Certificate in the Study and Practice of Leadership
Internships
Overview
An internship is an agreed-upon experience in a work setting that is driven by intentional learning goals and accompanied by sustained reflection. The student, organization and academic institution are cooperatively involved in creating a beneficial experience for the student and the organization.
To receive the Leadership Certificate through the Leadership RAP a student must complete an internship. Students have the option of fulfilling this requirement by enrolling in either a non-credit or credit bearing internship through their major department or a non-credit internship through the Leadership RAP.
Purpose
The internship provides students with an opportunity to apply the skills and knowledge gained through their leadership studies to a work setting. During the semester students will use the concepts and theories learned in the classroom to analyze and understand the host organization. In addition, students are asked to reflect on the complexities of leadership and the personal challenges that they face in practicing and refining their own leadership skills.
General guidelines for Leadership RAP students planning to do a leadership certificate internship
- Pre-requisites include LDSP 1000, Foundations of 21st Century Leadership, and LDSP 2400, Understanding Privilege and Oppression in Contemporary Society and two field practica EDUC 2910 and LDSP1571.

- Students are required to have a cumulative GPA of 2.00 or above to be eligible to apply for an internship.

- ALL internships must have PRIOR approval from the Leadership RAP Director. No retroactive credit is available for internships already started or completed.
- You must obtain a faculty sponsor from your major department or the Leadership RAP for assistance in applying for an internship.

- All internships must provide work experience clearly related to leadership, your academic goals and prior course work. Internships for credit will include an academic emphasis beyond the work experience. Discuss this with your faculty sponsor.

- Students must work a minimum of 48 hours for every hour of academic credit; the minimum number of hours for an internship is 3.

- Students opting for a no credit internship must work a minimum of 148 hours.

- Upon completion of the internship, the student must meet with the Leadership RAP Director to conclude the internship process.
Process of Securing an Internship
- Contact the Leadership RAP office at (303) 735-1987 and indicate your interest in the certificate and/or internship
- Begin the internship process at least one full semester prior to the start date of your placement.
- Choose the non-credit or credit bearing internship option.
- Determine in which department you wish to complete your internship.
- Contact the Leadership RAP or your major department for approval and assistance with your application.
- If seeking the credit bearing internship, obtain a copy of the internship application by logging on to http://www.colorado.edu/CareerServices. If you are not completing this requirement through arts and sciences contact your college for internship information.
- Contact the supervising faculty member for course requirements, syllabus, etc.
- Contact the supervising faculty for information about the non credit internship.
- All internships require a written contract with the signatures of the student, work supervisor, the sponsoring faculty member, and the chair of the department awarding the credit.
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