College of Liberal Arts and Sciences
LAS Career Services

Internships for Credit

Internship/co-op criteria

Internships are typically one-time work experiences related to a student’s major or career goal. Co-ops may span multiple semesters. The internship/co-op involves a student working in a professional setting under the direct supervision and of experienced, practicing professionals.  You can find resources to help with your internship search here.

Internships/co-ops can be paid or unpaid and the student may or may not receive academic credit for performing the internship. If your internship/co-op requires college credit, or you want to maintain your student status while completing an internship/co-op, below are options for receiving credit through LAS Career Services. Students may also want to check with their academic department to see if there is an applicable course which would allow credit to be applied toward their major.

For an internship to qualify for any of these courses, the internship should require at least 10 hours per week for a minimum of 8 weeks. The internship/co-op supervisor should be an experienced, practicing professional providing direct supervision. Please make sure that your internship/co-op meets the following requirements:

  1. Internships cannot be a continuation of a full-time, part-time or summer job.
  2. Students must start their internship and be enrolled in course credit during the same semester (no retroactive credit will be awarded).
  3. Internships are not allowed with organizations owned or managed, fully or in part, by family members nor can internship positions be supervised, directly or indirectly, by family members.
  4. Internships involving direct payments from clients and customers to students are not allowed.
  5. Internships at organizations that have student ownership or promises of ownership to the students are not allowed.
  6. Internships cannot be used to receive credit for any other class.

*Please note application process my take up to 10 business days depending on response time of supervisor approval, faculty approval (for LAS 4990 only), processing of registration add request and CPT application (international students only).

*If you are completing your internship outside of the United States, you need to apply for permission through ISUAbroad and be enrolled in the university’s international insurance plan.  More information can be found here.

*International students can review Curricular Practical Training (CPT) information here.

Internship/co-op options

Note: These options are for LAS undergraduates only. Graduate students should work with their departments to find an appropriate course

Academic Credit (LAS 4990)

  • Combines a supervised work experience with a structured academic learning plan for which a student receives academic credit
  • Recognition on your transcript (letter grade)
  • 1-4 academic credits (1 credit per 10 hours worked per week)
  • Tuition charged for number of credits taken
  • Faculty sponsor is selected by the student and academic work is assigned and graded by them
    • Past faculty sponsors have assigned relevant readings, weekly reflections, papers, and presentations.

R-Credit (LAS 2980 and 4980)

  • Can be an internship or co-op
  • Recognition on your transcript (S/F)
  • Credit does not count toward graduation, but keeps a student enrolled
  • No tuition is charged, may qualify for fee exception
  • Freshmen and sophomores are enrolled in 2980, juniors and seniors in 4980.

Curricular Practical Training (CPT)

  • LAS 2980 and 4980 are commonly used for F-1 visa holders (international students), since they are tuition-free
  • Final authorization through International Student Advisor
  • Students enrolled in the ISU Students and Scholars Insurance Plan–including international students and graduate students on assistantship (C-Base)–are required to pay the health fee.

Apply to register for an internship course

Each internship must be vetted and approved by LAS Career Services before permission will granted to take an internship course. Only LAS Career Services staff can register students for an internship course. Internship courses can not be added by the student in Workday.

Please complete the application on CyHire in as much detail as possible.  Reasons an application may be denied include:

  • Incomplete/Insufficient student learning outcomes
  • No offer letter
  • Internship is less than 10 hours per week
  • Internship is less than 8 weeks

Steps for completing the internship application on CyHire:

  1. Log into CyHire using your ISU netID and password: https://cyhire.iastate.edu/
  2.  In the menu to the left, click ‘Apply for Intern Course.’
  3. Click the ‘+New Experience’ red button in the top right corner.
  4. Complete the ‘Create New Experience’ form and click the red ‘Save’ button.
  5. Upload a pdf of your offer letter under the ‘Documents and Forms’ menu by clicking ‘Upload File,’ selecting the file and clicking ‘Save.’
  6.  Click ‘Submit for Approval.’

Each internship opportunity requires learning outcomes to be created and completed. Evaluations of a student’s performance are to be completed at the end of the internship experience.

Unpaid internship scholarship

The College of Liberal Arts and Science awards a limited number of scholarships to LAS undergraduate students who secure an unpaid internship with a non-profit or government employer; on-campus positions will not be considered. Student teaching is not eligible for this scholarship, however there is a separate scholarship available for student teaching. Recipients will need to enroll in an internship course for course credit or R-credit and maintain a minimum cumulative GPA of 2.0. The applications for the scholarship must be submitted prior to beginning the internship, and will be awarded in the same semester as your internship.  The application period for Spring 2025 has closed.  Applications for Summer 2025 will open on April 1, 2025.