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Breech School of Business Internships

INTERNSHIP GUIDELINES

  • Students become eligible to complete an internship for credit when they meet the following criteria:

    1.) 60 or more credit hours earned.

    2.) 2.5 grade point average or higher, or department chair approval.

    3.) Have completed coursework appropriate for the internship experience.

    4.) Have selected an internship experience related to their field of study.

    5.) Ability to work at least 135 hours at the internship site over the course of the semester for the 3 credit internship.

  • Internship credit cannot be granted retroactively, which means you must be registered for internship credit during the same semester in which your internship is completed.
  • Existing jobs do not qualify for internship college credit; this is meant to be a new learning experience. Please contact career@drury.edu if you have questions about this guideline.
  • Family members cannot act as site supervisors, so if you are doing an internship in a family business, identify someone not related to you to oversee the internship.
  • You must complete all internship site hours within the semester at the same site under one site supervisor (though you may rotate through various departments for a broad based experience).
  • Students are encouraged to engage in as many internship experiences as possible but only two internships for a total of 6 credits can be applied towards an undergraduate degree.

NOTE: Students are responsible for notifying their faculty sponsor and Career Planning and Development if their internship circumstances change for any reason.

For questions about internships, contact Career Planning & Development at career@drury.edu.

Where Do I Start?

  1. Discuss your internship plans with your faculty sponsor. Identify specific, program related, learning objectives that you will meet through your internship experience.  (see Faculty Sponsor below)
  2. Apply for and secure an internship. (see Finding an Internship below)
  3. After you have the internship and you have discussed it with your faculty sponsor, complete the online Internship Commitment Form. (see Forms below)
  4. Read email notifications for final steps on how to submit paperwork in order to register for credit. (see Deadlines below).

NOTE: Submit summer semester internship paperwork before leaving campus for the summer.

International Students: Check our tip sheet for information specific to international students. 

Deadlines

NOTE: Registering for internship credit involves signatures from many people which takes longer to complete than registering for a regular class. Start early to complete the process by the deadline.

For summer internships, submit Internship Commitment Form and complete registration before leaving campus.

Once registered, you may begin counting site hours toward the minimum requirement (see Credit & Tuition).

Finding An Internship

Students are responsible for finding their own internships though faculty and Career Planning and Development provide support and guidance. Finding an Internship Site has some ideas to get started.

  • Your internship position must be approved by your faculty sponsor as being a relevant learning experience to your major/minor.
  • You may do internships locally, nationally, or even internationally. 
  • You may not use existing jobs for internship college credit as this is meant to be a new learning experience. Contact career@drury.edu if you have questions regarding this guideline.
  • Internships may be paid or unpaid depending on the site. Refer to the Department of Labor Rules and Regulations for more information regarding the compensation of interns.

Share the Site Supervisor Internship Handbook with employers who have questions about their role in the internship.

Forms Required to Register

AFTER you have accepted an internship, you need to complete the following form to register for credit: 

Commitment Form (ICF)
Complete the ICF first and read the notification emails you receive for instructions on how to register. You will register for BADM 480.

Faculty Sponsors

The Faculty Sponsors for all Breech School of Business majors (Excluding FUSE 397 or FUSE 497) are as follows:

Summer: Janis Prewitt at jprewitt@drury.edu

Spring: Robin Soster at rsoster@drury.edu

The faculty sponsor must approve your internship experience as relevant to your major so check in with them during the internship application process.

In addition to the internship experience, there are academic requirements for receiving credit. You will register for BADM 480 and attend a one hour seated class or online coursework as part of the internship credit. 

The Faculty Sponsor for Cybersecurity Fundamentals FUSE 397 or FUSE 497 is as follows:

Summer, Fall, Spring: Shannon McMurtrey at smcmurtrey@drury.edu

Credit & Tuition

Internship credit cannot be granted retroactively, which means you must be registered for internship credit during the same semester in which your internship is completed.

Breech students register for BADM 480 Professional Business Experience to meet their internship requirement. This is a 3 credit course and is offered for full semesters only: Fall, Spring, and Summer. As an undergrad at Drury, you may complete up to 6 internship credits (usually 2 internships). Special permission may be granted to receive 6 credits for one internship but it requires additional paperwork. Contact career@drury.edu for information on how to register for a second internship.

For 3 college credits, you must work a minimum of 135 hours at the internship site (270 hours for 6 credits). For a typical 3 credit internship, this amounts to about 9 hours/week over a 16 week fall or spring semester or 18 hours/week over the 8 week summer semester. You must complete all hours at one internship site during the semester registered.

Additionally, internships include an academic component that is assigned by your faculty sponsor. This varies depending on the faculty sponsor but may include assignments like outside readings, papers, presentations or journals.

If there is a possibility that your internship will put you in course overload, you must submit a completed and signed Request for Permission to Enroll for an Overload form to the registrar by the first day of the semester.

Tuition

Rates for internship credit are the same as for all other academic courses during the fall and spring semesters. Contact the business office at businessoffice@drury.edu for the exact cost of summer internship credit.

Grades & Evaluations

You will receive a satisfactory/unsatisfactory grade on your transcript which will be determined by your faculty sponsor. Grades are based on the work done at the internship site and the academic assignments required by your faculty sponsor. Additionally, failure to complete the minimum number of site hours (see Credit & Tuition) can impact your grade.

For the academic portion of the internship, your faculty sponsor will assign outside work such as readings, journal entries, projects, papers, or reports. Additionally, your site supervisor will be asked to complete a final online performance evaluation of you. These will be forwarded to your faculty sponsor to be factored into your grade.

At the end of the semester, you will be asked to complete a final evaluation of your internship experience. We encourage you to communicate with your faculty sponsor and/or Career Planning & Development throughout the semester with any highlights or concerns.