If a graduate student will be engaging in an internship this summer and plans to earn academic credit, there are multiple internship course options available to them, including departmental internship courses, GRAD 5991, or GRAD 6930/5930. (Please note, students engaging in an internship for academic credit should not enroll in GRAD 6950/5950, but rather in one of the options described below.)
Departmental Internship Course
Please refer to the Graduate Catalog or be in touch with your department to determine if a department internship course is available and how best to enroll.
GRAD 5991 (Graduate Internship):
This is a variable credit (1-6) internship course that can be used if a departmental internship course is not available. The number of credits for which you will enroll should be determined between you and your advisor. You can register for GRAD 5991 by completing a Student Enrollment Request Form to add an internship course. Once all approvals have been gathered through the form, the One Stop Office will manually enroll you in the course. Your advisor will grade this course at the end of the term. GRAD 5991 satisfies the need previously filled by GRAD 6950/5950 for internship academic credit, so students should no longer enroll in GRAD 6950/5950 for an internship.
GRAD 5930/6930 (Full-Time Directed Studies):
This is a three-credit course that represents a full-time internship. You cannot be enrolled in any other courses concurrently with this course. Though it is only three credits (and therefore only incurs three credits worth of tuition), this course will report you as enrolled full-time for the term. This course is CPT-eligible. This course also requires a permission number that can be requested by forwarding a copy of the advisor’s approval of the grad’s plan to register in this course to gradschool@uconn.edu. Your advisor will grade this course at the end of the term.
General Credits Guideline for Internship Hours and Variable Credit Internship Courses:
1 credit = fewer than 10 hours per week
2 credits = 10-15 hours per week
3 credits = 15-20 hours per week
These are general guidelines to help you determine how many credits may be appropriate for an internship. The number of credits the student actually enrolls in will be determined between the student and their advisor.
Tuition/Fees
Summer fees, per credit, can be viewed on the Summer Programs website. Please note, there is no GA tuition waiver available for summer courses. Tuition and fees for the fall and spring semesters can be viewed on the Office of the Bursar website.
Supplemental Employment
Students who wish to hold both an internship and a GA appointment simultaneously must request approval to do so through the GA Supplemental Employment Approval form.
Work Authorization
If you are an international student, you will need to work with ISSS to obtain work authorization (CPT or OPT) to participate in the internship. Please keep in mind that you cannot start the internship until your work authorization has been approved by ISSS. If you have any questions about CPT or OPT policies, please be in touch with international@uconn.edu.
