Occasionally, organizations may require that students pursuing internships with them must be doing the internship in affiliation with their college/university. At Davidson, students who must receive academic credit for their internship are now able to receive it.

The only students who qualify for this course are students doing unpaid internships that require academic credit as a condition of participating in the program and international students who have been approved for Curricular Practical Training (CPT). The course will be assigned as XPL 099 and, while it will appear on your transcript, will not count as one of your 32 courses required for graduation. Grading will be Pass/Fail. All course requirements must be met to pass the course.

Requirements

Academic credit must be required by the organization offering the internship (not optional or encouraged).

Summer internships must include 8-10 weeks of on-site work at 40 hours per week. Fall and spring internships, completed while students are on campus also completing their regular academic workload, must include a minimum of 120 hours of on-site work over the course of the semester.

Justification will be required for internships of shorter duration. If you would like to request an exception to the hours requirements, email Josh King at joking@davidson.edu and describe your internship and the time commitment.

International Students

International students authorized to participate in Curricular Practical Training (CPT) may enroll in the XPL 099 course for jobs or internships related to their majors regardless of whether or not they are paid or academic credit is required for participation. All other requirements will apply to international students exactly as they apply to domestic students. International Students, remember that you will also need Curricular Practical Training (CPT) authorization. Please refer to the “Curricular Practical Training” page for additional information.

Semester Prior to the Internship

Complete and submit the Davidson Internship Credit Learning Agreement (DOC). For summer internships, this document should be submitted two weeks from your start date.

Learning goals for the EXPLR course credit should be constructed to reflect specific career skills you hope to gain during the internship, but should also include goals for broader intellectual development that may be linked to your liberal arts education. For instance a theatre major may have the following skills goal: "gain an overview of the day-to-day flow of a publicity department for a major record label." The goal linking the internship to her liberal arts experience would be "to apply my theater production experience to assisting in planning and mounting a publicity event."

Other goals may be focused on learning to work as part of a team, understanding organizational dynamics in the workplace, and so on. The more specific and measurable the goals, the more effective they will be in helping you and your internship mentor create a meaningful and focused experience. The learning goals will also serve as the basis for your final reflection assignment.

Summer or Semester of the Internship

Request that your supervisor fill out and submit these two performance evaluation forms: the Mid-Summer Evaluation (DOC) and the Final Evaluation (DOC).

Semester Following the Internship

Submit the Final Evaluation if you have not already done so.

Credit Eligibility Letter Request

If your internship application requires you show proof of eligibility for credit in order to apply, send an email to Josh King (joking@davidson.edu). In the subject line, write Internship Credit Eligibility Letter–Your Name.

In the body of the email, include this information:

  • Your Name
  • Your Student ID 9-digit Davidson ID number
  • Addressee Name, Courtesy Title (Mr./Ms.) and Job Title
  • Organization
  • Organization Address
  • Addressee Email
  • How You Want the Letter Sent: Fax or Email; To You or the Internship Site

Credit Confirmation Letter Request

If you have received an internship offer you plan to accept that is contingent on you receiving credit for the internship, and you need a letter verifying that you will receive this credit, you must first complete the Davidson Internship Credit Learning Agreement described above. Once this document has been approved by Jamie Stamey and your site supervisor, email Josh at joking@davidson.edu, and in the subject line, write Internship Credit Confirmation Letter-Your Name. In the body of the email, include the same information (listed above) that you would include if you were requesting a credit eligibility letter.

Liability Forms or Agreements

If your internship site asks Davidson College to sign any liability forms or agreements, email these documents to Josh King (joking@davidson.edu). He will review them with Davidson's legal counsel to determine if they can be signed.