Policies and Procedures

The School of Sport Sciences has established the following policies related to internship placements. Please review these policies carefully before applying for and accepting an internship for credit through the Mountaineer GOAL Program.

1. A standard approval form is used for all for-credit internships awarded through the Mountaineer GOAL Program. Please use the linked confirmation form to notify CAHS Office of Student Success personnel at the point you have been offered and accepted an internship with WVU Athletics. The form will be initiated by the student requesting internship approval with a completed version automatically routed to the internship site supervisor and internship coordinator. Students will not be able to register for their internship course without a confirmation form on file.

2. Student interns should consult with their academic advisor or program faculty regarding the appropriate course number and credit hours when completing an internship for academic credit. Use the following time estimates as a guideline for determining the minimum number of internship hours needed per credit:

   1. 1-credit internship requires 45 hours
   2. 2-credit internship requires 90 hours
   3. 3-credit hour internship requires 135 hours
   4. 6-credit hour internship requires 270 hours
   5. 9-credit hour internship requires 405 hours
   6. 12-credit hour internship requires 540 hours

3. All credit-bearing courses require a syllabus that includes related learning outcomes, activities, assessments and grading criteria. Students are required to document progress during their internship and demonstrate completion of the course learning outcomes. The specific internship requirements will be detailed in the course syllabus.

4. The student intern is responsible for working with their internship site supervisor to comply with all internship site pre-requisites prior to the start of their placements (e.g., application materials, certifications, criminal background checks, health screenings). These pre-requisites will vary considerably across placements, so we encourage students to be proactive in identifying their internship site well before the start of the intended term.

5. Successful student internships are dependent on maintaining clear channels of communication among all involved parties. Toward that end, contact information should be exchanged early in the placement between the student intern, internship site supervisor and course instructor.

6. Professional attire and behavior are always expected by student interns. Neither the course instructor nor internship site supervisor will tolerate unprofessional behavior. All reported incidents of unprofessional behavior of student interns will be acted upon immediately. The student intern could be suspended from the placement until the incident is resolved.

7. Students are to call their respective internship site supervisor prior to their scheduled hours if they are going to be late or absent that day. Student interns are to send a follow-up e-mail to the internship site supervisor and course instructor to explain the reason for the absence or tardiness. If this policy is not followed, this will be viewed as unprofessional behavior and subject to termination of the internship placement.

   The ONLY acceptable reasons for absence from scheduled internship hours are illness or a death in the immediate family, participation in a university-sponsored event, or attendance at an approved professional development opportunity (e.g., state or national conference which needs pre-approval at least one month in advance). Hours missed will be ‘made-up’ prior to the end of the placement at the discretion of the internship site supervisor. Make-up days will be arranged in collaboration with the site site supervisor, university supervisor and the coordinator of field experiences.

8. Student interns are expected to follow the same work calendar as the organizations in which they are placed. On scheduled campus days, student interns are required to report to campus for their course-related activities. Additionally, a student’s internship assignment may not align with University holidays (i.e. fall break, spring break, etc.). Subsequently, students must communicate proactively with internship site supervisors regarding University holidays and the internship supervisor will have the discretion to determine if it can/will be considered as an excused absence.

9. Student interns will be provided with feedback on their performance by the course instructor at a minimum of two times during the semester (mid-term and final). Experiential learning courses are expected to adhere to and follow the institutional policy for reporting midterm and final grades.

10. Student interns will have an opportunity to provide feedback on their internship experience at a minimum of two times during the semester as well (mid-term and final) through student evaluation of instruction.