Registering for Internship Credit

Please note:

CSB/SJU will permit flexible academic internships at this time, meaning students can register for either virtual or in-person experiences. Internship hosts and student interns are strongly encouraged to discuss and outline workplace safety protocols that align with current public health guidelines.

You must be officially registered before you can begin your internship for credit.

Internship credits cannot be earned retroactively, thus students are not allowed to register for credit after completing an internship experience. You are not able to count hours towards your internship until the completed contract has been received by the XPD Office.

You must have achieved junior standing in order to be eligible for an internship for credit.

Students must have achieved junior standing (earned 58 credits toward graduation) to be eligible to complete an academic internship. Deviations from this guideline require prior approval from the department chair and the Associate Director of XPD.

Find a Faculty Moderator in the department where you plan to earn internship credits.

The faculty moderator is typically a professor from whom you've taken a class or with whom you've developed a relationship. GBUS students are assigned a moderator and should consult with the department for guidance.


Academic interns must determine the number of internship credits you intend to earn.

Interns can serve more hours on-site than the minimums outlined below without increasing credit hours earned. Please consult with your faculty advisor or Academic Advising to determine how many credits you need!

Calculate the minimum hours you’ll need to spend on-site: 

Number of Credits

Minimum Required Hour On-Site Minimum Duration (Weeks) Minimum Academic Requirements (Means of Evaluation)
1 40 4 Weekly journal or final, reflective paper
2 80 4  
3 120 4  
4 160 4 Weekly journals, academic paper (6-10 pages, citing peer-reviewed sources) or discipline appropriate assignment, and final reflective paper 
5 200 5  
6 240 6  
7 280 7  
8 320 8 Weekly journals, academic paper (6-10 pages, citing peer-reviewed sources) or discipline appropriate assignment, final reflective paper, and a second, larger project (e.g., another academic paper, presentation or portfolio)

Please note: Academic internships over eight credits are rare and the workload for such an internship would require correspondingly more hours of on-site and academic work. The terms of an 8+ credit internship will have to be negotiated with the sponsoring academic department and XPD - Experience and Professional Development.


When registering for classes during typical registration periods, those planning to register for internship credits must be sure to register for the "Internship placeholder" based on the semester information below:

  • Fall: DNA 397 O1A, CRN #11192
  • Spring: DNA 397 01A, CRN #12799
  • Summer: No code needed
  • Also enter the accurate amount of credits you hope to earn.

Meet with your faculty moderator to discuss the Learning Contract (including learning objectives, learning activities and strategies for evaluation of learning related to the internship experience). Access an entire PDF copy of the Learning Contract.

Please note: This document should be used for conversation purposes only and cannot be submitted as a hard copy nor in lieu of the online form. 

Start drafting a Learning Contract using the online Learning Contract system.


After your Learning Contract has been reviewed and approved by your faculty moderator, department chair, and your site supervisor, XPD will submit the final contract to the Registrar's Office for official registration in Banner.

  • The faculty moderator, department chair, site supervisor, and yourself will receive a copy of this email message.
  • Once you receive this message, you are able to count hours towards your internship credit requirement guidelines. For this reason, it is especially important you submit the learning contract ASAP and in advance of your intended start date at the internship site!
  • Complete the required, online Legal and Professional Issues Sessions before or during the first week of your internship. XPD tracks who has/hasn't completed this assignment, which can be accessed online using your CSB/SJU username and password.