Technical Writing Internships
Internship Policies
Because you will receive academic credit for your internship, your internship is like any other class you may take in that there are certain guidelines you must follow in order to be eligible for the internship as well as to complete the internship and receive the credit. These guidelines are summarized below.
Description of the Internship
Academic credit is given for approved internships under the course umbrella English 498 when the following criteria are met.
- The internship involves
- technical (practical) writing and/or editing for at least 3 hours a week
- For each course credit, a student
- works 3 hours or more a week at internship site
- keeps a journal of internship activities
- meets regularly with the internship director
- shows the journal and work done at the site to the mentor at meetings during the semester
- presents a 5-page technical report
describing the internship
- what was valuable to him or her
- how the internship bridged classes and career
- what classes were especially useful
- which classes the student would now take
- in what way the internship has helped the student define her or his career plans
Eligibility
In order to be eligible for an internship, you must have completed English 305 and 9 other credits from writing classes, not including English 110. However, in some cases, if the committee thinks a student is ready, some of the additional 9 credits may be waived. Please consult the UWEC Catalogue description of English 498 for course prerequisites.
Credit Limit
A student may earn up to 6 credits through internships (English 498); usually this is done over more than one semester and in two different internships, but this is not always the case.
Time Spent at the Site
The time requirements at the internship site match the time a student is expected to spend for each course credit earned, i.e., for 1 credit, 1 hour in class as well as 2 hours of class preparation for each hour spent in class (reading, writing, studying for exams, etc.). Thus an internship should fit into a student's class schedule the way a 1-, 2-, or 3-credit course would.
Unpaid and Paid Internships
Most of the internships are unpaid, although occasionally an internship is paid at the discretion of the employer. We will assume in the latter case the students may work more than three hours per course credit because they are being compensated for their time monetarily as well as in terms of course credit; for example, a student might work 15-20 hours/week for a 3-credit paid internship.
Grades
The internship grade is determined by the internship director in consultation with the site supervisor and is based on work done at the site as well as on the journal, the final report, and general professional conduct.
Availability of Internships
The number of internships available changes every semester. Interested students need to apply the semester before their actual internship. How to apply will be explained at an internship information meeting that will be held in October for spring internships and March for fall internships. Internships available the following semester will be announced at the meeting. Meeting date and time will be announced in classes, posted in classrooms, and emailed to all English majors and minors several weeks before the meeting.
