Undergraduate Internships with SADA
Internship Information
Internships are field experience opportunities where you will work under a site supervisor for the duration of the course. You will complete tasks as requested by your site supervisor and report on your experiences through journals, reflection assignments, and evaluations. Please review the Internship/Practicum Step By Step Process before you proceed.
Hours of Work
Depending on your major:
- B.S. students are required to complete a 3-credit hour internship that involves at least 180 contact hours under the supervision of a professional in your field of study.
- B.S. students may choose to register for an internship for more than 3 credit hours. Up to 6 credit hours are allowed.
- B.F.A. Studio Art students are required to complete a 1-2-credit hour internship that involves at least 60 contact hours per credit under the supervision of a professional in your field of study.
- B.F.A. Graphic Design students are required to complete 3-credit hours for the internship that involves at least 180 contact hours under the supervision of a professional in your field of study.
Each additional credit hour (over 3) adds 60 hours of work to your internship requirements.
Additional internship credit hours can be used to fulfill upper-level elective requirements on your Degree Completion Plan (DCP).
You can take a 6-credit hour internship. You would specify 6-credit hours and 360 contact hours on your paperwork. A 6-credit hour internship is rare due to the amount of contact hours required in an 8 (LUO) or 16-week (RES and LUO) course. This, of course, would require double the amount of hours/work on your part and your site supervisor’s part.
Credit Hours
The first 3 credit hours of your internship must be completed within your major – not your minor. Internships must be completed during the semester in which you are registered for the course. Additionally, you cannot receive credit for an internship that you have completed but were not registered for prior to interning.
Extended Internships
You may find that you like your internship so much that you want to continue for more than one semester. If so, you will need to fill out a separate Handshake application for each additional semester you want course credit.
Finding an Internship
We recommend that all students contact the Career Center to start the process of looking for internships – this is your first point of contact. They can help equip you with the resources needed to locate a suitable internship 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 to 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 internship 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 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 internships 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 internship 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 an internship.
If you are having issues locating an experience, please consider taking the internship course in a future semester or term. This may allow additional time to secure an internship position. Students unable to locate an internship should contact their internship advisor to discuss what other options might be available no less than 1-week before the Financial Check-In deadline.
Internship 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 internship 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.
Internship Eligibility
To be eligible for an internship, you must have:
- Junior or senior status
- 2.0 GPA or higher
- Declared a major within the SADA department
- Completed 24 hours within a Studio and Digital Arts major
- No more than one outstanding CSER requirement (for Resident students only)
Adding Your Internship Course (Residential)
All students intending to complete an ARTS 499 must contact their faculty internship advisor. Residential students should contact Christopher Phillips csphillips4@liberty.edu. LUO students should contact Nicholle Gould nkabbott@liberty.edu.
Here’s what you do:
- Secure your internship/practicum. You must have secured an internship/practicum before completing any paperwork.
- Go to: https://liberty.joinhandshake.com
- 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.
- 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
- Fall internship – third Friday in April
- Spring internship – third Friday in November
*Because the prerequisite approvals and contract take time to complete, allow for plenty of time to register. Contact Christopher Phillips at csphillips4@liberty.edu with any questions.
Adding Your Internship Course (LUO)
The process for registration is unique and there are specific steps that you must follow before you can gain entry:
- Secure your internship/practicum. You must have secured an internship/practicum before completing any paperwork.
- Go to: https://liberty.joinhandshake.com
- 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.
- 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.