Information for Interns |
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Click to download the INTERNSHIP MANUAL
The term "Internship," refers to a supervised educational work experience with an approved agency, organization, or institution. An Internship allows a student to develop professionally through a work experience under the guidance of leaders in the field.
In addition, the Internship site is an extension of the curriculum, and the Internship experience affords the student an opportunity to apply his/her theoretical knowledge and technical skills in a practical manner, gaining valuable pre-professional in-service training, which will better enable him/her to perform with a higher level of skill and confidence.
All undergraduate Recreation majors must meet the following requirements to be eligible for REC 490 Internship:
- Have completed all other core course requirements for major (a total of 24) AND
- Have completed at least 150 Contact Hours (see description below) (download CONTACT HOURS FORM) since declaring the major AND
- Have a 2.0 GPA overall AND
- Have received a "C" or better in each course fulfilling major requirements (core and electives). EXECPTION - a student may count up to 3 credit hours of "D" as a part of their major requirements.
For more information about internship requirements and the internship experience, please see the REC 490 Internship manual. Appendices C & D include lists of previous internship locations as well as local and area recreation agencies and attractions that may be beneficial for students seeking part-time employment, contact hours, intership sites, or personal recreation opportunities.
Contact Hours
Before a student can register for an internship (REC 490), he/she must complete 150 contact hours professional field experience. These hours can be accrued by volunteering or working at various recreation agencies. These contact hours allow the student to gain a variety of experiences, which will aid in possible career path decisions.
Guidelines for accumulating contact hours:
- Contact hours can only be given for delivering, or assisting with the delivery of leisure services. Volunteering for a charitable organization only counts for contact hours when you assist with a recreation or parks based program or facility management or planning.
- Students must have contact hours from a minimum of three (3) recreation agencies.
- Students must have a minimum of 50 contact hours from one agency.
- Students must have a minimum of 25 contact hours from a second agency.
- Students must have a minimum of 10 contact hours from a third agency.
- The remaining 65 hours may come from one of the three agencies listed above, or from a variety of other recreation agencies.
- Students are strongly encouraged to have at least 15 hours working with a special population.
- Contact Hour Agency requirements: The agency must be a public, non-profit, or commercial agency that provides recreation and leisure services.
- Contact Hour Agency Supervisor requirements: The supervisor from the recreation agency must be a regular employee of the organization (year-round full-time, seasonal full-time, or possibly year-round part-time). It is strongly encouraged that the agency supervisor has administrative and supervisory duties as part of their job.
Record keeping:
- Students are responsible for keeping a signed copy of all of their contact forms.
- Students may turn in a copy of their contact hours to the Recreation Administration Program office staff or faculty members for inclusion in their student file, however, they must accept responsibility for their contact hour forms. Students must realize that if their sheets get filed incorrectly or become misplaced it is their own responsibility to contact the agency supervisor to get new signatures and verification of their hours.
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