Internship Policy

Graduate students in the Department of Geological and Environmental Sciences at Western Michigan University occasionally have opportunities to gain direct, practical work experience through internships. The Department of Geological and Environmental Sciences supports internship opportunities and offers credit for these experiences. Graduate students may enroll in 2 to 12 credits of GEOS-7120 while participating in an internship.

 To earn credit for an internship, the following must be completed:

1. The student should contact a faculty member to supervise the internship and serve as the instructor of record for GEOS 7120. This faculty supervisor will assign a grade for the course.
2. The student will obtain the form to enroll in GEOS-7120 (also available in the main office) and secure all appropriate signatures.
3. The faculty supervisor must have had direct communication with the supervisor at the company or organization that offers the internship in order to confirm internship activities.
4.  The student must submit a report to their faculty supervisor at the end of the internship period summarizing the activities and detailing what they learned.
5. The faculty supervisor will contact the company supervisor to confirm the report and obtain input on the student’s performance before assigning a grade.