ideas to get started.

  • Your internship position must be approved by your faculty sponsor as being a relevant learning experience to your major/minor.
  • You may do internships locally, nationally, or even internationally. 
  • You may not use existing jobs for internship college credit as this is meant to be a new learning experience. Contact career@drury.edu if you have questions regarding this guideline.
  • Internships may be paid or unpaid depending on the site. Refer to the Department of Labor Rules and Regulations for more information regarding the compensation of interns.

Share the Site Supervisor Internship Handbook with employers who have questions about their role in the internship.

Forms Required to Register

AFTER you have accepted an internship, you need to complete the following form to register for credit: 

Commitment Form (ICF)
First complete the ICF and read the notification emails for instructions on how to register. You will register for either BSCI 380 or BSCI 480.

Faculty Sponsors

Fall

Fall 2024 – BSCI 380/480 Dr. Jennie Silva Brown jsilvabrown@drury.edu

Fall 2024 – FUSE 380: Dr. Valerie Eastman veastman@drury.edu

Spring

Spring 2025 – BSCI 380/480: Dr. Jennie Long jlong2@drury.edu

Spring 2025 – FUSE 380: Dr. Jennie Silva Brown jsilvabrown@drury.edu

Summer

BSCI 380/480, FUSE 380: Dr. Jennie Long jlong2@drury.edu

Your Faculty Sponsor must approve your internship experience as relevant to your major so you should check in with them before beginning the internship application process. Besides the internship experience, there are academic requirements for receiving credit. You will register for BSCI 380, BSCI 480, or FUSE 380.

Credit & Tuition

Internship credit cannot be granted retroactively, which means you must be registered for internship credit during the same semester in which your internship is completed.

Behavioral Science students register for BSCI 380 or 480 Undergraduate Internship Experience to meet their internship requirement. This is a 3 credit course and is offered for full semesters only: Fall, Spring, and Summer. Depending on your program, you will be required to register for credit for two internships. As an undergrad at Drury, you may complete a total of 6 internship credits. Behavioral Sciences does not allow you to register for 6 credits for one internship experience.

For 3 college credits, you must work a minimum of 135 hours at the internship site. For a typical 3 credit internship, this amounts to about 9 hours/week over a 16 week fall or spring semester or 18 hours/week over the 8 week summer semester. You must complete all hours at one internship site during the semester registered.

Additionally, internships include an academic component that is assigned by your faculty sponsor. See your faculty sponsor for information but it may include assignments like outside readings, papers, presentations or journals.

If there is a possibility that your internship will put you in course overload, you must submit a completed and signed Request for Permission to Enroll for an Overload form to the registrar by the first day of the semester.

Tuition

Rates for internship credit are the same as for all other academic courses during the fall and spring semesters. Contact the business office at businessoffice@drury.edu for the exact cost of summer internship credit.

Grades & Evaluations

You will receive a letter grade on your transcript which will be determined by the faculty sponsor. Grades are based on the work done at the site and the academic assignments required by the faculty sponsor. Additionally, failure to complete the minimum number of site hours (see Credit/Tuition above) can impact your grade.

For the academic portion of the internship, your faculty sponsor will assign academic work. Additionally, your site supervisor will be asked to complete a final online performance evaluations of you. This will be forwarded to your faculty sponsor to be factored into your grade.

At the end of the semester, you will be asked to complete a final evaluation of your internship experience.  We encourage you to communicate with your faculty sponsor and/or Career Planning & Development throughout the semester with any highlights or concerns.