Internships

The Internship Program of Cumberland University provides students an opportunity to learn from doing, and to add experience to your resume. Your time as an intern will be one of the most beneficial parts of your learning experience during college. While each academic department constructs its own learning goals and grading criteria for its interns, the management of the internship program and registration process is assumed by the Office of Career Services and Internships. The Director of Career Services & Internships is here to assist you in any way possible to make your internship work for you, both as a career assessment tool and as an important credential as you work toward your career goals.

What is an internship?

Internships give students a unique opportunity to apply what they’ve learned in class in a real employment setting. They require students to be more responsible and aware of the given environment and to apply learned skills as the student intern works directly under the employer. An internship is not part of an academic course, but IS the academic course.

Students participating in an internship may or may not be paid. Most organizations require that students seek academic credit for the experience. The university requires that students complete the internship hours while enrolled in the academic internship course. For students not receiving compensation during the internship, the Fair Labor Standards Act will be required to be signed by the internship employer.

Students may also be required by faculty coordinators to submit assignments or special projects based on information gathered during the internship experience.
Finding an internship
- Review advertised internships posted on the CU App under Jobs & Internships, as well as online at Hire CU
  Hire CU
- Speak with your professors, family and friends for ideas of locations for internships. Who do they know who works in the field in which you want to work? Some of the best internships and jobs are found through NETWORKING!
- Think outside the box! Contact Career Services to schedule a discussion regarding what companies have previously offered similar internships or an idea you have but don’t see a listing. Don’t limit yourself to just Lebanon or Wilson County for internships.
Internship Qualifications
- Students must be classified as juniors or seniors to be eligible to complete an internship. Other approvals will come with extenuating circumstances by approval of the school Dean and Director of Career Services and Internships.
- Students must be in good standing with the university.
- Student must have a cumulative GPA of 2.5 or above, as determined by their program
- Internships must be directly related to your major, minor or occupational goal, and approved by the Faculty Coordinator.
- Clock hours worked for internships can only be worked after the first day of class and before the week before finals during the semester term in which the student is enrolled in the course. Students may work before or after the semester dates, but those hours will not be counted toward the internship requirement.
- No internship will be held over a 2-semester window. Each will take place during a single semester only (for financial aid and audit purposes).
- Internship Employers must be willing to enter into the “Internship Registration Agreement” with Cumberland University.
Credit Offering and Grading
The credits awarded are determined according to the hours worked on site per semester. The required minimum number of clock hours worked for the number of credit hours registered are listed below:
- 1 credit hour = 50 minimum clock hours
- 2 credit hours = 100 minimum clock hours
- 3 credit hours = 150 minimum clock hours
- 10 credit hours = 400 minimum clock hours
NOTE: Hours worked on site may vary among departments based on accreditation standards and/or other extenuating circumstances as determined by the school Dean and Director of Career Services and Internships.
- Faculty Coordinators will assign projects to student interns to be submitted prior to final evaluations. Projects may range from written papers to presentations, to reading books. Those assignments will be used to determine final grade.
- Midterm evaluations will be sent to interns to complete and share with their employers to complete one week prior to midterm in the semester. Midterm evaluations are used to address any issues not revealed previously by interns or employers.
- Final evaluations will be sent to interns to complete and share with their employers to complete two weeks prior to the last class day of the semester. This evaluation will allow for employer and student review in the overall internship work experience.
- Employer and student evaluations of the internship experience will be forwarded to faculty coordinators for inclusion in the consideration of midterm and final grades.
- Once faculty members receive evaluations, a pass/fail grade may be entered. Incomplete grades are not given for internships.
Internship Process
Students wishing to review all documentation involved in the Internship Process may locate those documents under the Internship Documentation tab of this section.
- The complete internship process is described in the Internship Registration Process document.
- The Internship Registration Agreement is the fillable PDF that students will complete, along with their internship employer and the faculty internship coordinator in order to request registration in the internship course for their major.
- The Internship Introduction Letter may be presented to potential internship employers as an explanation of the internship process at Cumberland University.
- Timesheets will be used by the student to submit their work record to faculty coordinators.
- Student and Employer evaluations will be shared by email with active students and employers when appropriate.
Internship Documentation
When searching or registering for an internship, students will need the following forms:
- The Internship Introduction Letter – which may be shared with employers unfamiliar with Cumberland’s internship program.
- The Internship Registration Process – gives step by step details on how to register for an internship.
- The Internship Agreement – a fillable pdf document that must be completed in order for the Director of Career Services & Internships to submit registration for the internship course.

Contact Us

If you have any questions or would like more information about our services, please don’t hesitate to reach out. Please contact Career Services at careerservices@cumberland.edu or 615 547-1308.