Internship Classes

Undergraduate Students

What is an internship?

Internships can involve a wide range of business activities depending on the company. Your internship experience is "learning by doing" and reinforces your academic training, making you more qualified to land a future position in your chosen career. Students may earn academic credit for their internships and typically earn financial compensation. 

What if I already work and want to get academic credit for it?

If you are an undergraduate student, have an existing job and would like to earn academic credit for your professional experience, there is an online practicum class (MGMT 409) you can register for. You must complete a special project/stretch assignment at your place of employment that is applicable to your major and takes an extra 10 hours/week (throughout the term) above and beyond standard job duties. This is an online course offered as 1 credit - 4 credits, pass/no pass. 

Why should I take the internship class? 

• Credit - You can get academic credit for your internship that could count toward your degree completion. PSU typically allows 12 internship credit hours to count towards the bachelor's degree requirements. Meet with your academic advisor to see if you will need the credits to graduate. 
• Transcript - Taking the class will add your internship to your official PSU transcript. 
• The Oregon Board of Accountancy will allow up to 18 internship credits towards the 225 required for CPA. 

What are my internship registration options? 

• ACTG 404 - This is an online internship course typically offered as 1 credit - 4 credits, pass/no pass. Students working towards the 225 required credits for CPA licensure are allowed to receive a total of 12 credits for a full time internship. If you are interested in this option please register for the 4 credit and contact Shannon Aniciete at shanns@pdx.edu to complete a by arrangement form the other 8 credits.
• MGMT 404 - This is an online course offered as 1 credit - 4 credits, pass/no pass.

How many credits should I register my internship/practicum for? 

To earn one credit, you must complete 30-40 hours of internship/practicum work over a 10-week term. You can earn a maximum of 4 credits per term (up to 12 credits for ACTG 404 only as noted above). You earn academic credit through the successful completion of academic assignments listed in the course syllabus. 

** Your internship/practicum may be more hours than listed above but it must at least meet these minimums in order to receive the equivalent credit hours. 

What assignments might I expect in my internship/practicum course? 

The class content includes approximately 10 hours worth of work total. There will be a range of career-related assignments, including but not limited to performing informational interviews, quantifying your resume achievements, conducting job interviews, and documenting your technical skills and internship experiences on your resume. These assignments may differ from term to term, but they all have a strong career focus. 

What do I need to register for an internship or practicum?

ACTG 404, MGMT 404, and MGMT 409: To earn credit for internship/practicum through the online course, you must:

• Secure an internship position (ACTG 404 and MGMT 404) or have a stretch assignment (MGMT 409)
• Have a GPA of 2.5 or higher
• Be admitted to The School of Business
• If approved, submit verification of your internship
• Complete the requirements for the course

Graduate Students

MGMT 504

This is an MBA internship course and credits are typically only used for International Students who required to register for Curricular Practical Training (CPT) credit in order to work legally according to the terms of their international student visa. Domestic students doing unpaid internships for companies that are for-profit, may be required to register for credit (if this is the case for you, please reach out to your academic director for guidance, as we do not encourage unpaid internships.) to register for your internship credit, review this document for next steps. 

The coursework involves approximately 10 hours of assignments, distributed as weekly tasks for completion and submission which will be directed by the course instructor. If you have any questions about the process, please reach out to your academic director or Nancy Young.

FIN 504

MS in Finance (MSF) students interested in earning academic credit for their finance internship that counts towards the MSF elective program requirement must register by arrangement for FIN 504. Students can submit the finance internship job description and offer letter with the details to Academic Director Julie Hackett at hackett2@pdx.edu for review. Details must include responsibilities, number of hours of work per week, as well as start and end date for the finance internship experience. Julie will work with you to set the number of credits for the internship experience. Once this is done, you will need to register By Arrangement for FIN 504. Be sure to submit the By Arrangement request Julie Hackett at hackett2@pdx.edu and include: titles of internship, number of credits agreed upon (for most internships it is 2 credits), and Grading Pass/No Pass. F-1 Visa students must also submit a CPT Application. List Nancy E. Young (ney@pdx.edu) as the SB Advisor on your CPT application. She will complete any approvals needed by The School of Business. 

If you have questions about the process or the course, please contact Academic Director Julie Hackett at hackett@pdx.edu or Nancy E. Young at ney@pdx.edu. 

MTAX 540

Master of Taxation (MT) students interested in earning 4 academic credits for their tax internship that counts towards the MT elective program requirement must register for MTAX 540. MTAX 540 is offered in the Winter term and the Summer term. Students can only take the course once to count towards their MT degree. The course cannot be repeated.

If you have questions about the course, please contact Academic Director Julie Hackett at hackett2@pdx.edu or Nancy E. Young at ney@pdx.edu.