Dalton State

Internships / Co-ops

Information for Students
Information for Supervisors

Action is the key to all success, especially in business. The DSC School of Business Internship Program operates on the premise that the potential for learning is tremendous when a student has an opportunity to experience “business in action.” Traditional business fields such as accounting, banking, information systems, manufacturing, marketing and sales are well represented in Northwest Georgia. This means that qualified students interested in acquiring hands-on experience have opportunities. In addition, the Internship Program may permit governmental placements to assist in the planning and implementation of local economic development and quality of life activities.

No two internships are exactly the same and many differ dramatically in structure. As noted in Table 1 below, a student in Internship “A” could receive compensation from the employer but not receive academic credit from the School of Business while Internship “B” could be voluntary but with academic credit available from the School. Still others could be a combination of both or neither. Below is list of all possible internship structures.

Possible Internship Structures	Academic Credit	$ Compensation
Internship “A”	No	Yes
Internship “B”	Yes	No
Internship “C”	Yes	Yes
Internship “D”	No	No

This table should not imply that a particular internship is more valuable than another because students may very well find that a high quality volunteer internship can be more rewarding than a paid internship with less responsibility.

What we do want to convey is that whether paid/unpaid or with/without academic credit, students can strengthen practical skills, gain greater insight into the operation of a business (or governmental organization), and develop a better understanding of social responsibility. To facilitate this, student interns work with mentors who provide guidance throughout the internship experience. If academic credit is approved then the experience gained in the field is further supplemented by a traditional academic component supervised by DSC School of Business faculty member.

Overall, the mission of the program is to make participating students better prepared to meet the professional, personal, and ethical demands of the business world when they graduate.

Students

Applicant Eligibility

In order to participate in the Internship Program, students must meet the following requirements:

Admission to Upper Division;
9 hours or
GPA of 2.5 or higher
An approved Internship Application

Program Requirements

In order to receive credit for an internship experience, whether it is academic hourly credits or special documentation on official transcripts, students must do the following:

Complete a Goals Form at the beginning of the internship.
Complete Work Summary Forms every two weeks during the internship.
Complete an Evaluation Form of the internship experience.

Overview of Application Process

Applications for internships are accepted through the following dates:

October 31st for Spring semester placements;
April 30th for Summer semester placements; and
June 30th for Fall semester placements.

The following is a description of the steps involved in the application and placement process.

1. Students identify sites they are interested in from the list of approved internship sites, or a student may request a specific organization.

2. Students submit a completed application and resume to Ty Ross in the Internship Office, Room 215 Gignilliat Memorial Hall. This includes the Internship Contract attached to the application which must be read and signed.

3. Students must return all completed materials by the application deadline (see above) to the Internship Office (215 Gignilliat Memorial Hall).

4. The Internship Office will forward all applications and resumes to the appropriate internship site. If the site supervisor wishes to set up an interview with a student the Internship Office contact the student.

5. Conducting Interviews: All interviews will be scheduled shortly after the close of the application period. Interviews will be held either on campus or at the internship site. Students will be notified of interview schedules by the Internship Office via their DSConnect email accounts. Students must check their e-mails each day for interview notices.

6. Internship Offers: After interviews are completed, students will be notified of internship offers via e-mail throughout the course of the interview period. Students must check DSConnect email each day. Students are given three days in which to accept or reject an offer.

7. Enrollment: Students who accept an offer must comply with the terms of the Internship Contract signed earlier. IMPORTANT NOTE: A student who accepts an offer will not be permitted to drop an internship, either before or during the semester, in the absence of significant hardship.

8. Registration for Academic Credit: Students approved for academic credit will be instructed to register for one of the following courses:

ACCT 4900
BUSA/MNGT 4900
MARK 4900
MGIS 4900
OPMT 4900

9. Hourly Credits: Generally forty (40) hours of onsite internship experience translates to one (1) hour of academic credit. Students will allowed a maximum of three (3) hours of academic credit per internship per semester.

10. Faculty Supervision: Students will be assigned a faculty advisor (which may or may not be a student’s traditional advisor) to oversee the academic component of the internship.

NOTE: Additional correspondence pertaining to the Internship Program will always be sent via email. Therefore participating students should always check email for important updates.

Supervisors

The Internship Program exists and operates as a partnership between the DSC School of Business, its students, and the business community. The mentorship and training that site supervisors provide to our students prepares them to more effectively meet the demands of business upon graduation. We appreciate and value each Internship Site that has chosen to participate in our program and recognize the significance of the educational experience that they provide to our students.

Requirements to Participate

The Internship Program welcomes inquiries from community organizations interested in participating in our program. In order to be considered, however, a program must meet the following minimum criteria:

1. The organization must be registered with the Georgia Secretary of State and be properly insured.

2. Interns must be supervised at the Internship Site.

3. Because the internship is intended to be a learning experience rather than an employment experience, supervisors must be willing to act as mentors to interns. NOTE: Often, it will require more time to mentor a student while completing a task than performing the task alone.

4. Supervisors must be willing to provide regular feedback to each intern about work performance.

5. Supervisors should agree to adhere to the rights and responsibilities contained in the Internship contract.

6. Although the position may include incidental clerical tasks, students should primarily be engaged in substantive work during their time at an internship site.

Sites that meet these criteria and are interested in participating in our program should complete a New Internship Site Application and return it to Ty Ross by e-mail at jtross@daltonstat.edu or by fax at (706) 272-4525. New sites applications will be reviewed and internship site contacts will be notified of the site’s approval status.

For the convenience of our site supervisors, we provide the following supervisor evaluation forms: