Internship & Co-op Process
Experiential education can help you advance your career goals through the discovery of potential career paths and exploration of roles and industries of interest. Internships & co-ops provide significant opportunities for you to learn and apply new skills as well as establish a network of professionals in your field of choice.
A co-op, or cooperative education experience, must be directly related to a students’ major and is defined as a full-time paid work experience (30+ hours weekly) taking place over a 4-9 month period.
Co-ops occur during the fall or spring semester and may extend into the summer or winter sessions (a summer or winter-only job is not considered a co-op). Because of the full-time nature of the experience, a co-op typically takes students away from campus and coursework for an entire semester.
While on co-op, students are put on a “co-op” status with the Registrar, which is reflected on the transcript upon successful completion of the experience. During this time, students are considered full-time, however, they do not pay tuition unless also taking online courses through University+ (you may take up to two courses, registering through University+ and paying associated fees).
For more comprehensive co-op information, forms, and FAQs, visit the Career Development & Professional Connections site here, or learn how to register your co-op here.
At Isenberg, an internship is defined as a paid or unpaid work experience that takes place during a fall or spring semester or during a summer or winter term. You may be eligible to earn academic credits for your (paid or unpaid) internship – see below for eligibility, credit options, and the credit request process.
Internship Credit Eligibility
Eligibility to take academic credits for an internship experience requires:
- Completion of 45+ credits*
- GPA of 2.0 and good academic standing
*Students with less than 45 credits and/or below a 2.0 GPA may request permission from their Academic Dean (Dean Shelby Prizio) through the “Internships and Co-ops Academic Dean’s Approval Form,” found on the Career Development & Professional Connections site here.
I am eligible. What comes next?
All internship credits require an academic sponsor and completion of academic work for a grade. Credits must be completed during the internship experience and will not be granted retroactively.
- Internship credits sought during summer or winter terms will be registered through University+ and will be charged at the current Univ+ rates. Currently, the cost is $275 per credit plus an $85 registration fee. The costs for internship credits during the fall and spring academic terms for full-time students is covered by tuition (no additional registration or credit fees required).
- Students who are Bachelor of Science candidates (Sport Management and Hospitality & Tourism Management) should check with their academic departments for degree specific internship guidelines.
- Please note that if you are an undergraduate international student, Curricular Practical Training (CPT) is required for any compensated (paycheck, stipend, scholarship, etc.) off-campus opportunity. You can read more about CPT eligibility and the application steps for CPT on the Office of Global Affairs site here.
Internship Credit Options
If a student meets eligibility requirements, there are two internship practicum course options.
Students can request 1-3 credits for their internship practicum course. The amount of credits a student can request depends on the total work hours of the internship experience (40 total hours = 1 credit, 120+ total hours = 3 credits). The academic work will vary based upon credit amount, academic course and sponsor.
UMASS 298 may be used to satisfy graduation credits (sometimes referred to as “general electives”) and may not be used to satisfy breadth requirements. The internship experience does not have to be directly related to the student’s academic major to pursue UMASS 298 credits. Students pursuing UMASS 298 would have a Career Coach (from the Office of Career Success) serve as their academic sponsor.
The course is based on academic department, as follows: ACCT 398Y | FIN 498Y | MGT 398 | MKTG 398 | OIM 498Y. *Students who are Bachelor of Science candidates (Sport Management and Hospitality & Tourism Management) should check with their academic departments for degree specific internship guidelines.
To pursue a 398/498 internship practicum course, the internship experience MUST be directly related to the student’s academic major. Declared BBA majors are eligible for only one set of 3 departmental internship credits, which would be counted towards their upper-level business elective (ULBE) credit requirement (that is, a 398/498 internship practicum course will satisfy one Isenberg business elective requirement). Students are responsible for securing a faculty sponsor from their academic department and meeting with them prior to the start of their internship to determine the academic work associated with earning credit.
What should I do next?
Ready to Proceed?
If you are an eligible domestic or international undergraduate student who would like to request to earn credits for an upcoming internship, please complete this form as your first step.
Still have questions?
If you have further questions about internship credits or co-ops after reading this information, please schedule an appointment with a Career Coach.
Please note: Internship inquiries for Fall Semester 2025 credit are no longer being accepted.
