Undergraduate
Industry Internships
ECH 4944 General Information about Industry Internships (S/U Grading)
Introduction
This course is designed to encourage students to earn credit while working in engineering
jobs in industry. If you are doing research at a university, you should consider signing
up for independent study credits instead.
You can earn 1- 3 credits during a semester. The actual credits depend on the number
of hours worked. You can accumulate up to a total of 9 credits which will count as
technical elective credits (a total of 15 credits of technical electives are currently
required by the curriculum) toward your degree. This can shorten your time to graduation
while earning valuable industrial experience that will help you land a full time engineering
job upon graduation.
If you think you are interested in earning credits while working you should contact
the Undergraduate Advisor before you start your internship. He will guide you through
the process of registering etc.
What will qualify for Industry Internship credit?
Any type of PAID engineering related job can qualify. Unpaid internships do not qualify.
It is best to consult your advisor if you are in doubt. You should have completed
ECH 3023: Material and Energy Balances course before you can sign up for ECH 4944,
although in special cases your advisor may waive this requirement.
Requirements:
- A job offer letter from the company stating that they are offering you an industry internship. The offer letter should preferably include the number of hours per week and the beginning and ending dates of the initial appointment.
- Complete the application form for registration available for download from the department website. Also attached with this document.
- Submit both electronically to your Academic Advisor. Advisor, if he approves, 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 attached to Canvas and inform the Instructor. Please include the name; email and phone number of the Supervisor so that the Instructor can contact the supervisor.
- The Instructor will contact your industry supervisor to confirm that you have successfully completed the internship.
- The Instructor will grade your report (S/U)
- You are requested to present your report in the following semester. The Instructor will let you know how this is to be done.
Information for Students: FAQ
How many credit hours can I sign up for?
You can sign up for 1-3 credit hours during the semester (spring, summer or fall).
The number of credits is based upon 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
Greater 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 qualified for credits in this course?
The work done must be relevant to practice of engineering. For example if you work
as an assistant to an engineer doing projects that would qualify. Work in a production
environment doing engineering tasks such as quality control, time-motion studies,
data collection and analysis would qualify. Work that is not related to engineering
such as filing work in an office, working as a manager in a non-engineering company
or manual labor will not qualify. If you are in doubt you can 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 us to verify that you have successfully completed
the hours of Industry Internship. You will have to submit a written report that summarizes
the Industry Internship. A format of the report required is attached. In addition
you should also submit the slides for a 5-min PowerPoint presentation which you are
requested to present in the following semester to other students.
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. Be aware that you will 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 can talk about the general nature of the experience
touching upon the engineering experience without getting into details about the specific
aspects of the engineering task. You can 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 summer when the semester starting and end dates are short. If
you do not meet the full number of hours required for the credits then you may request
an incomplete while you work to complete the hours needed. Just email the instructor
and the Program Administrator if this happens. Please note that the majority of the
work must be done during the semester in which you are registered for the course.