University of Wyoming
College of Business
MGT 2600/4600/5600
Internship in Business
Instructor: Jennie Hedrick
Contact: 766-4807 | jnein@uwyo.edu
Office: BU 190 (inside the JCC)
Office Hours: By appointment
Required Text: None
It is the student’s responsibility to properly register for the course. As the course has controlled enrollment,
the student needs to complete the application process prior to the start of the internship. Students
registering for the course must meet the eligibility requirements, be in good academic standing with the
College of Business and have an approved internship. Students will find and apply for internships prior to
the completion of this application.
Course Prerequisites:
1. Advanced business standing and a student in good academic standing
(for 4600 students only)
2. Completion with a grade of C or better in ACCT 1020, FIN 3250,
MGT 3210, and MKT 3210 (for 4600 students only)
3. Approved internship application
Course Description: This course provides students with practical business knowledge of operations and
policy, procedure, and decision-making. Students must apply for internships to practice applying for jobs
and work as interns in operating organizations.
Course Goals: Business internships are designed to provide students with practical, experiential learning to
enhance their formal classroom learning. Students work in an organization in their field of study employing
the knowledge and skills acquired from those studies. Students gain practical experience and career
opportunities after graduation.
Learning Objectives: By completing the requirements of this course, students will be able to:
1.
Explain the structure, culture, environment, market, and general business of the organization.
2.
Describe the objectives of both the employer and student in participating in the internship
program.
3.
Identify in detail the job description, duties, and responsibilities of the intern in performing the
assigned tasks and projects.
4.
Make decisions as to the appropriateness of the organization, industry, and field of study for
career opportunities.
All students are required to attend an orientation/introduction session to be announced during the
semester. The session is usually held at the beginning of the semester period. Failure to attend
will result in administrative withdrawal from the course.
Testing and Grading: You have an opportunity to receive academic credit for your work experience. The
grade you receive will be based on two written reports, your employer’s performance evaluation, and a
résumé. We are unable to observe your performance on the job. Therefore, more weight is given to your
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overall written performance for the final grade. A total of 115 points are available. Letter grades are
determined as follows:
A = 103+
B = 92 – 102
C = 80 – 91
D = 69 – 79
F = 68 or less
Report Format: General
Your reports should be presented in an easy to read 12-point font with double spaced text lines with the
pages numbered, no margin justifications, with margins no greater than 1.25” on all sides. Provide a cover
page identifying yourself, the course, the employer, and the date of the report; do not number the cover
page.
Your reports should demonstrate proper English and grammar usage and be free of typographical or
spelling errors. Large numbers of errors will affect your grade. Both reports should also demonstrate
classroom and textbook terminology and concepts that apply to your internship position. Subheadings are
required and should be addressed in the order found in the following report format specifications. Both
papers should have in-text citations and a references page as appropriate using APA Citation Style.
Write the reports as though the reader is totally unfamiliar with your company and your job. Remember
this report is a formal written presentation and the final report will be shared with your employer. The
report may be written in first person form.
Preliminary Report
10 pts.
The preliminary report is a brief (3-5 pages, excluding the cover page) synopsis of your internship. This
gives us an overview of the “who, what, where, and when” of the position. Please include an introductory
paragraph that provides a synopsis of your internship: how you acquired it or learned about the
opportunity and why you wanted this specific experience; and a concluding paragraph that wraps up your
thoughts about how the remainder of the internship will play out. This report is not shared with the
employer.
DUE: June 26 by midnight (please email to jnein@uwyo.edu)
The required subheadings to be used in the report and addressed (in order) are:
Company: What is the name, location (not the physical address), and business of the company? Tell us a
little about the organization, what area in which you will work, where you fit in the organization, and the
people directing your efforts.
Employer Objective: What is the reason you were hired? Discuss why the employer wanted to have an
intern on the staff and what the employer hoped to achieve with this position. This should be more than
just inexpensive, part-time, temporary help.
Intern Objectives: What do you really want from the internship? Why did you elect to work for this
company and what goals are you trying to achieve? This should have more substance than just trying to
have a part-time job and getting academic credit for it. However, these are two viable objectives.
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Tasks/Projects: What is your job description? Describe the daily tasks assigned to you and any special
projects you will be working on during the course of the internship. Let us know what you are doing that
will utilize your classroom skills.
Final Report
50 pts.
This is the final, formal report of your internship. This report is a business presentation and is shared with
your employer. Therefore, the final product should have proper sentence structure, English usage, and be
free of typographical and spelling errors. It is important that you present a professional image to the
employer.
In addition to the general report format above, the final report should be 10-15 pages in length, not
including the cover page, table of contents, appendices, or references page. No double-sided pages should
be used. Do not email it, and if you choose to use binding/report covers, only do so on the copy that you
wish to go to the employer. It will be necessary to submit two original quality (not photocopies) copies of
the final report. When submitting the final report, indicate which copy is to be sent to the employer.
You are encouraged to begin your final report by using the Preliminary Report feedback and content.
Remember to update the wording to past tense if your internship is wrapping up. Please include a table and
contents as well as an introduction that provides a brief biography of who you are, major in college,
interests in business, and career aspirations. We do not want a lot of personal information, but generally
introduce yourself, title and location of your internship and why you wanted to take part in this specific
internship opportunity.
DUE: August 7th by 4 p.m. in the JCC, BU 187
If your internship extends significantly beyond the stated due date, you may request an extended deadline which may or may not
require a grade of Incomplete to be temporarily assigned until the final paper is submitted and graded. This option is NOT
available if you intend to graduate at the end of the current semester.
Should you need to mail your report, please send to:
Johnson Career Center, College of Business
Dept. 3275, 1000 E. University Avenue
Laramie, WY 82071
The required subheadings to be used in the report and addressed (in order) are:
Company: What is the name, location (not the physical address), and business of the company? Tell us
about the organization, in what area you worked, where you fit in the organization, and the people directing
your efforts. Really go into some detail about the organization: Tell us what the business is, the
organization structure and culture, work environment, history, employees, the market, revenues and its
values. Tell us about the department in which you work, employees, supervisors, management style, duties,
and any interactions with other departments or the external environment. How does the company act
within the community and provide support for its employees? Provide a brief version of the organization
chart and where you and other interns fit. Give us hard-hitting details.
Employer Objectives: What is the reason you were hired? Discuss why the employer wanted to have an
intern on the staff and what the employer hoped to achieve with this position. This should be more than
just inexpensive, part-time, temporary help. Furthermore, describe how the employer envisions your value
to the organization. Also, discuss any long-term objectives the employer may have with you or the
internship program and opportunities for future, regular employment. If the employer has a specific
project for you to complete, describe how this project adds value to the organization, its customer service,
and the product. Find out if the employer is utilizing this opportunity to partially fulfill a social
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responsibility. We want you to be an integral part of the organization, positively affecting the operation. Is
this a common objective for the employer? Finally, describe how you helped the employer achieve
identified objectives.
Intern Objectives: What do you really want from the internship? Why did you elect to work for this
company and what goals are you trying to achieve? This should have more substance than just trying to
have a part-time job and getting academic credit for it. However, these are two viable objectives.
Furthermore, provide more depth about your specific objectives. What did you really want to gain from
this program and how does it fit with your degree? How do you plan to use this experience to expand your
professional network? Again, be detailed. Finally, discuss what objectives you fulfilled and how. Also,
discuss goals and objectives you established for yourself ahead of the internship and whether or not you
were able to achieve them. If you were unable to achieve or were dissatisfied with your outcome, provide a
specific assessment as to why you believe the desired outcome was not accomplished.
Tasks/Projects: What is your job description? Describe the daily tasks and/or special projects that were
assigned to you. Let us know what you are doing that will utilize your classroom skills. Furthermore,
provide us with your formal job description, as you understood it going into the job. Generally, what were
your daily duties? If you were involved in any special projects for the employer, please describe them.
Additionally, if the results of your efforts were measurable, describe how so. It is appropriate (without
violating any proprietary rights or confidentiality) to include examples of the special project as an appendix.
If your job description changed or your actual duties varied from the description, provide an explanation.
Conclusions and Comments: This section is the most important section of your paper for us to decipher
what you learned. It should provide your findings and recommendations, as well as any comments with
respect to the program, the job, or the employer. Include any personal weaknesses or strengths you
discovered during your internship and how you will use this knowledge for future internships or
employment opportunities. What ethical decisions did you observe your supervisor make and/or struggle
with and what did you learn from the experience? For example, did he/she have to make any decisions
regarding discipline, supervision, hiring, etc. and do you feel the decision was ethical?
Was your experience beneficial or did it fall short of your expectations? Would you recommend this
internship to a friend? Explain why or why not. What classes and course work were most helpful in your
position and how can the College of Business provide a better knowledge base? If you are returning to
campus to complete your degree, what will you bring with you from the workplace into the classroom,
group work, or student organizations? If you do decide to go into this field, how will this experience help
you?
Please remember, a copy of your final report will be sent to the employer by the COB Johnson Career
Center with a formal letter wrapping up the internship and inviting the employer to contact us with
questions and comments regarding internships with their organization. If you have any critical comments
about your specific situation, you may wish to omit them from the employer copy of the report. Upon
request, we will keep those comments confidential.
Appendices: Include any accounting statements, market research, spreadsheets, pictures and other
necessary and pertinent material that is applicable to your internship. If you have none, obviously your
report will not contain appendices.
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Résumé
10 pts.
“While a well written résumé will seldom win you a job, a bad one will likely lose many for you.”
–Author Unknown
We want you to earn an opportunity to interview for jobs. This is accomplished when you can articulate
what you achieved during your internship - it is important to do so in your papers, but it is imperative to do
so on your résumé. Résumés are often the first or only impression you can make to an employer.
DUE: August 7th by 4 p.m. in the JCC, BU 187
Internship Evaluations
45 pts.
Employer Evaluation of Intern – Your employer will be asked to evaluate your performance using the
following criteria:
Performs Job Skills: Ability to perform assigned tasks
Initiative: Tendency to follow up beyond the minimum assigned
Knowledge of Work: Technical knowledge of job and related work
Technology Skills: Ability to efficiently use office technology
Ability to Organize: Effectiveness in planning own work
Quality of Work: Accuracy of work; freedom from errors
Quantity of Work: Output of work; speed
Independence: Ability to complete tasks without undue supervision
Communication: Effective communication with manager and others
Teamwork: Ability to work together within the department
Met deadlines: Timeliness in performing work
Dependability: Reliability in carrying out assignments conscientiously
Judgment: Ability to obtain and analyze facts and apply sound judgment
Attitude: Positive attitude and enthusiasm towards work and fellow workers
Problem Solving: Ability to develop more efficient means to job tasks
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Classroom and Workplace Decorum: There is no formal classroom for attendance. This course is a
quasi-independent study. However, it is expected that students will conduct themselves in a professional
manner while on the job and adhere to all codes of conduct imposed by the organization. Any student
whose employment is terminated prior to completion of the internship by the organization for violation of
the organization’s codes of conduct, standards of performance, or other causes related to the student’s
activities, will receive a grade of “F” for the course.
Academic Dishonesty: Cases of academic dishonesty will be handled in accordance with UNIREG 802
Rev.2. Cheating in this course can result in the student receiving an "F" grade for the semester. In this
course, academic dishonesty includes (but is not limited to) plagiarism or other use of published material
without complete citations, or fabrication of referenced material.
Student Services: If you have a physical, sensory, cognitive, or psychological disability and require
accommodations, please let me know as soon as possible. You will need to register with, and provide
documentation of your disability to University Disability Support Services (UDSS) in SEO, Room 330,
Knight Hall. You may also reach them at 766-6189, TTY: 766-3073
Disclaimer: The instructor reserves the right to modify the course schedule and assignments as needed to
enhance student learning and to accommodate unforeseen problems that may arise during the course of the
semester. Any changes will be announced during the initial class meeting and/or via UW email.
If you have any questions as to the format or content of the reports, please contact us. If you experience
any problems or difficult situations with your employer, please let us know immediately. Be mindful that
you are now in an employment situation – this is no longer the study of concepts and theories in a
classroom setting. Welcome to the business world – get ready – it is moving and changing rapidly! Good
luck and have fun!
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