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ASCS Q398 and W498/W499: Internship--Theory Into Practice

Introduction

ASCS Q398 and W498/W499 are internship courses offered through the College of Arts & Sciences and administered by the Career Development Center. Q398 provides credit for your internship. W498/W499 is a noncredit course used simply to maintain half-time or full-time student status.

Application requirements

Student requirements (all courses)

To apply for ASCS Q398 or W498/W499, students must:

Be an undergraduate;
Have a GPA of 2.0 or above;
Have at least 24 credit hours completed prior to the start of the course;
Unless the department waives the requirement, all students must first complete their department’s internship course, if applicable. (Note: in the event of a granted waiver, students must not be higher than a junior level status and can only take the course for one term prior to completing their home department's internship course.) Please consult your academic advisor.

Q398 requirements

To qualify for Q398 enrollment, the internship must meet the following criteria:

It must be a learning experience that provides for applying knowledge gained in the classroom or enhances the student's career development. It must not be simply to advance the operations of the employer or be the work that a regular employee would routinely perform.
The skills and knowledge learned must be transferable to other employment settings.
The experience has a defined beginning and end, and a job description outlining projects, duties and/or responsibilities.
There are clearly defined learning objectives/goals related to the student's academic coursework or professional goals.
There is supervision by a professional with expertise and educational and/or professional background in the field of the experience.
There is routine feedback by the experienced supervisor.
There are resources, equipment, and facilities provided by the host employer that support learning objectives/goals.
The experience must last at least 9 weeks.
The student must work the minimum number of hours associated with credit hour enrollment
(1 credit hour = at least 50 hours worked; 2 credit hours = at least 100 hours worked; 3 credit hours = at least 150 hours worked).

W498 requirements

To qualify the student for course enrollment, the work experience must:

Last at least 9 weeks;
Require at least 20 hours of work per week (provides half-time student status);
Further your understanding of a career field or build on coursework you've taken;
Increase your employability in your field of interest.

W499 requirements

To qualify the student for course enrollment, the work experience must:

Last at least 9 weeks;
Require at least 40 hours of work per week (provides full-time student status);
Further your understanding of a career field or build on coursework you've taken;
Increase your employability in your field of interest.

Deadlines

Students must submit the Q398 and/or W498/W499 application(s), learning contract, and job description by the following deadlines:

Fall semester: October 1
Spring semester: February 1
Summer semester: June 1

Applications will not be accepted after the deadlines. Credit cannot be given for an internship already completed. The online application can be found here.

Important: You cannot begin counting hours/weeks until your Q398 and/or W498/W499 Job Description and Enrollment Verification Form has been signed, and the approval process is complete.

Grades:

The grades assigned to Q398 are either S (satisfactory) or F (fail). An S grade does not affect your GPA; an F grade lowers your GPA. Please refer to the Registrar's grading policies for further information.

The grade assigned to W498/W499 is NC (no credit). This grade does not affect your GPA.

Q398 frequently asked questions

How do I earn credit for an internship?

First, ask your academic advisor whether your department offers internship credit. If your department doesn't offer internship credit, complete the online application form for Q398. After we receive your application, we will contact your supervisor and request a description of the internship. Once we have collected the necessary information, we will determine whether the internship can be approved for academic credit. If we approve your internship for credit, we will register you for Q398 and direct you to the course assignment guidelines.

How many credits is an internship worth?

Credit is determined by the number of hours you work. If you work 50-99 hours during the semester, you earn 1 credit hour; 100-149 hours earns 2 credit hours; 150 hours or more earns 3 credit hours. No hours will be counted until your internship is approved.

I'll be working 40 hours per week in my internship. Since I'm putting in so many hours, can I get 6 credit hours?

The maximum number of credits hours you can earn for an internship is 3 credits, regardless of the number of hours you work. You can enroll in up to 3 credit hours for a different internship, but you cannot exceed 6 lifetime credit hours of ASCS Q398 enrollment.

What fees are associated with Q398?

The fees for Q398 are the same as for any other credit-bearing course. Fees are based on your residence status (in-state or other) and the number of hours for which you are enrolled. In the spring and fall semesters, the fee will depend on whether you are paying per credit hour (for under 12 hours or over 17 hours) or are in the flat fee structure (12-17 hours).

Warning: Unless you are enrolled full-time in the summer while completing an internship (6 hours in Summer I and 6 hours in Summer II), you will have to pay fees for each credit hour based on your residency status. If you do not need academic credit for your summer internship but simply want university recognition (a notation on your transcript), you should take W498/W499. W498/W499 carries Recording Fee (Academic Record).

Can I receive credit for an internship I have already completed?

Unfortunately, you cannot receive credit for an internship that you have already completed. There are no exceptions to this policy.

W498 and W499 frequently asked questions

Should I take W498?

If you would like to do an internship and need half-time student status, you can ask to be registered in W498 (if you are working at least 20 hours per week). W498 is not worth any credit; it simply gives you half-time student status. If you need half-time student status and would also like to get credit for your internship, you can apply for both ASCS Q398 and W498.

Should I take W499?

If you would like to do an internship and need full-time student status, you can ask to be registered in W499 (if you are working at least 40 hours per week). W499 is not worth any credit; it simply gives you full-time student status. If you need full-time student status and would also like to get credit for your internship, you can apply for both ASCS Q398 and W499.

How will taking W498 or W499 affect my scholarships or financial aid award?

Every situation is different. You must contact the Indiana University Financial Aid Office and your scholarship providers to ask how taking W498 or W499 will affect you. If you won't be enrolled in any credit hours, chances are high that your scholarships and financial aid will be affected.

How do I register for W498 or W499?

Complete the online application form to register for W498 or W499. You can choose either to register just for W498/W499 or for both W498/W499 and Q398. We will request a job description from your employer. The approval committee meets weekly to evaluate course requests. If your application is approved, we will notify you and register you for W498 or W499.

What fees are associated with W498 and W499?

Because W498 and W499 are zero-credit courses, the only fee is a Recording Fee (Academic Record). If you are taking Q398 during the summer and your internship is off campus, you may want to consider applying for W498 or W499.

Information for all internship courses

I just found out I have an internship but the deadline has passed. Can I turn in my application after the deadline?

Unfortunately, internship applications are not accepted after their specified deadlines. There are no exceptions to this policy.

If you have further questions, please contact us at 812-855-5234.