SLAM 4560 (Internship) is a one-credit course that students request to enroll in and complete concurrently with an approved internship. The course is designed for students whose employers require academic credit as a condition of participation, as well as students who want to connect a professional experience to their academic and career development. The course provides an academic framework for the internship experience and encourages students to intentionally connect their workplace experiences to their academic learning, professional development, and future career goals.
SLAM 4560 is organized around three interconnected areas: Applied Learning, Professional Development, and Career Mapping.
- Applied Learning encourages students to connect concepts, knowledge, and skills developed through their academic experiences to the opportunities and challenges they encounter in a professional setting.
- Professional Development focuses on developing and strengthening transferable skills through direct professional experience.
- Career Mapping encourages students to use the internship to explore potential career pathways and better understand how their interests, academic experiences, skills, and professional goals intersect.
Together, these areas transform the internship from a workplace experience into an intentional academic and professional learning experience.
Eligibility and Internship Requirements
To take the course, students must have completed a full year of college coursework. Students are responsible for identifying and securing their own internships. SLAM does not place students with employers.
To receive approval, the internship must be a distinct, structured professional learning experience that gives students opportunities to develop new skills, assume meaningful responsibilities, and gain experience related to their academic, professional, or career interests. Students may complete internships with businesses, nonprofit organizations, government agencies, community organizations, and other approved employers. Experiences may be in person, remote, or hybrid. An internship generally must:
- Be a formal internship or structured professional experience with an established organization or employer.
- Include a designated supervisor responsible for overseeing the student's work and professional development.
- Include clearly defined responsibilities, expectations, and learning opportunities appropriate for an internship experience.
- Provide meaningful opportunities for the student to develop professional and transferable skills.
- Be distinct from the student's regular part-time or full-time employment, if applicable.
- Not involve working directly for a friend or family member or serving primarily as a personal assistant to an individual.
- Be conducted during the same academic term in which the student is enrolled in SLAM 4560.
The internship should include defined learning objectives, designated supervision, specific responsibilities, and opportunities for professional growth. Regular part-time or full-time employment does not qualify for internship credit simply because a student is employed during the academic term. All internship responsibilities should be professional and work-related. Students and supervisors should establish expectations regarding responsibilities, work schedules, supervision, and compensation (if applicable) before the internship begins.
Approval Process
Students must receive SLAM approval before registering for SLAM 4560. Securing an internship does not automatically guarantee approval for academic credit via SLAM 4560. To request approval, students must:
- Complete the Internship Certification Form, including required information from the internship supervisor; and
- Have received a formal internship offer letter or comparable documentation identifying the employer, internship dates, supervisor, and primary responsibilities.
- Submit the completed Internship Certification Form and offer letter/documentation here: SLAM 4560 (Internship) Registration Request Form
Incomplete applications will not be reviewed. Once an internship has been approved, the student will receive authorization to register for SLAM 4560. Students are responsible for completing registration by the University's applicable course registration and add/drop deadlines. Students cannot receive retroactive internship credit. Students must take SLAM 4560 in the same academic term as the internship.
Applications to register for SLAM 4560 are reviewed during the University’s course registration period. Please allow up to seven (7) business days from the date of submission to receive a decision. Students are responsible for submitting their application with enough time for review and, if approved, registration before the University’s applicable registration and add/drop deadlines. Submission of an application does not guarantee approval or registration in SLAM 4560.
Repeating SLAM 4560
Students may enroll in SLAM 4560 more than once when participation in an additional internship requires enrollment in an academic course. However, only one credit hour of SLAM 4560 may be applied toward the student's degree requirements, subject to applicable University policies. Students completing internships across multiple semesters must submit a new Internship Certification Form and receive approval for each semester of enrollment.