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Graduate Practicum: Studio & Digital Arts (SADA)

Register for Your Practicum

The practicum is field experience where you will work under a site supervisor for 90 contact hours for a 3-credit course and be tasked with the creation of a significant body of creative work or product during your experience. You are required to submit a presentation of completed practicum creative work during the midpoint and upon completion of the course in order to receive passing credit. Please review the Internship/Practicum Step By Step Process before you proceed.


Hours of Work

A 3-credit hour practicum requires that you work at least 90 hours.


Credit Hours

Practicum credit hours must be completed within your degree. Practicums must be completed during the semester in which you are registered for the course.


Finding a Practicum

We recommend that all students contact the Career Center to start the process of looking for a practicum – this is your first point of contact. They can help equip you with the resources needed to locate a suitable practicum opportunity. Look for the appointment link to request an appointment with a Career Counselor.

The Career Center has made it even easier for you to connect with professionals in your area and around the world. It is recommended that you visit our Career Fairs. Here you’ll have access to Liberty University’s ever-expanding network of professionals looking for new talent. This is an excellent opportunity for you to network and learn what positions are available. The Career Center website contains information for all Liberty talent, including residential, online, and alumni. All students have access to Career Counselors as well. Residential students meet in person, and online students have exclusive rights to phone appointments.

Additionally, the Career Center has created a resource for practicum opportunities through Handshake, a cloud-based solution that connects students and alumni with career opportunities and events. Handshake has more than 500 schools and over 9 million students and alumni in its network. 250,000+ employers and Fortune 500 companies actively use Handshake to recruit. You can find practicums and internships as well as full-time positions through Handshake.

You may acquire a position outside of the Career Center; however, there is important information you will need pertaining to paid and unpaid positions. In general, if you intern with a For-profit company/organization you should be paid at least minimum wage ($7.25 per hour) for all contact hours. Non-paid exceptions regarding For-profit field internships (includes the Practicum) can be found by reviewing Fact Sheet #71 through an internet search. Non-profits and government entities are exempt from the minimum wage payment requirement, but some of these are starting to pay as well. Whether your practicum is paid or not, the experience is what you are looking for, so measure carefully as to what you will gain through the experience when considering a practicum.


Practicum Site Responsibilities

You must be directly supervised by a site supervisor who has a degree in your area of study or has considerable documented experience in the given field – at least 3-5 years of experience.

  • A virtual practicum is acceptable. Site supervisor means a physical employer, so the activity between the employer and the student can be online/remote interaction if this is the method in which the company/organization conducts their business.
  • The company/organization must provide enough work to fill the work hour requirements agreed upon in the contract.
  • Your site supervisor must agree to give feedback about your experience filling out a mid and final evaluation.

Practicum Eligibility

To be eligible for a practicum, you must have:

  • 3.0 GPA or higher
  • Declared a degree (studio art or graphic design) within the SADA department
  • Completed 15 hours of your degree

Adding Your Practicum Class (Residential)

The process for registration is unique and there are specific steps that you must follow before you can gain entry. The internship has an academic hold so that no student can register like a normal class. Upon successful completion of a contract, your faculty internship advisor will send a registration request to have you added to the class.

  1. Secure your internship/practicum. You must have secured an internship/practicum before completing any paperwork.
  2. Go to: https://liberty.joinhandshake.com
  3. At the top of the page, click on “Career Center.” This will take you to the Liberty page. Click on “Experiences,” and then click “Submit an Experience” at the top right.  In the “Experience Type” drop-down menu, click on the appropriate form: SCA – SADA RESIDENTIAL Internship/Practicum. Follow the instructions on the form, and answer it in its entirety. Submit your form when you are finished. NOTE: Your site supervisor will be contacted to approve your form by the email address that you list for him/her on the Handshake form. Therefore, make sure the address is accurate, and remind your supervisor to check their inbox (including spam and junk) for the Handshake form.
  4. Once your Handshake form is submitted, your site supervisor will need to approve it, your faculty internship/practicum coordinator and advisor will need to approve it, and lastly, the department chair will need to approve it. Once all digital signatures are submitted, your course will be added.

Residential Registration Deadlines

  • Summer internship – third Friday in April (contact faculty internship advisor in advance)
  • Fall internship – third Friday in April (contact faculty internship advisor in advance)
  • Spring internship – third Friday in November (contact faculty internship advisor in advance)

*Because the prerequisite approvals and contract take time to complete, you need to give yourself plenty of time to register. Contact Christopher Phillips at csphillips4@liberty.edu with any questions.


Adding your Practicum Course (LUO)

The process for registration is unique and there are specific steps that you must follow before you can gain entry.

  1. Secure your internship/practicum. You must have secured an internship/practicum before completing any paperwork.
  2. Go to: https://liberty.joinhandshake.com
  3. At the top of the page, click on “Career Center.” This will take you to the Liberty page. Click on “Experiences,” and then click “Submit an Experience” at the top right.  In the “Experience Type” drop-down menu, click on the appropriate form: SCA – SADA LUO Internship/Practicum. Follow the instructions on the form, and answer it in its entirety. Submit your form when you are finished. NOTE: Your site supervisor will be contacted to approve your form by the email address that you list for him/her on the Handshake form. Therefore, make sure the address is accurate, and remind your supervisor to check their inbox (including spam and junk) for the Handshake form.
  4. Once your Handshake form is submitted, your site supervisor will need to approve it, your faculty internship/practicum coordinator and advisor will need to approve it, and lastly, the department chair will need to approve it. Once all digital signatures are submitted, your course will be added.

LUO Registration Deadlines

For all deadlines, see the LUO academic calendar. Contact Advising luoadvising@liberty.edu with any questions.

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