Academic Credit

How do students get academic credit for internships?

There are three different options available for ANSC students to gain academic credit for internships. To learn more about each option, including detailed instructions on how to enroll in the indicated courses, click on the link provided.

Students interested in finding out more about earning academic credit for an internship should contact Dr. Monica VanKlompenberg, our ANSC Internship Coordinator.

There are a few additional factors to keep in mind when a student wants to get credit for an internship.

Regardless of which option is used to get credit, there has to be an academic product that is produced from the internship. The student can't just get credit for being an intern. The product must be something like a research paper or a presentation about some aspect of the internship.
Students must get credit for an internship the semester they are doing it. This means if you are doing a summer internship and want academic credit for it, you have to register for those credits at UMD during the summer.

Types of Internship Credits

Credits will count as general electives, not towards any specific ANSC requirement.

Students wishing to apply to get academic credit for an internship by registering for ANSC389 or ANSC399 must complete the following protocol:

Identify an ANSC faculty member to be their sponsor. This is the person who will review the final scholarly product and give the student a grade.
Discuss with the faculty member what the expectations for the scholarly product will be, and make sure both parties agree.
Determine how many credit hours the student will work. The approximate calculation (based on a normal UMD semester length) is 3-5 hours per week per credit.
Fill out the google form: ANSC389 and 399 form

Important note: Both ANSC389 and ANSC399 are only repeatable to up to 6 credits total (meaning 6 credits is the maximum you can earn for either course), and can only be repeated if content differs.

Please contact Dr. VanKlompenberg (mvanklom@umd.edu) if you have any questions or need additional information.

Credits can count as in-major Scholarship in Practice (General Education requirement), as well as 3-credits of Advanced ANSC Elective requirement. **Important note: Students can only use ANSC359 to satisfy 3 credits of the Advanced ANSC Elective requirement. Even if you take ANSC359 for more than 3 credits, it can only count towards 3 credits of the Advanced ANSC Elective.

ANSC359 (Internship Experience in Animal and Avian Sciences) has been approved as Scholarship in Practice, so can count as an in-major Scholarship in Practice course towards a student's General Education requirement. Students may also use ANSC359 to satisfy 3 credits of the Advanced ANSC Elective requirement. **Important note: Students can only use ANSC359 to satisfy 3 credits of the Advanced ANSC Elective requirement. Even if you take ANSC359 for more than 3 credits, it can only count towards 3 credits of the Advanced ANSC Elective. This course will be offered every Fall and Spring semester.

Through the internship course, you will be able to create a guided academic project by the end of the semester. Examples of projects would include a research manuscript, research paper, SOP for your internship site or something similar that you define in your learning contract. Internships for the course can be on- or off-campus and can be paid or unpaid. The course can be taken for 3-6 credits depending on how many hours you plan to work at your internship each week (See the table below.)

Enrollment in ANSC359 requires instructor permission and the way to obtain permission is listed below:

Enrollment Procedure

Find an internship
Submit an internship though this google form: https://forms.gle/2mV7jASQfL7cuhmy5
Once received, your application will be reviewed by Dr. VanKlompenberg
Upon approval, you will be sent an email notifying you of permission to enroll in the course

Credits

3 credits: 90 hours at internship site (~ 6hrs/week) + 45 hours for coursework
4 credits: 135 hours at internship site (~ 9hrs/week) + 45 hours for coursework
5 credits: 180 hours at internship site (~ 12hrs/week) + 45 hours for coursework
6 credits: 225 hours at internship site (~ 15hrs/week) + 45 hours for coursework

Please contact Dr. VanKlompenberg (mvanklom@umd.edu) if you have any questions or need additional information.

UNIV 099 is a non-credit course which provides transcript verification of your internship without a tuition charge (although a modest fee is required to enroll). This is frequently used for summer internships or when the internship provider requires the student be enrolled for credit during the internship period. More information on UNIV099, including how to register, is available through the Career Center.