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EGR 490 Engineering Internship Guidelines

College credit for internships

The College of Engineering (CoE) strongly encourages students to participate in internships related to their major, which may satisfy a technical elective or free elective within the student’s program of study. The CoE must ensure that clear learning outcomes are met and assessed through the internship. Thus, faculty oversight of the internship is critical.

In order to receive college credit for your internship, you must register for EGR 490: Engineering Internship. Students who have earned at least 60 credits toward their degree are eligible to enroll. 

Registration steps

1. Contact your department chairperson. Inform the chairperson about the nature of the internship and request a recommendation for a faculty sponsor. 

2. Download the EGR 490 form.  Download the internship proposal application and review the internship EGR 490 syllabus.

3. Develop your proposal. Working with your faculty sponsor and your industry supervisor, fill out the proposal application with clear ‘Educational Goals’ and ‘Professional Goals,’ which are compatible with the goals and learning outcomes stated in the syllabus. The proposal will identify the nature of work you will perform as part of the internship and how many hours you intend to complete. 

4. Enroll in EGR 490. Once the application is approved, you will be registered in EGR 490 as part of the normal full-time course load.

This course is a variable-credit course, meaning a student may receive 1 credit, 2 credits, or 3 credits toward EGR 490, depending on the number of hours spent on internship activities directly related to the student’s major.

  • 1 credit: equivalent to working at least 10 hours/week for 14 weeks
  • 2 credits: equivalent to at least 15 hours/week for 14 weeks
  • 3 credits: equivalent to at least 20 hours/week for 14 weeks

A 3-credit EGR 490 course is equivalent to one technical elective or free elective*. The 3 credits may be unabridged or cumulative depending on the aforementioned hours scheme.

Summer internships: At least 40 hours/week for 7 weeks would satisfy the requirements. Students enroll in EGR 490-8101 through Online & Continuing Education. Fees and tuition apply to the course based on the number of credits and as set by Online & Continuing Education.

*Any credits greater than 3, earned through additional internships, will appear on the transcript but the additional credits cannot be applied to any course. 

EGR 490: Engineering Internship Syllabus

Supervised internships at suitable locations in industry and government. Internships must include training and supervision – both at the place of training and at the academic unit. Depending on the company, some internship positions are paid. This valuable work experience provides the student professional training with the opportunity to develop engineering skills in an off-campus setting. A term report is required. Arrangements for the preapproval of the internship course is necessary. No credits are rewarded retroactively.

Goals

An internship is an integral part of engineering education. It provides real-world experience in the profession; enables correlation of classroom learning with applications in industry; broadens understanding of the types of employment available in the field; helps the student discover individual interests; builds resume credentials; and develops relationships between UMass Dartmouth and industrial companies.

Outcomes

Upon completion of the internship, the student will (ABET student outcome within parentheses):

  • Develop practical engineering skills and judgment (7)
  • Communicate effectively (3)
  • Discover own interest within the major
  • Build resume credentials upon graduation for competitive and full-time positions.

Deliverables

A final written report is due at the end of the internship, and no later than the last week of classes for the fall and spring semesters, in order to allow time for grading and submitting final grade to the registrar’s office. Reports and grades for summer internships should be finalized at least one week before the beginning of fall semester.

The final report should address the following:

  • Projects and Duties performed during the semester
  • Goals and plans regarding future professional development
  • Learning that occurred as a result of the internship, in regard to
    • the engineering profession
    • the particular industry
    • the organization/company
    • the technical skills developed
    • the individual interests and preferences discovered
    • suggestions for curriculum changes in the student’s major

Grading sample

Interim Reports (weekly journal emails or myCourses journal discussion): 20%
Final Report: 30%
Employer Evaluation: 50%

Total: 100%

Reports timetable

Interim reports (journal entries) are due periodically throughout the internship, and should be submitted by email, or as specified by the faculty sponsor.