INTS 490: Receiving Internship Credit

In-person, virtual, and hybrid internships will be accepted

Credit for an internship will not be awarded retroactively

Your current place of regular employment is not eligible to serve as an internship site unless it can provide clearly defined new learning experiences that differ from your usual job responsibilities.

Relatives are prohibited from assuming supervisory roles.

Internship Application Deadlines:

Semester	Application Submission Period	Internship must begin on or after	Internship must end by
Spring 2026	October 12, 2025-January 9, 2026 ** Applications are accepted over winter break; but the university is closed Dec. 22, 2025 - Jan. 2, 2026	January 20, 2026	May 4, 2026
Summer 2026	March 23 - May 8, 2026	May 18, 2026	August 5, 2026
Fall 2026	May 17 - Aug 14, 2026	August 26, 2026	December 7, 2026

Application Deadline: Careful planning and implementation are the goals to a great internship. Plan ahead and start early, the final deadline to apply for the internship course is always the Last Day to Add of each semester.

Internship Application Process:

The following Internship process must be completed by the deadline and approved before registration.

The following items must be turned in to, Barbara O’Connell, Internship Coordinator, via email as a PDF: boconne@gmu.edu or a hard copy in: Enterprise Hall, Room 417 or the front desk, Fairfax Campus.

All coursework is conducted via Blackboard. Students are responsible for participating in the course and completing all assignments.

Steps	Item	Links
1	Submit your online Internship Application	Internship Application
2	Review the Internship Packet	Internship Packet
3	Draft your Internship Learning Objectives (ILO)	See Internship Resources – How to Write Internship Learning Objectives
4	Complete the Experiential Learning Agreement (ELA) form	Experiential Learning Agreement
5	Scan and email completed ILOs and ELA to Barbara O'Connell	boconne@gmu.edu Enterprise Hall 4th floor Room 417 or the front desk
6	Registration instructions	Will be sent via email after approval

How are credits determined?

Each semester, students can earn between one and six credits of experiential learning credits through internships. Students earn 1-credit for every 45 hours worked at the internship site. The maximum number of INTS 490 credits that can be taken in one semester is 6-credits.

Credit Hours Chart

University Credit Hours	Work Hours	15-Week Semester*	On-Site Hours/ Week
1	45	15	3
2	90	15	6
3	135	15	9
4	180	15	12
5	225	15	15
6	270	15	18

*NOTE: Summer Semester contains FEWER weeks

Recent Student Internship Placements:

GMU – University Sustainability’s Greenhouse and Gardens

GMU - The Center for the Advancement of Wellbeing

GMU – MasonLIFE Program

GMU – Center for Mason Legacies

The Back Pack

National Park Service

INOVA Loudoun Hospital

ECDC African Community Center DC Metro

Fairfax County Health Department

Prince William County Public Schools

WISEsports

Marine Corps Heritage Foundation

Smithsonian National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute, Amazonia