Internship Alternative Course for Online Business Management Students
Course description:
Course is for online students only.
Expectation of about 250 hours total (average 18 hours/week if completed in one semester). 20
hours less than traditional internship, which makes up for additional reporting/reflection
assignments in this course. This experience may be completed across two semesters. The
instructor may approve appropriate projects that are less than 250 hours that require a high
level of application of business skills and that are closely aligned to the student’s career goals.
Course outcomes (same as outcomes for traditional internship course):
1. Students will build their resumes by adding relevant experiences that will help them
get jobs.
2. Students will gain real-world work experience and observation providing context and
relevance for the rest of their business education.
3. Students will gain confidence in their ability to successfully apply business principles.
4. Students will have a chance to explore career options to find out whether their chosen
field/emphasis is really what they want.
5. Students will meet and work with people in their emphasis area who will help them
begin their networks.
6. Students will apply some of the skills and knowledge they’ve obtained as students in a
real-world setting.
7. Students will recognize their strengths and weaknesses in a work environment.
8. Students will be in a situation that potentially leads to a job.
9. Students will discover what they most need to learn from their final coursework.
10. Students will contribute real-world experience to the classroom upon returning from
the internship.
The following may be approved for the practicum course:






Working as a business intern for less than 15 hours/week
Starting/operating your own business
Completing one or more projects for a business, government entity, or non-profit
organization. The project must apply skills gained in business courses. For example,
projects focused on marketing, spreadsheets, managing, or finance
Completing an online internship for a company or organization where you work from
home and have less oversight than in a traditional internship
Additional projects or demonstration of application of learning to a full-time job you will
not be leaving upon graduation
Investigating opportunities, networking, and creating the infrastructure for future
students to complete internships/practicums in your city/country


Mentoring another student intern or interns (2nd semester 399B course only). This might
be required of international students working on creating internship opportunities.
A combination of the above to total 250 hours
Course Requirements:
You must have a mentor. The mentor should be someone who is in the industry or career field
the student is interested in pursuing. For example, if you are interested in finance you could
have a mentor who works a finance career. If you plan to be a full-time parent, you could choose
a mentor who has a business degree that he or she uses in the home and to volunteer in the
community.
If you use your own business, you need an advisory board/board of directors. This can include
your mentor, but should include two other people with business experience who can give you
feedback and help with your business.
Track hours spent in 15-minute intervals. (Use a time-tracking program or app: toggl, timecamp,
harvest).
Registration:





Follow the instructions for EPS Student Internship Registration
When you fill out the form, choose internship type: Entrepreneurial
Choose Casey Hurley as the adviser
Use the area for international or other exceptions to upload your non-traditional
internship application in the form
Submit your form
Application for Alternative Internship Program for online business management students
Student Name:
Student Email:
I-number:
Semester when you wish to complete internship:
Expected graduation date:
Explain briefly why you are unable to complete the traditional B398 internship:
What is your career goal, or what do you want to do when you graduate?
Describe what you plan to do to fulfill the internship requirement. Give the names of any
companies or organizations you will be working with. Give specifics about what you will be doing
and how it relates to your degree and career goals:
Name and contact (email or phone) for mentor who is not your supervisor:
Have you discussed your internship plans with your mentor?
Does your mentor know that he/she will need to communicate with you weekly?
Does your mentor know that he/she will need to provide feedback about your experience to
your instructor at least 4 times during the semester?
Will you complete your internship in one semester or two?