Internship Credit

The Department of Design believes quality internships provide an invaluable stepping-stone toward professional practice and create continuity within the design profession. We recognize an internship as an important part of a student's education to apply design skills acquired in school to real-world projects, collaborate with professionals, gain insight into the professional design world, and test-drive a particular working environment where the student may hope to land a full-time job.

Internships vary in their duration and compensation. Internships typically last for a few months, a semester, and/or summer. Students may obtain a paid or unpaid internship. However, the Department of Design does not encourage students to take unpaid internships. The student should research their prospective employer’s policies before applying. If a paid internship is proposed, the student should request the pay rate and any other benefits before beginning. With input from their advisor, the student is responsible for determining whether they should pursue a paid or unpaid internship. It is strongly recommended that students get paid for your internship. 

ADS 531: Internship Credit

Students must be Junior level or higher standing in their major. Students can develop their professional skills and problem-solving abilities in the Design field through practical work with an employer. To ensure a high-quality experience, a professional designer will supervise students, and participation requires prior approval from the faculty advisor.

Before the Internship

A member of the faculty within the student’s study area must approve all internships. Working with a faculty member, the student must obtain/secure the internship and complete the internship agreement form and any additional requirements from the student's discipline.

Credit

  • Internships are pass/fail (S/U). 
  • Every 40 hours worked is equal to 1 credit hour of internship. To gain 3 hours of credit, the student must have worked 120 hours. 
  • The internship may be in-person, hybrid, or fully remote.
  • The credit can be retroactive, i.e., work in the summer and enroll for credit in the fall semester. 
  • Students can get paid and get school credit. It is not an either/or scenario. 
  • An internship can be repeated for credit, up to 6 hours.

After your Internship

What you will need to provide:

  • Firm Name
  • Contact Name and Email (who you will be reporting to)
  • Expected Hours (120 hours equals 3 credit hours)
  • Expected Responsibilities 
  • You must be a member of a Design Team with a creative director. Your anticipated responsibilities include actively engaging in design-related tasks. Your involvement in the team necessitates that you contribute to various design projects and collaborate with the creative director to bring creative visions to life. 
  • Completed “Internship Credit Request” From
  • Reflective Summary of the Experience (250 words)
  • Log of Hours
  • Examples of Work (PDF)

The department will request from the employer a written outline of the student’s responsibilities/duties, an evaluation of the student's performance, and/ or the completion of a short survey. At the end of your internship, please retain permission from your employer to show your project(s) online and/or in a printed portfolio. In all cases, when referring to the work done, be clear about the employer's name, creative leadership, and your role.

Faculty Advisor

Please contact for further details and enrollment permission to ADS 531:

Visual Communication Design, Sam Yates Meier, yatesmeier@ku.edu

 

 

Helpful Links