The Academic Internship Program coordinates work experiences for undergraduates with industry, government offices, and hospitals.
Details:
- Students work under the supervision of a faculty member.
- The position may or may not be salaried.
- Students typically receive 1-4 units of academic credit for a MAE 197 Engineering Internship and by completing a research paper or technical laboratory report on their internship work. (Students enrolled thru the UCSD Co-op Program may request up to 12 units of academic credit, in unique situations.)
- The average time commitment for the internship is ten hours per week for every four units of academic credit.
Process:
- It is the responsibility of the student to choose and approach the faculty member about working together. Typically, this may be a faculty member that you have taken a course with and who may know you. If they are unavailable, they may be able to recommend another faculty member.
- If the faculty member is available and willing to accept the student, the student must meet with the faculty to discuss a research paper or technical laboratory report on their internship work.
- The student then must submit a Special Studies request through the EASy portal.
- After the request is approved by the faculty and MAE department chair, the EASy system will clear the student for the MAE 197 course and notify them by email that a section has been created. Enrollment is not automatic.
- The student must enroll themselves in the course after obtaining clearance from the Registrar.
For instructions on how to submit a Special Studies request, please visit https://academicaffairs.ucsd.
edu/Modules/Students/PreAuth/ Documents/EASy_Special_ Studies_Instructions_Student. pdf. Note: EASy request review can take 1-3 weeks.
Note:
- Students considering an internship outside of the summer, must contact their advisor to create an academic plan to keep them on track for graduation.
- Students may not receive upper division technical elective (TE) credit for internships.
- MAE 197 can only be taken a maximum of 3 quarters.
International Students:
- Curricular Practical Training (CPT) is a type of employment authorization for F-1 students. It is an opportunity to participate in a paid position off-campus in your field of study during the time that you are pursuing your degree.
- MAE 197 is an approved CPT course.