Internships
Purpose
Finding a good job is the number one reason that students, parents, and the public value higher education. Gallup research shows that graduates who had a relevant job or internship experience while in school were more than twice as likely to acquire a good job immediately after graduation than their peers who did not complete an internship (see Busteed and Auter, “Why Colleges Should Make Internships a Requirement,” 2017). Internships give Ensign College students opportunities to apply lessons learned in the classroom, develop professional skills in a real-world environment under supervision from an employer, and interact with a faculty member through associated academic coursework. In addition, internships expand a student’s professional network.
Definition
An “internship” is an academic, curriculum-based, practical work experience in a particular field of study that enhances student learning and development of professional skills. An internship is not a component of a course; rather, it is an applied work experience that includes related academic assignments. An internship requires the supervision of a professional who supervises the work of the intern/employee. Except for rare expectations, the supervisor should not be a relative of the student.
Internship Requirement
To graduate from Ensign College, degree-seeking students are required to complete at least one internship related to a certificate or degree studied at Ensign College.
A student earning an associate degree is required to complete one internship. A student earning a bachelor’s degree is required to complete at least one internship. A student earning only a certificate is not required to complete an internship unless specified as a certificate requirement. A student who applies directly to a bachelor’s degree program is required to complete only one internship unless their program of study requires two internships. If an associate degree program includes two certificates, completion of only one internship is required.
A student who graduates with an associate degree and later enrolls in a bachelor’s degree program at Ensign College will be required to complete two internships—one at the associate degree level and one at the bachelor’s degree level unless otherwise noted.
Internship Standards
Ensign College internship experiences must meet these standards:
1. Relates directly to a student’s certificate or degree program.
2. Provides the student with supervised practical application of previously studied theory.
3. Focuses on real-world projects and problems serving employers or clients who are external to the college.
4. Is administered through enrollment in an academic internship course.
5. Internships are supervised by experience providers rather than faculty.
Ideally, internship experiences will expand a student’s professional network and business relationships.
College-Wide Capabilities (CWC)
An internship experience at Ensign College should include further development of the College-Wide Capabilities that are related to skills that employers are seeking in good candidates, namely:
1. Teamwork and Leadership
2. Communication
3. Technical Skills
4. Problem Solving
5. Professionalism
Time Commitment - Minimum Hours and Weeks
A minimum of 70 hours of total work in the internship experience is required, with a minimum of 10 hours of work per week for 7 weeks in a row. Other scheduling arrangements are acceptable if the minimum requirement is met (for example, a student may complete 40 hours of work per week for 14 weeks).
Most internship providers expect interns to work 20-40 hours per week for at least one semester.
Students must enroll for a minimum of 1 credit hour.