Internship Policies & Procedures

What is an internship/external experience? How is it approved?

Internships and external experiences belong within the umbrella of experiential learning. Janet Eyler defines experiential learning as:

Experiential education... takes students into the community, helps students both to bridge classroom study and life in the world and to transform inert knowledge into knowledge-in-use. It rests on theories of experiential learning, a process whereby the learner interacts with the world and integrates new learning into old constructs.... Experiential education has value far beyond building the kind of social skills, work ethic, and practical expertise that are important in professionally oriented programs. In fact, experiential education can also lead to more powerful academic learning and help students achieve intellectual goals commonly associated with liberal education, including a deeper understanding of subject matter than is possible through classroom study alone; the capacity for critical thinking and application of knowledge in complex or ambiguous situations; the ability to engage in lifelong learning, including learning in the workplace.

Experiential learning, and in the case of Applied Liberal Studies, internships and external work/service experiences must be completed purposefully. The intent of the experience must be to be further one's understanding of their chosen field through hands-on experience.

Because of the need for purposeful intention in the experience, the ALS Coordinator must approve each experience that is to be used towards the completion of the Applied Liberal Studies degree.

Credit for Previously Completed Internships and External Professional Work Experience for credit at Morgan State University:

Internships that were completed for credit at Morgan State University in departments outside of ALS may count as a substitute for the some of the 18 credit hours in ALS with approval from the Coordinator for ALS.
Students must submit the Internship/External Experience Verification Form no later than the first day of classes for the semester they wish to graduate.

Future Internships/External Work Experiences

Internships and/or External work experiences that will count for academic credit within Applied Liberal Studies must be approved before the start of the experience. The steps outlined below detail the documentation needed for the experience to be approved. 

• Internship/External Experience Proposal Form*
• Letter of Intent explaining:
  • Why should this experience count for academic credit?
  • What do you hope to learn from completing this external experience?
  • How is this experience related to your academic and professional goals?

*Internship/External Experience Proposal Form must be submitted at least 60 days before the experience will begin. Upon completion of the Internship/External Experience, the student must register for APLS 490. Students must complete all APLS 490 requirements for credit hours to be applied towards the progress of degree completion.

Retroactive Credit for Internships/External Work Experiences that have been completed outside of Morgan State University (i.e., non-credit earning internships/external experiences):

To receive retroactive credit for a previously completed internship conducted outside of Morgan State University, students must submit the below documents six weeks before the semester in which they will enroll in APLS 490.

• Resume
• Letter of verification from their internship/employer
• Any artifacts/documentation from their internship/employer that details courses/modules/training completed
• Internship/External Experience Verification Form
  

After Internship/External Experience has been approved students must enroll in APLS 490. During ALS program, students will complete the Internship/External Experience Integration Project to fulfill the requirements of APLS 490.