Do you have an internship arranged for the next semester or summer but don’t know how you could earn credits for it? Perhaps your internship isn’t related to your major or you don’t meet the minimum credits completed or the GPA requirements to earn internship credits in your major. If so, the BSOS Internship Practicum in the Social Sciences, BSOS Social Science Internship Practicum or BSOS Experiential Learning might work for you.

Internship eligibility:  Academic credit may only be awarded for para- or pre-professional work with well-established organizations and regular and frequent supervision from experienced professionals. Clerical and basic administrative office work will not qualify for BSOS internships. 

The internship must be a completely new experience new to you; it cannot be a continuation of or return to a previously held position.

The internship must be completed on site with direct supervision. Internet-based internships are not eligible.

BSOS Internship Guidelines:  Hours depend on the number of credits to be earned.

1 credit = 45 hours

Training hours may count in the total number of hours. Hours must be completed by the end of final exams in the academic period the student is registered for the internship course. 

Intern responsibilities: Primarily pre-professional or para-professional-level work. Clerical and related tasks ("grunt" work) should not exceed 20 percent of the intern's duties.

Responsibilities may include, but are not limited to:

Schedule, attire, and reporting responsibilities: Should be discussed with intern supervisor and set before the internship starts. Intern and intern supervisor expectations should be agreed to and listed in internship contract. Time logs will be kept by the intern, approved by the intern supervisor, and submitted to the BSOS internship coordinator every two weeks on the BSOS internship time log form.

A BSOS internship learning contract is to be completed and signed by the intern and intern supervisor, and returned to the Internship Coordinator prior to the start of the internship. The purpose of this contract is to assist the student and internship supervisor with:

• Clarifying both party's goals, objectives, and expectations of the internship
• Jointly developing a plan to meet the goals, objectives, and expectations of this internship
• Understand their responsibilities in this internship
• Establishing a regular meeting schedule for on-going feedback & evaluation; the intern supervisor will complete an intern evaluation form at the end of the semester which will be factored into the student grade for the BSOS internship course(s)

Student Eligibility requirements: Students must have a 2.5 minimum GPA and have completed 30+ credits. They may be in any university major.

Additional Steps for International Students:

1.  Take I-20, your learning contract, and any job description from your internship supervisor to your OIS coordinator.

2.  Meet with your OIS coordinator to complete curriculum practical training (CPT) paperwork. 

BSOS Internship Courses:

Students with 30-60 completed credits by the end of the previous semester:

A. BSOS 288I (1-3 credits), Internship Practicum in the Social Sciences

Students with 61+ completed credits by the end of the previous semester:
B. BSOS 388I  (1-3 credits), Social Science Internship Practicum
C. BSOS 386 (3-6 credits), Experiential Learning (NOTE: BSOS 386 may not be repeated)

The number of credits earned depends on the number of hours that you will intern, excluding travel and meals, during the semester (first day of classes through the last day of final exams; we encourage students to complete internships by the end of classes).

Internship Contracts and Course Syllabi:  Students are responsible for securing their internships. The University Career Center is an excellent starting place for your search. Upon securing an internship, please review the appropriate BSOS internship learning contract and course syllabus below. You and your internship supervisor must complete the learning contract and submit it to the internship coordinator before the end of schedule adjustment. Your contract must be approved by the internship coordinator before you may enroll in a BSOS internship course.

The university is an equal opportunity institution with respect to education and employment. The university's policies, programs and activities are in compliance with pertinent federal and state laws and regulations on nondiscrimination regarding race, color, religion, age, national original, sex, sexual orientation and handicap. On your internship site, if you perceive any problems related to the above or if you believe you have been the target for sexual or other forms of harassment, contact Kathryn Hopps at khopps@umd.edu or Associate Dean Katherine Pedro Beardsley at kbeard@umd.edu . 

For more information about BSOS internships, please contact a college advisor, a department advisor or:

To view the internship documents you may need to download Adobe Reader®