Must-Read for ICT Internships

Academic credit internships require the supervision of an ICT faculty member and an on-site internship supervisor, creating a bridge between the education received at the university and workplace expectations.

Qualified undergraduate ICT students enter the professional sector to understand how and apply their ICT skills and knowledge. Supervised internships approved by the School allow placements in a variety of environments. Students who complete internships gain on-the-job experience and develop professional skills like networking and office skills are more prepared for jobs after graduation. Interns are expected to have basic skills necessary for the company for which they will be working. They are also expected to gain experience and learn new skills for their professional career. 

Completed learning contracts must be approved by the last day to add a course for the semester you wish to be enrolled.

Below are the steps that you need to take to secure an internship and earn academic credit for it. Please read through them all carefully before beginning the process. 

Once you have looked over all of the material below, you will be asked to complete an internship application and certify that you read and understand the internship policies.

If you have questions, please contact sis [at] uky.edu.

Step 1: Student eligibility

You should complete your ICT 399 internship at a time in your academic career when you will not only benefit from the internship, but will be able to make a contribution to the organization that is sponsoring your internship. p.

  • In order to register for ICT 399, you must be a junior or senior and have successfully completed two 300-level ICT courses.

  • If you do not complete two 300-level ICT courses before the internship is to begin, you will be dropped from ICT 399 and will not be able to do the internship that semester. *Remember that you can complete an EXP internship before you meet these requirements, though that credit will not count towards graduation.

  • Qualifying students may earn a maximum of three hours of academic credit for a professional internship under the ICT 399 course title. (However, the School strongly encourages you to have as many additional internships as possible).

Step 2: Finding an internship

We recommend that you start looking for an internship early. Most times that is at least a semester before you would like to complete it, because some summer internships often have deadlines in November and December. You should be sure that you know when the application is due. You should decide on an internship before you apply and are approved. 

Internships should involve exposure to the mission, vision and values of the organization, working on projects that encourage practical application of skills and teach about the industry through activities such as attendance at conferences and/or meetings, being mentored, etc. Virtual or remote internships may need additional criteria. 

We recommend the following internship resources: 

Note about internships: For liability reasons, the workplace may not be a private residence or home office. Additionally, the internship must be a new experience. If you choose to complete the internship at your current place of employment you must work under a different supervisor and department/division (i.e., if you work in information security, you could intern in networking) and the internship hours should be outside the regularly scheduled hours. Lastly, students cannot designate a family member as their internship supervisor.

Step 3: How to apply for an internship

Check internship listings at the UK Career Center, the ICT listserv, LinkedIn, among others. Figure out who the contact person is and how they prefer to be contacted. Some organizations would like an email with a cover letter and resume, while others prefer a phone call. Ultimately, it is up to the student to secure the internship. If you need direction on finding an internship for the semester, please contact  sarah.tamme [at] uky.edu (Sarah Jane Tamme).

Step 4: How to enroll in the internship course

You will 1) certify that you have read this material, 2) complete the subsequent application, 3) reach out to sarah.tamme [at] uky.edu (Sarah Jane Tamme) to be assigned a course instructor, 4) submit a completed learning contract, and 5) have the learning contract approved by the School. You cannot register for this course online, nor are you permitted to register for it until the course instructor has approved the learning contract.

Step 5: Complete the learning contract and pay tuition

The learning contract is an agreement between you, your internship supervisor, and your course instructor. It states your responsibilities and duties during the internship, and what you expect to learn. All parties are required to sign the contract. 

The learning contract is to be completed by the student in consultation with the internship supervisor, except that the student is to complete the description of the final poster project in consultation with their course instructor. When the contract is completed, the student and internship supervisor sign in the place provided, and the student then submits the contract to their course instructor for a final signature. Afterwards, the student should submit the completed and signed contract to sis [at] uky.edu, prior to the beginning of the semester or term. The student affairs staff will send the contract to administration for final approval. At the end of the semester, the internship supervisor completes an evaluation. The course instructor assigns the final grade for the course. 

In the summer session, the last date to have a contract approved and begin work in the internship is one week after the summer session begins. Tuition is included when you register for fall or spring semesters between 12 and 19 hours. If you take a summer internship for ICT 399 credit you will pay for three credit hours. Check the academic calendar on the Registrar's website for the semester you will intern. You will be billed for tuition during the semester in which you are working at the internship site.

Step 6: What's expected of you during the internship

The School requires you to spend 90 hours at your internship for three credits. It is highly recommended that students work on-site in blocks of at least three hours at a time. For a three-credit internship, a total of 90 work hours (6 hours per week) are required. All work must be sanctioned by and documented.

PRO TIP: Treat the internship as the first step in your career. Be on time, stay the hours that you have said you were going to work, avoid doing personal errands, etc. Expect to work holidays, weekends, and long hours. Remember that the internship supervisor evaluation is a vital part of the evaluation process. Negative feedback can adversely affect your grade. Your internship site will need to provide any necessary hardware and software. 

No academic credit is granted for any internship taken prior to formal enrollment in ICT 399 and completion of all required preliminary procedures. You will only receive credit for the ICT 399 internship during the same semester you are completing hours. This is because a you are under faculty supervision while interning.

Note about expectations: The internship and academic components must be concurrent; therefore, retroactive assignment submissions are not granted for internships. Non-attendance, failure to complete the required internship hours, or failure to do the end-of-term presentation will result in non-passing grade.

Step 7: How your grade is determined 

Students enrolled in ICT 399 receive a pass/fail grade. The faculty advisor who serves as the course instructor assigns the grade based on the internship supervisor's evaluation of the students performance, and the evaluation of the academic components. 

During the semester there are several other mandatory steps you must complete to receive a grade: 

1. Meet with your course instructor before the internship begins to agree on how you will communicate. 

2. You will submit at least four (4) progress reports as part of the internship program along with a midterm hours' sheet. The body of the report should include the internship location, number of hours worked that week and the total hours worked to date. 

3. At the end of the semester, you are required to develop a poster that describes what they experienced in their internship. You are also required to deliver a presentation about your final project in an internship symposium at the end of the semester. Interns should talk with their course instructors about what to include in the visual aid and format. Prior to the final presentation, you will submit a complete draft of the poster to their course instructor for feedback. 

4. In place of a final examination, you are required to submit a resume, cover letter, and end of year summary report. The report should be typed and double-spaced. You are expected to summarize the activities undertaken in the internship with specific reference to what you did, what you learned, how the internship has affected your interest in a career in the field, and what it was like to work at the internship site. You may also offer recommendations on ways to improve or expand your experience. You will also include one exemplar product from an ICT class to showcase your skills. 

5. The internship coordinator will request the internship supervisor to complete an evaluation of the intern's work. You should also remind your supervisor to complete the form in a timely manner. You will not receive a grade until the supervisor has submitted the evaluation. To access the evaluation form please follow this link: ICT 399 Internship Supervisor Evaluation. 

All interns are encouraged to write a brief thank you letter to the internship supervisor. You should mention what they got out of the internship and how it helped your career. 

Final Step: Verify you have read the Must-Read for ICT Internships + Complete the Application Form

 

Please click here to verify you have read and understand the requirements to access the internship application.