Use the following steps to complete an internship experience.
Step 1 – Setup and Searching for Opportunities
Setup / Preparation
A SOCS-based class list has been set up for all CS major students and will be used mainly to make announcements (positions, instructions, etc.). Unlike a listserv, students are automatically enrolled in the list / course on SOCS using their @tcnj.edu email address. Be on the lookout for internship-related announcements via this method. If you suspect that you are not receiving these messages, please check with the internship coordinator for the department (currently Dr. DePasquale).
Additionally, starting the Fall 2011 semester, attendance at a internship information and question/answer session will be mandatory as a prerequisite to participating in an internship. Sessions will be held at a minimum of once a semester, and you can attend your session at any time in advance of actually performing the internship.
Searching for Opportunities
While the department attempts to promote and locate internship opportunities for its students, you are ultimately responsible for obtaining the internship. We will not find an internship for you. There are many, many methods to secure an internship including the following approaches:
- access LionsPro and other resources at Career Services
- Check on-line sources such as NJ.com, Princeton’s Open Jobs List, Monster.com, and JerseyIntern.com
- talk to friends and associates about companies near your home and the campus
- email the HR department of a company and inquire if they seek interns
- post an advertisement on Craigslist
- search for an internship on Craigslist
Other Opportunities
If you want to use REU, MUSE, or any other external experience to fulfill the capstone requirement, please make sure these experiences satisfy the department policy.
Step 2 – Approval, Registration, and Preparation
Approval
1. Visit the TCNJ Internship Information Page and understand the goals and requirements of internship. In particular, students must understand that internship is an applied experience in that “the student must apply what she/he has learned in the classroom.”
2. Write a statement indicating how you would apply your classroom learning. Send the statement to the internship supervisor by e-mail. In addition, the CS department internship must meet the overall requirements.
3. Once your statement is approved by the internship supervisor (currently, Dr. DePasquale), write a proposal following the requirements under “The Internship Contract” again on the TCNJ Internship Information Page (at this point, no fixed format is provided). Also in your proposal, include the contact information of the on-site professional person (e-mail, phone, street address, etc.). Although this may change, we currently require 200 hours of work (roughly 10 to 14 hours per week if taken during a 15-week semester or 18 to 25 days if worked full time during the summer), corresponding to the new standard internship unit of 4 semester hours. When you complete your proposal, send it to the internship supervisor by e-mail.
Notes on goals and evaluation: In your proposal, identify the learning goals you expect to accomplish. Then, for each goal, identify criteria with which both you and the supervisor can confirm your accomplishment. For example, one might identify a goal: design, manage the implementation of, and evaluate the performance of a local area network, applying the knowledge learned in a Networks course. Then, evaluation criteria may include:
- design documents,
- record of implementation management,
- evaluation documents clearly indicating that the design and management were accomplished satisfactorily, and
- written evaluation of the project by the on-site professional supervisor.
Depending on your past experience, this part might be difficult. But this is the kind of ability you need when you work in the real world, including your internship experience. Writing up this part of proposal may take several revisions. Work closely with the supervisor.
By this time, you must have subscribed to the CS internship list (see the “Setup” stage above).
[Proposal requirements checklist]
Registration
Once your proposal is approved by the supervisor, bring
- the proposal, and
- a completed internship registration form (available on-line) to the supervisor.
For practical reasons (e.g., cost), many students register their summer work experience during the following fall semester (however, note that to take CSC399 as the fifth course, students must satisfy certain requirements including relatively high GPA). In this case, students work on their paper and presentation from the summer through the fall semester. However, this suggests that the scheduled paper/presentation preparation guidance will be provided after students finished working. To avoid potential drawbacks caused by this time difference, the students must take initiative to assure everything they would need to accomplish while they are actually working.
Preparation
Download the evaluation form (Word template, PDF). Fill in the content goals and criteria based on the proposal. Send the evaluation form to the faculty supervisor.
Step 3
On-Site Experience
Try to achieve all the goals/criteria as early as possible. You will also need to write a justification for the goals/criteria you achieved (see the evaluation form: Word template, PDF).
Students are not required to keep daily journal/log while performing their internship activities. However, students must regularly review the evaluation form, update it, and write a justification for the accomplished goals/criteria. In addition, in some cases, students may be required to submit proof of working for 200 hours. For this purpose, students must devise their own way of keeping track of their activities. Many students find that keeping a log or journal is helpful to them during this process.
Deliverables and dates due:
By the midpoint of the internship: The student must arrange a site visit of the faculty internship supervisor so that the faculty supervisor has an opportunity to observe the student’s experience on-site and discuss the internship with the on-site professional person. The standard procedure would involve interview sessions:
- with the student and the professional person together,
- with the professional alone, and
- with the student alone.
The interview process is expected to take about one hour. By this time, the student must have discussed the evaluation form with the professional.
At the midpoint of the internship: Complete and submit the midpoint evaluation process
At the endpoint of the internship: Complete and submit the final on-site evaluation process
Step 4 – Experiential Paper, Internship Presentation, and Final Evaluation
Paper
Visit the paper information page for more information.
Presentation
Visit the presentation information page for more information.
Final
After completing your on-site experience, paper, and presentation requirements but before the end of the final exam period, make an appointment with the faculty supervisor. Bring your evaluation form and the accompanying reflective essay to the meeting for the final evaluation.