Undergraduate
Industry Internships
ECH 4944 General Information about Industry Internships (S/U Grading)
Introduction
This course is designed to let students earn credit while working in engineering jobs.
Note: University research jobs may qualify for independent study credits.
Students may earn 1- 3 internship credits per semester. The number of credits depends on the number of hours worked. Students may accumulate up to nine credits which will count as technical elective credits. The current curriculum allows a total of 15 technical elective credits toward a degree. This can shorten a student's time to graduation, while earning valuable, real-world experience.
Contact the undergraduate advisor before starting an internship.
What will qualify for Industry Internship credit?
Any type of paid engineering-related job qualifies. Unpaid internships do not qualify. Consult your advisor if you are in doubt. You should have completed the course ECH 3023: Material and Energy Balances before applying for ECH 4944. Some exceptions may apply.
Requirements:
- A job offer letter from the company stating that they are offering you an industry internship. The offer letter should include the number of hours per week and the start and end dates of the appointment.
- Completed application form.
- Submit the application via email to your academic advisor. If they approve, the advisor will issue you a permit and forward the documents to the instructor.
- Upon completion of the internship, submit the written report and slides as explained in the applicaiton form, to Canvas and inform the instructor. Please include the name, email, and phone number of your internship's company supervisor so that the instructor may contact them to confirm you successfully completed your duties.
- The Instructor will grade your report (S/U).
- Present your report in the following semester, per the instructor's instructions.
FAQ
How many credit hours can I sign up for?
You may sign up for 1-3 credit hours during a given semester. The number of credits is based on the number of hours worked. You must register during the semester that your hold the internship.
- 120-240 hours: 1 credit hour
- 241-360 hours: 2 credit hours
- More than 360 hours: 3 credits (This is the maximum permitted per semester)
- There will be no fractional credits
- The number of hours worked must be verified by the company supervisor
What kind of work/job qualifies for credits in this course?
The work done must be relevant to the practice of engineering. Examples include, but are not limited to: engineer's assistant, quality control in a production environment, time-motion studies, or data collection and analysis.
Work that is not related to engineering such as filing in an office, working as a manager in a non-engineering company or manual labor will not qualify. If you are in doubt, you may fill out the application detailing your duties and the advisor will make the final decision.
What will be required of me to complete the course?
Your supervisor will be contacted by your instructor to verify that you have successfully completed the hours required for the Industry Internship. Upon completion, you will submit a written report and slides for a five-minute presentation about your internship. You will give this presentation at the instructor's request.
What if I quit or get fired in the middle of my internship?
If you have completed at least 150 hours, you may drop this course and sign up to get credit for hours completed. You may have tuition penalties associated with dropping a course.
My employer forbids me to write anything about my work for confidential reasons. What should I do?
Some employers want to protect their data and intellectual property. You should comply with the agreements signed with your employer regarding confidentiality. However, the employer cannot forbid you from talking about your experience without divulging any company data or secrets. You may talk about the general nature of the work, touching upon the engineering experience without getting into details about the specific aspects of the tasks. You may include any public domain information that you obtained independently.
What if I am not able to complete the course for medical reasons?
The same rules that apply to on-campus courses will apply here as well. You can get an incomplete and complete the internship at a later date. It does not have to be with the same company.
What if my internship dates do not conform to the start and end dates of the semester?
This can arise during the summer when the semester start and end dates are short. If you do not meet the full number of hours required for the credits, you may request an incomplete while you work to complete the hours needed. Email the instructor and the program administrator if this happens. A majority of the hours worked must be completed during the semester in which you are registered for the course.