Internships for Credit
Internship course credit policies demystified
Credit is available to all students upon completion of their first year; internships completed in the summer between the first and second year may count for credits towards graduation at the discretion of the internship department/program. Lafayette does not require students doing internships to choose a for-credit option. They can do an internship without Lafayette approval as long as they are not seeking credit. If your employer requires you to receive credit or if you would like to receive credit the information below indicates what next steps you need to take.
Option 1: The INT 200 course
- Allows students to take part in internships when employers “require” that they earn credit. This is becoming increasingly common.
- Allows students to take part in an internship for credit as well as receive paid compensation such as stipends.
- Allows international students to intern under the rules of CPT.
- INT 200 credit is recorded on the transcript, but may not be used to fulfill the minimum course requirement for graduation.
- Each internship will be supervised by a faculty member who will provide a formal evaluation of its outcome in consultation with the relevant personnel in the workplace. Under the supervisor’s guidance, each intern will produce a tangible academic project during the internship experience, such as a paper, journal, or portfolio.
Option 2: Internships for Department Credit
- The student’s coursework must be approved in advance and be supervised by a member of the department.
- Students can register for an internship with the relevant academic department for course credit that will count as an elective toward the credits required for graduation.
- Only one internship scheduled through an academic department may count towards the minimum number of courses required for graduation.
- The course will be graded as Credit/Non Credit.
- A faculty member will supervise the internship and students must complete the appropriate academic assignments associated with the internship.
- Not all academic departments offer internships for credit. Academic departments and programs that offer internship courses for credit include:
- Art
- Economics
- Engineering Studies
- English
- Environmental Studies
- Film & Media Studies
- Government & Law
- History
- Music
- Psychology
- Theater
- Women’s Gender & Sexuality Studies
If you select this option you must receive both approval from the academic department and register for the course as instructed by the faculty member in the department.
PLEASE also reference the Catalog webpage here:
If you have further questions you may contact The Registrar’s Office at registrar@lafayette.edu.