Internships for Graduate Students

The following rules apply for all graduate students in the Department of Theatre Arts who are seeking internships:

1. All work to be recorded on an Iowa transcript must be done under the sponsorship of an Iowa faculty member and must be paid through tuition. The only exception is approved work done at a graduate program at another university.

2. The department may set the number of semester hours a student receives for an internship. The limit is set by the number of weeks in the internships. For example, if the internship lasts six weeks, no more than six credits can be given. The major factor involved, however, should be the amount of work (academic, scholarly, artistic) accomplished during the period.

3. It is important to spell out precisely what is being done for the credit involved in the internship. It is possible to make this somewhat flexible, i.e., to wait until the internship is under way or even complete before deciding exactly how much credit is appropriate. In general, credit should be determined beforehand.

4. The DEO should contact the individual directly supervising the internship to discuss (1) the work the student will do, (2) how the student will be evaluated by the on-site supervisor, (3) how the supervisor will report to the faculty member (at least twice during the semester), (4) how a grade will be determined.

5. Tuition must be paid to The University of Iowa for all credit hours. If a student is normally on assistantship but will not be teaching for that internship, he or she must pay full tuition (out-of-state, if appropriate). There are two possible exceptions to the out-of-state charge. One is that if a student is doing research assistant type work for the department while away, part of the block grant RA money from the Graduate College could be used to pay him/her, and in-state tuition would be charged. The second exception may be made if a student normally teaches two courses a year. If the department can switch its schedule so that the student teaches both courses in a single term, and the Dean approves, the student can be paid evenly across the whole year, remain an "in-state" student, but do twice as much work in one semester.

6. It is important to determine that the internship will not violate the Departmental policy regarding residency. Students interested in a residency should consult their advisor and program head.