Internships
All students who are declared in the Associate of Science (AS) degree will be required to complete an internship (CAR 299). Some AAS degrees and certificates may also require an internship or practicum.
Students are responsible to identify, secure, and complete an internship in the skills-based certificate program associated with their AS degree. Students are encouraged to work with Career and Internship Services at least one or two semesters before they need an internship for assistance in identifying internship opportunities. Career and Internship Services will be actively looking for and posting Internship Opportunities and are happy to assist students in their search for a good internship. However, the student is ultimately responsible for finding and securing an internship that matches their interest and skills and the college-wide outcomes.
In the event the student has two certificates in their AS degree, they only need to complete an internship related to one certificate to satisfy the internship requirement.
Students may enroll in CAR 299 when they have met the following requirements:
- Successfully satisfied 12 credits of their certificate program, or 50% of their AAS degree, with a minimum 2.0 Cumulative GPA in their certificate or core classes through LDSBC.
- Completed 24 credit hours through LDSBC.
- Have been enrolled for two semesters at LDSBC.
It is expected that most students will enroll in CAR 299 for 1 credit and will work for an employer for an entire semester. Students will be required to participate in their internship for a minimum of 1 credit.
With program chair approval, students may enroll in 2 or 3 credits as follows:
1 credit = working no less than 70 hours during the semester and no less than 10 hours per week.
2 credits = working no less than 140 hours during the semester and no less than 10 hours per week.
3 credits = working no less than 210 hours during the semester and no less than 10 hours per week.
Students are not required to sign up for more credits if they will be working more than 70 hours during the semester, the 70 hours requirement is a minimum. Most employers will likely expect students to work more hours, but students do not need to adjust their credit hours up to match their work hours.
International Students are generally only permitted to work a total of 20 hours per week. Because working more hours than a student visa permits will put the student out of status, International Students must get approval from the International Office before committing to any internship. See CPT policies and visit the International Student Office for eligibility requirements.
All students will be required to complete the required assignments, including recording the hours worked each week. Once a student is enrolled in the course, with the appropriate credits, they will not be permitted to change the number of credits after the add/drop deadline. See Academic Calendar for dates and deadlines. There are no exceptions to changing credits after the add/drop deadline and all registration policies apply to internships.
If a student already has a job they believe relates to their certificate program they can use this to fulfill the internship requirement, students should visit with their program chair and internship office for further details.
CAR 299 may not substitute for Internships/Practicums classes required in the certificates that have specific internship courses (Interior Design, Medical Assistant, and Paralegal Studies). However, the certificate internship/practicum courses may be substituted for the CAR 299 course.
For more information on Internships, visit the Internship page of Career and Internship Services on the ldsbc.edu website.