Graduate Internship FAQs

Source: https://career.gatech.edu/graduate-internship-faqs/ Parent: https://career.gatech.edu/category/gtcc_experiential_learning/

What is the Graduate Internship Program?

The Graduate Internship Program at Georgia Tech is an innovative approach to experiential learning.  The program was established in 1983 and is currently the largest graduate internship program in the United States in which students of all majors are eligible to participate.  The program provides all graduate students the opportunity to work with industry and governmental leaders in their respective areas of study.  Students receive approval from their major school to work full or part-time assignments during any semester. Graduate students may not work more than two consecutive full-time semesters before returning to school for classes, without approval from the Office of the Vice Provost of Graduate Education.

There are no fees associated with the Graduate Internship Program. Students are enrolled through their registration in an audited hour graduate internship course, based on the number of hours that they are working weekly. A full-time internship (32 – 40 hours/week) permits students to retain all privileges of full-time enrolled students while on work assignments.  The Graduate Internship Program is available to masters and doctoral level students.

When may I apply to participate in the Graduate Internship Program?

Students are eligible to participate in the Graduate Internship Program after completion of at least one academic semester of graduate study at Georgia Tech. Students receiving undergraduate degrees from Georgia Tech who have been admitted to a Georgia Tech graduate program may seek academic departmental approval to work during their first semester of graduate study.

Can I intern in my graduating semester?

Students cannot complete full-time internships during their graduating semester, except for those who have practicum courses. Part-time is possible.

As a BS/MS Option participant, when can I participate as a Graduate Intern?

The new DocuSign form for BS/MS students participating in an internship during their first semester has been approved and is now available for use.

Direct Link: https://apps.docusign.com/send/templates/details/5f92e150-999c-412c-abfc-7755114458f4

New Policy:

• Graduate students enrolled at the Atlanta campus are required to complete a minimum of one academic semester at the graduate level prior to becoming eligible for participation in the Graduate Internship Program. The sole exception to this requirement applies to students admitted to approved BS/MS programs. Students may engage in an internship during the transition period between the completion of their undergraduate degree and the start of their graduate studies.
• BS/MS students seeking to register for a graduate internship course between their BS and MS programs must complete at least one semester of graduate-level coursework (e.g., 6000-level) before graduating with their BS degree. (Minimum: 1 Course)
• Please be advised that the academic department must complete the student’s admission for the term in which the internship will take place. If admission has not been finalized, the Registrar’s Office cannot complete course registration. Students who have not yet been admitted will not be recognized as graduate students, therefore ineligible for registration.
• Please note that the academic department must sign the BS/MS Advisor Form provided if this is the student’s first master’s semester.
• Only one form is required. BS/MS student need to sign the form below, all other students can use the Advisor Approval Form.
• BS/MS Template Direct link:https://apps.docusign.com/send/templates/details/5f92e150-999c-412c-abfc-7755114458f4
• Advisor Approval Form:https://apps.docusign.com/send/templates/details/ead722d8-0fcf-4513-ad50-d911b3936b5f

How do graduate students find internship opportunities?

Most students find jobs by networking through their major schools and professional associations or by conducting their own research on companies. All graduate students enrolled at Georgia Tech are eligible to participate in on-campus career fairs and apply for jobs posted in CareerBuzz, maintained by the Career Center. Also, check out career resources available for graduate students from HERE.

If I plan to take a class at another university while interning, what should I do?

If you plan to take a class at another university while interning, make sure that your supervisor approves your taking the course and that the class time doesn’t interfere with your work schedule. Also, make sure your credit hours transfer to Georgia Tech through the following steps:

• Go to https://oscar.gatech.edu/pls/bprod/wwtraneq.P_TranEq_Ltr and review whether or not the course you wish to take at a particular institution has already been evaluated and approved by Georgia Tech as a transfer equivalency.
• If the course or institution is not listed in OSCAR, see your academic advisor to determine whether or not the credits will transfer.
• Click on the HELP link at https://oscar.gatech.edu/pls/bprod/wwtraneq.P_TranEq_Ltr to view specific Registrar requirements. For example, you cannot transfer credit for a course that you previously took at Georgia Tech. Other rules apply.
• If the institution teaching the course requires a “transient letter” from Georgia Tech, obtain one from the Registrar’s Office.

Once you’ve completed the course, have the transfer institution to send your official transcript to:

Georgia Institute of Technology\ Office of the Registrar\ Transfer Credit\ Atlanta GA , 30332-0315

Can I intern three consecutive semesters?

Yes, but you need departmental approval. The request for a third consecutive full-time graduate internship approval must:

1.)  Demonstrate a strong academic justification,\ 2.)  Confirm the student is making satisfactory academic progress while enrolled in graduate internship, and\ 3.)  State the student will register for the 12 audit hour grad internship course and at least three tuition-based credit hours during the third work term. (Note: the student is responsible for the tuition and fees associated with the tuition-based credit hours.

How to request approval

The letter of support MUST come from the faculty director of the graduate program or the school chair. Please submit a written request addressed to Dr. Gaeun (Gwenn) Seo, Director of Graduate Career Development. Please click HERE for the appeal process.

What is the cost for a Graduate Internship work semester?

No tuition or fees are paid to register a full-time work term; however, students may pay rent for campus housing or elect to pay optional fees for athletic events, health services, and campus recreation.

Can International Students participate in the Graduate Internship Program?

Yes!  The Graduate Internship Program is a great tool for further development of your career skills through experiential education. Registration of your internship through the Graduate Internship Program qualifies your off-campus work assignment as a Curricular Practical Training (CPT) experience.  A graduate internship using CPT may be approved for any semester: fall, spring or summer.

Can I work part-time as a Grad Internship?

The Graduate Internship Program allows the flexibility to work full-time or part-time with academic departmental approval.  Graduate students may not exceed twenty-one hours credit in a given semester, including the audit hours awarded for Graduate Internship Program work assignments. Part-time Graduate Internship classes are available.

INTN 6003: Supervised work experience for Master’s and Ph.D. student interns working 6 – 9 hours per week in their field of study for a semester. This course registers the student for 3 audited credits.

INTN 6004:Supervised work experience for Master’s and Ph.D. student interns working 10 – 15 hours per week in their field of study for a semester. This course registers the student for 4 audited credits.

INTN 6006:Supervised work experience for Master’s and Ph.D. student interns working 16 – 20 hours per weekin their field of study for a semester. This course registers the student for 6 audited credits.

INTN 6009: Supervised work experience for Master’s and Ph.D. student interns working 21 -35 hours per week in their field of study for a semester. This course registers the student for 9 audited credits.

Can I work part-time as a Grad Intern and keep my GRA/TA?

Yes, but you need to meet the following eligibility to be able to do a part-time internship along with your GRA/GTA. 

• PhD and thesis-based Master’s student only​
• Only if the internship is required for access to data that is part of the dissertation/thesis research or if the internship is expected to lead to a research publication.

Current guidance on requests to conduct a GRA/GTA concurrently with a part-time internship can be found HERE.

Once you have determined if you are eligible to conduct a GRA/GTA concurrently with a part-time internship, please use the following Docusign to obtain the necessary approvals.

I am an international student on F-1 visa; when can I start work?

International students on F-1 visas must attend at least two academic semesters of classes at any college or university in the U.S. before becoming eligible to work off-campus in the U.S.

Work assignments in a third country may be approved after at least one semester of graduate enrollment at Georgia Tech.

For more questions about F-1 guidelines, please either consult with the Office of International Education (OIE), or see their website for F-1 regulations and policies.

Do I receive academic credit for my graduate internship?

Graduate interns must complete all curriculum requirements for their major.  During full-time work terms, students register for a twelve-hour audit intern class to maintain full-time status. The audited internship class does not count toward the academic credits required for a degree.  The same is true for the audit credit students take when they register for part-time internship classes.

I received a grade of “V” for my Grad Internship course; what does that mean?

The “V” on transcripts for Graduate Interns work assignments is the standard satisfactory grade awarded for any non-fee based audit course at Georgia Tech. Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory and Pass/Fail grades are reserved for academic credit bearing classes that require tuition.

What requirements must I satisfy for Grad Internship course credit?

All Graduate internship work assignments must be related to your academic major.  Graduate Internships assignments must be paid, although compensation varies from one employer to another. Each Graduate Internship student is asked to provide updated contact information on their work supervisor; at the end of the work semester, the work supervisor will receive an e-mail request to complete an online performance evaluation of the Grad Internship student. Finally, each student is asked to log into the Career Center’s web-based recruitment and management system, CareerBuzz, to complete a work report at the end of each Graduate Internship work assignment.