- Purpose and Rationale
Saint Elizabeth University (SEU) awards academic credit for the integration of work experience and classroom learning. Academic credit is granted based on documented learning that occurs during the term of enrollment. Accordingly, credit is not awarded as recognition for prior work, but as acknowledgment of supervised academic engagement and learning completed during the enrolled academic period.
- Policy Statement
Saint Elizabeth University does not grant retroactive academic credit. This means that credit cannot be awarded for internships or work experiences that have already been completed.
To ensure students receive the appropriate academic credit, all internship experiences must be approved and registered in advance through the proper academic process.- Non-Registered Experiences: Internship credit cannot be granted after the fact. Students who complete an internship without prior registration will not be eligible to receive academic credit for that experience.
- Concurrent Enrollment: To earn credit, students must be officially enrolled in the internship course and actively paying tuition during the same time period that the internship work is taking place.
- Core Requirements for Credit Eligibility
To receive academic credit, students must satisfy these conditions before any hours are logged at the site:- Pre-Approval: The site and job description must be approved by the student’s faculty advisor.
- Formal Registration: The student must be officially registered through the Registrar’s Office.
- Synchronous Learning: Credit is contingent upon completing academic assignments (journals, papers, and evaluations) while the internship is in progress.
- Non-Negotiable Requirements
To maintain the integrity of the degree, SEU adheres to the following:- Post-Completion Credit Requests: Students who have already completed an internship regardless of how closely it relates to their major cannot request academic credit after the experience has ended.
- Resolving Credit Shortages: If students discover they are short on credits for graduation, previously completed or unregistered internships cannot be used to satisfy those remaining requirements.
- No Carryover of Internship Hours: Internship hours must be completed within a single academic term. Hours cannot be carried over from one semester to another for academic credit. Each internship must be properly registered and completed within the same semester in which the credit is earned.
- Deadlines and Student Accountability
- The Add/Drop Rule: All internship paperwork and registration must be finalized by the University's official Add/Drop deadline for the given term.
- Verification of Hours: Only hours logged after the registration is processed and before the semester ends will count toward the total required for the course.
- Risk of Non-Compliance: Students who begin working at a site without an approved contract and active registration do so as volunteers. Those hours cannot be applied to any current or future academic requirement at SEU.
- Deadline Adherence
At Saint Elizabeth University (SEU), all internship courses are governed by the official University Academic Calendar. Students seeking academic credit for an internship must be officially registered for the corresponding course during the term in which the work is performed.
- The Add/Drop Registration Window
Registration for internship credit must be finalized no later than the university’s designated Add/Drop deadline for the given semester or summer session.- Approval Prerequisites: Students are required to identify and ask a current full-time faculty member within their major to serve as their internship faculty advisor. Once confirmed, students must meet with their faculty advisor to determine whether the internship is eligible for academic credit, establish clear learning objectives, and review expectations for the experience before they submit an experience request on Handshake.
- Late Registration Policy: After the Add/Drop period ends, the internship course is considered closed for the semester. At that point, new internship registrations cannot be processed for the current term. Students are encouraged to complete all required steps and submit materials by the deadline to ensure timely enrollment.
- Consequences of Missing Deadlines
Students who secure an internship placement after the Add/Drop deadline has passed, or who fail to complete their registration paperwork on time, will be subject to the following:- Future Enrollment: Students must enroll in the internship course during the academic term (Fall, Spring, or Summer) in which they are actively completing the internship to be eligible for credit. Credit cannot be awarded retroactively, and only hours completed during the enrolled semester will count toward academic credit.
- Non-Registered Experience: Any work completed between the registration deadline and the start of the next academic term will be considered non-credit, voluntary experience and cannot be applied toward degree requirements.
- Term-Specific Registration
To ensure accurate financial and academic reporting, the registration term must coincide with the work period:- Summer Term: Students working during the summer must register for the Summer Session by the Summer Add/Drop date.
- Fall/Spring Terms: Students working during the Fall/Spring must register for the Fall/Spring Session by the designated Add/Drop date.
- No "Banked" Registration: Students are prohibited from registering for an internship in a future term to "cover" work being done in the current term.
- Administrative Finality
The Office of the Registrar is unable to grant overrides for internship courses once the registration window has closed. Students are responsible for ensuring that all required site approvals are completed and that their internship registration is fully processed and reflected on their student account prior to the deadline.
- Student Support and Access Considerations
Students who experience financial, accessibility, or transportation barriers are encouraged to connect with Career Services to explore available support resources and potential accommodations. The University is committed to supporting student access and success, and staff are available to assist students in identifying appropriate options to help them fully participate in internship experiences.
On-campus internships are available in limited circumstances and are designed to provide students with structured, career-related learning experiences within University departments. These opportunities must meet the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE) internship standards to ensure they include meaningful professional development, clear learning objectives, and appropriate supervision.
On-campus internships are intended to serve as a secondary option and are typically considered a last resort when off-campus internship opportunities are not available, accessible, or feasible for a student. Students are strongly encouraged to pursue off-campus internships whenever possible, as these experiences generally provide greater exposure to external professional environments, industry practices, and networking opportunities that support long-term career readiness.
To maintain consistency and academic quality, all proposed on-campus internship positions must be reviewed and approved by Career Services prior to being posted or offered to students. Staff members who wish to host an on-campus intern are required to meet with Career Services to review and develop the position description, including responsibilities, learning outcomes, and supervision structure.
This review process ensures that each role aligns with NACE internship standards, including the requirement that the internship is primarily educational in nature, provides a defined set of learning objectives, and offers regular supervision and feedback. Positions that do not meet these standards will not be approved as internships and may be revised or reclassified as student employment opportunities instead.
A student participating in an on-campus internship is not permitted to have their assigned faculty advisor serve as their internship supervisor. To ensure appropriate academic oversight and maintain clear lines of evaluation and supervision, the internship supervisor must be a separate individual from the faculty advisor. This separation helps preserve objectivity in performance assessment, supports consistent academic standards, and ensures that the student receives independent guidance in both their academic and professional development experiences.
Final approval is required before a student may be placed in an on-campus internship role.