Registering for an Internship or Co-Op Experience to receive Academic Credit

(NOTE: This program is only for CEAS Undergraduate students!)

1- 3 credits of free elective

Some departments will allow for more than 3 credits of free elective. These are listed below. Please check with your home department for more details

  • Biomedical Engineering - Allows for up to 6 credits of Technical Elective Credit to be applied to the degree for two separate internship experiences. (Only 3 credits allowed per experience)
  • Chemical and Biological Engineering听- Allows for up to 6 credits of听Free Elective Credit听to be applied to the degree听for two separate internship experiences. (Only 3 credits allowed per experience).
  • Electrical Engineering - Allows for up to 6 credits of Technical Elective Credit to be applied to the degree for two separate internship experiences. (Only 3 credits allowed per experience)
  • Environmental Engineering - Allows for up to 3 credits of Technical Elective Credit to be applied to the degree for an internship for credit experience.听

Please note the following when applying for an Internship/Co-op Experience for credit.

  • Secure internship/co-op position prior to completing the application.听
  • You must have a 2.00听GPA after sophomore year to apply. Continued performance at this level and completion of all freshman engineering requirements are prerequisites for beginning an internship/co-op experience.
  • Students participating in the internship/co-op program are expected to maintain a minimum GPA of 2.00, be in good academic standing, and maintain satisfactory progress toward degree requirements.
  • Effective 3/20/2024:
    • 鈥婼tudents can register for variable credit. A full-time (40 hour per week) internship is no longer required
      • A MINIMUM of 100 contact hours is required to receive the 1听credit听of free elective.
        • No credit will be issued for internships that are less than 100 hours.听
  • International Students have additional guidelines for internships/co-ops from the Office of International and Student Scholar Services (ISSS)
    1. International students听require minimum GPA of 2.00听(per CEAS internship for credit rule)
    2. Must be a degree-seeking student in valid F-1 status
    3. Must have their internship/co-op approved by an international student advisor before the first day of work.
    4. International Students please check here for requirements:听听/isss/students/current-students/f-1-student-overview/curricular-practical-training-cpt
    5. International students can receive CPT for a part time (20 hour per week) internship, it听must reach the 100 hour minimum to receive 1 credit.听
  • Submit the Application for Internship/Co-Op Experience (link below). This must be completed and approved prior to the start of the internship or co-op experience!
    • 鈥婸LEASE NOTE THAT RETROACTIVE INTERNSHIP FOR CREDIT APPLICATIONS WILL NOT BE ACCEPTED. YOU MUST HAVE INTERNSHIP APPROVED AND BE REGISTERED PRIOR TO THE START OF THE INTERNSHIP.听
  • The application will be routed to your internship supervisor, the department and finally to the Director of Active Learning via Docusign. The internship is not approved until ALL parties have signed in Docusign.
    • 鈥婲OTE: The application must be signed by the Internship SUPERVISOR that you will be working under. It cannot be signed by a HR person or a third party hiring company. If this is not possible, then you will NOT be eligible to participate in听the Internship for Credit Program.
  • Once the internship for credit is approved you will receive an email from the Director of Active Learning with a Permission number to register. You are not enrolled in the program unless you register for the COEN 3930 Internship for Credit for the semester of your internship.听
  • If completing an internship/co-op during an academic term (fall or spring) you must submit the Impact of an Internship/Co-op on Financial Aid and/or Scholarships Form before leaving on an internship/co-op assignment. This form is NOT necessary if your internship takes place during SUMMER. Please do NOT submit for a SUMMER internship or Co-Op Experience!!!! This is to make sure that any scholarships or financial aid will not be affected by your internship or co-op experience. Impact听Form
  • Attend a mandatory "Professionalism in the Workplace" seminar with your departmental coordinator prior to departing on the internship/co-op experience.
  • The final report and survey surrounding听the experience are due the first day of classes following the work session unless otherwise specified by the Coordinator. The expereince is graded as either Satisfactory (S) or Unsatisfactory (U).Students not submitting these materials will receive a grade of 鈥淚ncomplete鈥� and if not completed within one year the grade will convert to an 鈥淯鈥� (unsatisfactory).听
  • The registration fees are due in the Bursar鈥檚 Office by the deadline specified by the University. If not received by this deadline, a late fee will be assessed.
  • Failure to register and pay the required fee means that the internship/co-op experience cannot be used for credit.
  • If internship credit is desired and for all co-op experiences, report the intent to register for credit by filling out the webform below.听

The following is the information needed to submit an internship/co-op application. Be sure to have all this information on hand before starting the application process.

Please note that submitting this application does not guarantee eligibility for credit for an internship or co-op experience. The academic plan must be approved prior to the student being registered for the experience. Make sure you check with your Internship Employer before submitting. Some employers will NOT be willing to participate in this program. Check before you start the process!

Student Information

  • Student Name
  • Department/Program
  • Expected Date of Graduation
  • Class Standing
  • Student ID
  • Campus E-Mail
  • Phone
  • Cumulative GPA
  • Registering for an Internship or Co-Op Experience
  • How many credits (1-3听or 6) (1听credit听= min of 100 hours work, 6 credits = min of 600 hours work). Generally speaking you can register for 1-3 credits based on the number of contact hours you will have over the course of your experience. Students who need to remain at half-time status during an academic term would register for 6 credits. This is usually for an intern or co-op experience during a fall or spring semester.听Even if you are an Electrical or Biomedical听student, you will not be able to receive 6 credits for one internship experience that would count towards your degree,听it would need听to be two separate internship experiences.听

Employer Information

  • Company name
  • Supervisor name
  • Supervisor e-mail
  • Supervisor will provide information on these questions
    • Explain how the intern will be oriented to the workplace and be able to understand duties as they relate to the overall organization strategies and goals.
    • How and on what duties will the intern be trained?
    • What will supervision look like? Are there multiple supervisors or wil the student primarily report to you?
    • How often will you be evaluating the student employee?
    • What method will be used for evaluations?

Information about the Internship/Co-Op

  • Position title
  • Start date
  • End date
  • Planned hours work/week
  • Salary (per hour/per week/per month)
  • Describe the nature of your position and/or your duties. These answers should be well thought out. Not just a sentence or two, but complete paragraphs.听
    • Write 1 鈥� 2 paragraphs
    • If you are in a department or program that allows technical elective credit, provide information about the engineering/technical nature of your position/duties.
  • What do you hope to learn from this experience?
    • Write 1 鈥� 2 paragraphs.
  • How are you going to accomplish your educational objectives?听
    • In 1 鈥� 2 paragraphs, discuss projects, readings, writings, etc.; if you are in a department or program that allows technical elective credit, provide information about the engineering/technical nature of your position/duties.

Please DO NOT听click on the button below to apply for an internship or co-op until you are ready to submit your application. When you click on the link it will open a DocuSign document to complete the information listed above. There is no need to click on it until you are ready to complete the application. All the required information is listed above! Once you complete the form and submit, the form will be routed to the supervisor you listed, the departmental coordinator, and finally the college coordinator for approval. Once all approvals are received, the college coordinator will email you to let you know your application has been approved and provide you with a permission number to register. It is up to the student to make sure they register for the Internship for Credit Course - COEN 3930.听

Apply for Internship or Co-Op for Credit

For further information please contact Sharon.E.Anderson@Colorado.Edu听