Business Practicum BUS3095 is required for Business majors. 

To satisfy the requirements of the Business Practicum Experience, students must complete a minimum of 400 hours of work and pre-approval is required prior to the start of the Practicum. The course is instructed by the Practicum Director. For more information on how to register, please click here.

Business majors may decide to also register for internship course credit (BUS3V57) if they wish for upper-level elective credit toward their degree plan. The internship course is instructed by the Office of Career Development under Gaby O'Neill. To request registration, please go to Handshake. 

Business Internship is required for Business minors.

Business minors must register for BUS3V57 Internship and complete 150 hours of internship work hours. The registration process and course are managed by the Office of Personal Career Development under Gaby O'Neill.  To request registration, please go to Handshake. 

Does my experience count for course credit? 
To ensure that an experience is educational, and thus eligible to be considered a legitimate internship by the University of Dallas and the National Association of Colleges and Employers, all the following criteria must be met:

• The experience must be an extension of the classroom: a learning experience that provides for applying the knowledge gained in the classroom. It must not be simply to advance the operations of the employer or be the work that a regular employee would routinely perform.
• The skills or knowledge learned must be transferable to other employment settings.
• The experience has a defined beginning and end, and a job description with desired qualifications.
• There are clearly defined learning objectives/goals related to the professional goals of the student’s academic coursework.
• There is supervision by a professional with expertise and educational and/or professional background in the field of the experience.
• There is routine feedback by the experienced supervisor. 
• There are resources, equipment, and facilities provided by the host employer that support learning objectives/goals.

How do I register for major-specific credit for my internship? 
Please first contact the department chair to see if you are eligible to receive course credit for your internship. 

How long does the registration process take? 
All supervisors and instructors should be able to approve your internship experience within 2 business days. Once approvals are obtained, please allow an additional 5 business days for your registration to be processed.

How long does an internship have to be to qualify for course credit? 
Minimum of 6 weeks.

I tried registering for course credit on Banner. Why can I not register? 
You must begin the registration process online via Handshake. The Office of Personal Career Development in partnership with the Registrar's Office will process your registration through Handshake only. 

I did an internship last semester. Can I still get course credit? 
No. The course requires that you be working while registered for the course. The university cannot award course credit for an internship you completed in the past. 

I got an internship after the registration add/drop date. Can I still register? 
In rare cases, yes. If you think you will receive an internship offer after the add/drop date, you must notify Career Development BEFORE the add/drop deadline. Email Gaby O'Neill at goneill@udallas.edu.

What is the process for an undergraduate international student completing an internship in the United States?
In addition to registering for course credit through our office, you will also have to follow the CPT application steps as highlighted by the International Student Services Office.

When is 3V57 Internship offered?
The course is offered during the fall, spring, and summer terms.

When can I begin interning for credit?
You must be a sophomore (at least 30 credit hours have been completed).

Can I decline an internship? 
Yes, you can. We ask that you provide information as to why it is not approved or provide steps that the student needs to take in order to be approved. 

What is my responsibility as the supervisor for this course?
We ask supervisors to complete a pre-internship survey to verify to UD that the student is working for your organization and a post-internship survey to evaluate the student's performance during the internship. Both surveys will be emailed to you via Handshake.

Do I need a Handshake account to approve internship applications?
No, the email you receive will contain a link to approve the request. 

How much time do I have to approve the internship and learning objectives? 
We ask that you provide approval within 2 business days. 

Which email address will the Handshake email come from?
The email will come from handshake@notifications.joinhandshake.com.

Can I decline an internship? 
Yes, you can. We ask that you provide information as to why it is not approved or provide steps that the student needs to take in order to be approved. 

Can I change the assignments or syllabus? 
Yes, you can. In the approval process, please dictate which assignments you want to assign or add comments in the approval process so that OPCD staff can make adjustments. 

Do I need to sign a form for the student to receive course credit? 
No, all approvals will be completed electronically via Handshake. Students will provide OPCD with your email address so that you may receive the approval request in your email inbox. If you do not receive the email, please contact Gaby O'Neill at goneill@udallas.edu. 

Do I need a Handshake account to approve internship applications?
No, the email will contain a link to approve the request. 

How much time do I have to approve the internship and learning objectives? 
We ask that you provide approval within 2 business days. 

Where will the Handshake email come from?
The email will come from handshake@notifications.joinhandshake.com.

Purpose of Learning Objectives: 

Learning objectives are designed to clearly state what a student will learn during the internship. The objectives should reflect on what the student hopes to achieve by the end of internship. 

Learning objectives are goals that you are trying to achieve in your internship. Goals must be specific, measurable, time-bound, and be able to be evaluated by a supervisor. For example: 

Objective: Learn and implement a social media marketing plan. 

Measured/evaluated by: Increase of followers. 

Examples of past learning objectives from students: 

• Analyze and research data
• Book an average of 4 appointments each day
• Collect and analyze data to produce reports for management
• Demonstrate efficiency in management of legal records, client files, and storage systems.
• Learn about different business operations.  Measured by group projects/completing cross-training.
• Learn and complete the onboarding process
• Learn and excel in Google SEO
• Learn how to create a formal marketing strategy plan
• Learn how to fill out a tax form without help from the partners, as well as what each document means.
• Learn how to operate a front desk with greeting guests and transferring them among other duties simultaneously.
• Learn how to program one product in a team
• Learn more about the financial services industry and create good relationships with my associates.
• Make at least 30 sales calls each day
• Plan, execute, and lead once/twice a month events
• To learn how to interact with clients on a professional daily basis. 

What are you looking for in my midterm and final report? 

We want to know what you are learning in your internship and how it is shaping your professional development. Provide us with specific details about the projects that you're working on, the skills that you are acquiring and/or honing, and how your experience is shaping your own professional development. 

What kind of content should I include in my reports?

At the beginning of your internship think about...

• What are your initial reactions to your first few days? What are you looking forward to? Is there anything that is unexpected?
• What is going to be your biggest challenge in this internship?

In the middle of your internship...

• What goals have you met so far?  What goals do you still need to meet?  Have you changed any of your goals?
• How has your perception of the internship/organization changed since you started the internship?
• What steps have you taken to address the challenges and disappointments that you identified in your early journal entries?
• What is surprising you about this internship?
• What have you done that has made your supervisor’s life easier?
• What do you think are your strongest attributes as an intern?
• In what ways do you feel like you can improve your performance?
• How are you reacting to a bad day or disappointment?  How would you like to react?

At the end of your internship...

• How did you accomplish your goals for this experience?
• What did you learn about yourself through this experience?
• Were your expectations for this experience realistic?  Why or why not?
• What was your biggest success in this internship?
• How did you change as a result of this experience?
• What have you done that you didn’t ever think you would be able to do?
• What changes would you make if you had the chance to do this over again?
• How are you different than you were when you started this experience?
• What was your biggest success or contribution to your organization?
• What did you learn from your challenges in this experience?
• What recommendations would you give to other students doing an internship at this location?