University Policy 3060
Effective Date
July 1983
Last Revision Date
August 14, 2025
Responsible Party
Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs, (208) 426-1202
Scope and Audience
This policy applies to all 293/493 internships and 590 practicum/internships.
Additional Authority
- Idaho State Board of Education Policy, Section III.E. (Certificates and Degrees)
- Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA)
1. Policy Purpose
To outline academic department authority and responsibilities for facilitating 293/493 internships or 590 practicum/internships, student application and eligibility requirements, and maximum credits allowed for an internship or practicum/internship experience.
2. Policy Statement
Boise State University encourages its students, with the support of Internship or Practicum/Internship Coordinators, to seek internship and practicum/internship experiences for academic credit with the goal of increasing students’ professional development, employment skills, and networking opportunities.
3. Responsibilities and Procedures
3.1 Academic Department and Internship or Practicum/Internship Coordinator (“Coordinator”) Responsibilities
- The Coordinator is the faculty or staff member within the academic department or program who has primary responsibility for the department or program’s internship or practicum/internship program.
- All academic departments may offer 293/493 internships or 590 practicum/internships pursuant to the following:
- Academic departments whose course prefix is being used will have approval authority for individual internships or practicum/internships.
- Academic departments may have specific requirements for a student who seeks to register and earn credit for an internship or practicum/internship. These should be in place to ensure that the student is ready for the experience and is prepared to effectively contribute to the organization offering the experience. Some programs have minimum GPA requirements higher than the university’s minimum internship or practicum GPA requirement. If a student does not meet this program requirement, it should not necessarily be construed as an automatic disqualifier for an internship or practicum/internship.
- Internships and Practicum/Internships are defined and guided by the five (5) elements of high-impact experiential learning The stakeholders involved in the Internship or Practicum/Internship experience are responsible for ensuring these elements are present within each experience.
- Coordinators are required to use the approved Boise State University online internship application platform throughout the internship or practicum/internship approval process.
- Coordinators will evaluate and letter grade or pass/fail the student’s internship or practicum/internship experience.
3.2 Student Guidelines
a. Pursuant to the FLSA, a student is not allowed to perform an internship or practicum/internship solely as an unpaid worker or volunteer. The student must register for academic credit concurrent with the performance of the internship or practicum/internship.
b. A student must apply for the internship or practicum/internship and meet the eligibility requirements below. The GPA requirements outlined below are intended to ensure that the student is ready for an internship or practicum/internship and is prepared to contribute effectively to the organization offering the experience.
- 293 Internship: The student must have a minimum 2.0 cumulative GPA and approval of the Coordinator and the Site Supervisor.
- 493 Internship: The student must have a minimum 2.0 cumulative GPA and approval of the Coordinator and the Site Supervisor. In addition, they must have upper-division standing or approval from the Department Chair and the Dean or Associate Dean of the college in which the internship is being offered.
- 590 Practicum/Internship: The student must have a minimum 3.0 cumulative GPA, approval of the Coordinator, Site Supervisor, and graduate standing.
- The organization hosting the intern may establish higher requirements than those of the university.
c. A student must complete and submit the Internship Application for Academic Credit.
d. A student participating in an internship or practicum/internship must complete the online internship workshop found on the Career Services website. Students must only complete this workshop during their first internship or practicum/internship for academic credit. This workshop must be completed within two (2) weeks of the academic deadline for adding an internship or practicum/internship for that term.
e. The internship or practicum/internship must be completed during the term in which the student receives academic credit.
f. The student must work with the internship or practicum/internship coordinator whose course prefix is being used to receive approval for the internship or practicum/internship, determine how many credits should be assigned (students earn one credit for each 45 hours of work), and cover academic department expectations as identified in section 3.1 of this policy.
3.3 Maximum Credit Allowed
3.3.1 Undergraduate
No more than twelve (12) credits earned in internships and Work U (293, 493, and 493U) may be used to meet University graduation requirements.
3.3.2 Graduate
The Graduate Council establishes limits on the number of credits awarded for practicum/internship experience at the graduate level (590). Each department can establish its own credit limits for meeting departmental graduation requirements.
4. Forms
Internship Application for Academic Credit
5. Related Information
Career Services Website:
https://www.boisestate.edu/career/
University Policy 3010 (Student Enrollment and Class Schedule Changes)
Revision History
January 1994; May 2010; November 2010; March 2014; April 2019; August 14, 2025