USF :: Department of Women's and Gender Studies

WST 4940 –Internship in Women’s and Gender Studies

Students participating in the internship must enroll in the WST 4940 Internship in Women’s & Gender Studies class. While this class requires some written assignments and portfolio maintenance, your primary responsibilities will involve work-related activities at the sponsor’s facilities. Be sure to review the “Getting Started” section below and Internship Guide under “Forms and Documents” to the left. To view current intern projects, click here.

Undergraduate Degree Requirement
The internship is only available to declared Women’s & Gender Studies majors who have completed at least 12 credit hours of major coursework prior to beginning the internship. WST 4940 will count as a major elective in your academic audit.

Work Component Requirements
1. Complete all assigned projects and tasks in a manner consistent with professional employment
2. Observe all policies and practices of the sponsoring organization, including those concerned with confidentiality, security, and office conduct and procedure.
3. Submit a Weekly Status Report to your internship faculty supervisor
4. Complete and submit Mid-Semester and End-of-Semester Student Internship Assessment to your internship coordinator
5. Maintain appropriate Contact with your internship coordinator and site supervisor
6. Demonstrate successful job fulfillment in the completed Sponsor Assessment of Intern

Required Work Hours per Academic Credit Hour (during a typical 15 week term—Fall/Spring)
1 credit	3 hours per week	45 total hours per term
2 credits	7 hours per week	90 total hours per term
3 credits	10 hours per week	135 total hours per term

Required Work Hours per Academic Credit Hour (during a typical 10 week term—Summer C)
1 credit	4-5 hours per week	45 total hours per term
2 credits	9 hours per week	90 total hours per term
3 credits	13-14 hours per week	135 total hours per term

Academic Component Requirements
1. Enrollment in WST 4940 “Internship in Women’s & Gender Studies”
2. Conferences with your site supervisor at least twice during the term (more frequent conferences may be required based upon your specific needs or your supervisor’s discretion)
3. Maintenance of a professional portfolio of documents and media projects completed during your internship (be sure to be aware of any privacy/proprietary issues)
4. Write a final, reflective essay (approximately 2100 words) discussing your internship and address the following points:

Background: Name, location, mission of sponsor organization, why you chose to do an internship
Description of projects/tasks; your role; what did you find interesting
Duties/Tasks you feel were successful because of your USF WGS coursework
Duties/Tasks you feel the USF WGS coursework provided inadequate preparation or background
Overall workplace culture of the organization sponsoring your internship
Your contribution to the workplace culture
What you would change about your internship experience
What you gained from your internship experience

Prerequisites
• Be a declared Women’s & Gender Studies major
• At least 12 undergraduate credit hours in Women’s & Gender Studies approved classes completed by the beginning of the internship semester

Enrollment
Enrollment is contingent upon the availability of suitable internship sponsors based upon the student’s academic and career goals. Students are placed according to specific academic and experiential qualifications, including GPA, courses taken, previous employment history, recommendations, and interviews with the Coordinator of Women’s & Gender Studies Internship Program and a representative of the prospective internship sponsor.

Course Credit
The internship earns 3 semester hours of credit as WST 4940 and normally may be counted towards your undergraduate degree. See the Department of Women’s & Gender Studies advisor to discuss your particular degree requirements and anticipated course credit.
Repeat Opportunity
The internship course may be repeated one time with approval of the internship coordinator, for a maximum of six credits total. The second semester of interning may be with the same sponsor or a different sponsor, contingent upon the placement protocols at that time. The student must be able to articulate the benefit of a second internship course, as well as relevant career goals.

Participating Sponsors
The internship coordinator will match your educational background and professional goals, as indicated by you on the internship application, to an appropriate for-profit or nonprofit enterprise in the Tampa Bay area. The current list of internship sponsors is included in the “Forms and Documents” page link in the menu on the left. If you are interested in working with a specific sponsor that is not listed, email Dr. Bell (ebell@usf.edu) with the appropriate information.

Students – Getting Started
You should begin the application process well in advance of the semester in which you wish to participate in the internship program. As a general rule, you should complete the first step of this application process by mid-term of the semester immediately preceding the anticipated semester for your internship experience. A checklist/timeline is provided for you on the internship website.

1. At least eight weeks prior to the start of your anticipated internship semester, schedule an appointment with the Department of Women’s & Gender Studies undergraduate advisor to discuss your degree program and to verify your qualifications for the internship opportunity. You may schedule an advisor appointment here: http://usfweb3.usf.edu/appointments/StudentSignon.asp
2. Following your meeting with your undergraduate advisor, send an email to the Internship Coordinator and schedule a conference.
3. Prior to your scheduled conference with the internship coordinator, review the list of sponsors and prepare your resume.
4. During your conference with the internship coordinator, you should be prepared to

Discuss your Internship Application

Present a hard-copy of your professional résumé

Discuss your academic work to date

Outline your professional career goals

Provide either a list of your top three internship sites, or a general career category (like, Public Health)

Ask any questions you might have about the WST 4940 internship class

5. The internship coordinator will match you with a suitable internship sponsor based upon your academic background, career goals, and sites listed/career category and will give you contact information for the sponsoring organization.
6. Schedule an interview with your internship sponsor. In advance of your interview, you should plan to:

Become acquainted with your sponsor’s business and work culture by reviewing available websites, publications, and other local business resources

Update your professional résumé

Make sure you have attire appropriate to your site

Treat your interview as you would any other “real world” employment interview

7. Following your successful interview with your sponsor organization, contact the internship coordinator and make arrangements to sign an Internship Contract outlining specific terms of your work and deliverables for your internship experience Following final Department approval of your Internship Contract, you will receive a permit to register for the WST 4940 internship class. You must register for the course online through OASIS prior to the first week of class.