Internships

UWF Department of Accounting and Finance internships.

Purpose

The purpose of the internship program is to provide students with a unique opportunity to gain "real world" experience in business fields while pursuing their studies. Therefore, an internship is not simply a part-time job; it is a fixed term work experience with clear learning objectives. It provides the opportunity for the student to apply concepts and theories learned in the classroom to practical situations and problems under the supervision and guidance of a practicing professional. The intern, then, should interact with the business owner/manager and be exposed to the decision making process within the firm. The internship may be full time or part time, paid or unpaid. Note: Internships for credit must be paid unless with a not-for-profit organization; this is per Federal law.

Check out the accounting salaries by state.

Internship Opportunities

Information about the internship program can be found on the Office of Career Development and Community Engagement website. In addition, students registered with Handshake can view current listings of internship opportunities. Students who are unable to locate an internship through Handshake, can contact an employer directly to arrange an internship position, subject to approval by the intern advisor.

Requirements of the Student Intern

As a general rule, senior standing and a GPA of 2.75 will be the minimum to participate in the internship program. Students may utilize internship credit for COB or non-COB elective hours. Core courses cannot be replaced by an internship.

Academic Credit

Academic credit for an internship position must be approved prior to starting in the employment position. Once a student receives an offer of employment, the student should schedule an appointment with the department internship advisor or department chair who will determine if the position qualifies for academic credit. This involves a review of the job description obtained by the advisor/chair from the employer and determination if the student will be adequately supervised, a review of the student's transcript, and securing signed agreements from the student and the employer. If the position is approved for credit, the advisor or chair will initiate the appropriate forms necessary to send to the Registrar to register for the student for the course for credit (either ACG 4941 or FIN 4941). Tuition is assessed for the course just as for any other course.

At the conclusion of the internship, the student must submit an evaluation and written paper about the internship experience and its relation to the student's major courses before the end of finals' week. The student will also need to obtain an evaluation from the employer and should discuss this evaluation with the employer at the conclusion of the internship; it should also be submitted to the department chair prior to the end of finals' week. Once the department chair receives both evaluations and the paper, the chair will submit the grade (S/U) for the course.

Up to 3 hours of academic credit may be earned in the Intern program. In certain unusual circumstances, additional credit may be granted or an additional internship may be proposed. The number of academic credits will range from 1 to 3 hours and will be determined by the following schedule of hours worked at the intern firm during the semester:

Schedule of Hours Worked at the Intern Firm
Min Hours Worked Per Week/15 Week Semester	Min Hours Worked Per Week/12 Week Semester	Academic Credit Earned
12	15	3
8	10	2
4	4	1

Time requirements are proportionate when the internship is carried out in the B or C terms (8-week). As a rule, interns are not available for the 6 week summer terms.

With justification, these guidelines may be amended. For instance, some national companies offer very high quality, well-managed intern programs wherein intern students may work as much as 40 or more hours per week while earning a professional-level salary. Exceptions will by granted by an Intern Advisor.

Grading

Since the internship is essentially a "practicum," it is graded on a "Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory" (S/U) basis. Students are expected to be familiar with the impact of an S/U on the GPA for the catalog year under which they are enrolled. Typically, a "U" counts as 0.0 grade points, and an "S" has no impact on the calculation of the GPA.