If a graduate student will be engaging in an internship and plans to earn academic credit, there are multiple internship course options available to them. Students can opt to enroll in a departmental internship course, GRAD 5991, or GRAD 6930/5930 and each of those options is described below. (Please note, students should not enroll in GRAD 6950/5950 for internship academic credit now that graduate internship courses are available.)
Important Information for International Students
International students in F1 or J1 status who wish to engage in a summer internship will need to request work authorization from ISSS (Curricular Practical Training (CPT)/Optional Practical Training (OPT)/Academic Training). F-1 and J-1 student visas only authorize students to work on campus, so any off-campus internship must be directly related to their major and may require them to enroll in internship credits. If the student will be applying for CPT, the academic advisor will need to confirm in the CPT application that the internship is worthy of academic credit for the student’s program and that it will be included on the student’s plan of study. Students cannot start their internship until their work authorization has been approved by ISSS. Contact international@uconn.edu with any questions or concerns.
Departmental Internship Courses
Students should refer to the Graduate Catalog or be in touch with their department to determine if a department internship course is available and how best to enroll. If a departmental internship course is available, that is likely a more appropriate option than GRAD 5991 for the plan of study.
GRAD 5991 (Graduate Internship)
GRAD 5991, which appears on the transcript with the course name, "Graduate Internship", is a variable credit (1-6) internship course, can be taken concurrently with other courses, and is CPT-eligible. The number of credits for which the student will enroll should be determined with their advisor. Students can register for GRAD 5991 by completing a Student Enrollment Request Form to add an internship course. The advisor will be responsible for providing a S/U grade for this course at the end of the term.
GRAD 5930/6930 (Full-Time Directed Studies)
This is a three-credit course that represents a full-time internship, field work experience, or other course of off-campus study required as part of the student's program and appears on the transcript with the course name, "Full-Time Directed Studies". Students 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 a student as enrolled full-time for the term. Students may enroll in this course through Student Admin, however, enrollment requires a permission number that must 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. This course is CPT-eligible. The advisor will be responsible for providing a S/U grade for this course at the end of the term.
General Credits Guideline for Internship Hours and Variable Credit Internship Courses
These are general guidelines to help 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.
1 credit = fewer than 10 hours per week
2 credits = 10-15 hours per week
3 credits = 15-20 hours per week
Tuition/Fees
Tuition and fees for the fall and spring semesters can be viewed on the Office of the Bursar website. Summer fees, per credit, can be viewed on the Summer Programs website. Please note, there is no GA tuition waiver available for summer courses.
Supplemental Employment – Holding Both a GA and an Internship
Students who wish to hold both an internship and a GA appointment (or summer on-campus employment including a Graduate Student Technician appointment) simultaneously must request approval to do so through the GA Supplemental Employment Approval form.
