The Department of Animal Sciences strives to provide our undergraduates with experiences and training to develop interpersonal skills and to prepare graduates for continued personal and professional growth through life-long learning. To become leaders in their communities, all undergraduates in the Department of Animal Sciences are required to complete an internship in order to graduate.
The goals of the internship experience are to provide an experiential learning opportunity for students to apply the concepts, knowledge, and skills gained during their undergraduate education to real world situations as they connect theory with practice. Students will acquire work related experiences through employer/employee relations which will increase the marketability of the student for future employment. In addition, students develop written communication, oral articulation, and critical thinking skills to promote awareness of community, economic, and social issues in a global society.
An internship is a career-related work experience where students are temporarily employed by an organization. An internship should enable students to develop and put into practice the skills, techniques and knowledge that are important for success in the job market. Internships may be either paid or volunteer work experiences supervised by an industry, academic, or institutional person. Internships should provide students with a new experience for credit to be earned. As internships are aimed to enhance the quality of the undergraduate experience through promotion of hands-on career related experiences, shadowing and observational activities are not permitted for academic credit through the internship program. Students are encouraged to make an appointment with their academic advisor to discuss availability and acceptability of internship opportunities.
Students completing pre-approved internship experiences are eligible to register for academic credit through ANIMSCI 3191 (for Animal Sciences majors) or MEATSCI 3191 (for Meat Science majors). This course fulfills the CFAES General Education Internship course requirement. Two credits are earned for completion of a minimum of 200 hours of paid or volunteer employment under a single internship organization. The course is non-repeatable and graded S/U. Registration for 3191 follows completion of the internship experience, preferably the immediate academic term after completion of the internship. Students can look up the course through Buckeye Link under the course call number assigned to their academic advisor; however, the advisor’s permission will be needed for the enrollment.
It is a University policy that all students engaged in an internship must simultaneously be enrolled in a course related to the work for which they will earn credit. Thus, all students conducting an internship are required to enroll in FAES 3191 at the time they are on-site for their internship (FAES 3191 Enrollment Form). All students enrolling in ANIMSCI or MEATSCI 3191 must also enroll in FAES 3191 Internship for 0 cr hr prior to or in concurrence with the departmental internship courses. For example, students conducting their internship during the summer academic session need to enroll in FAES 3191 during the summer in which the internship is being pursued and then enroll in either ANIMSCI or MEATSCI 3191 during the subsequent academic period, thus preferably during the fall academic period. Students pursing the internship during the fall or spring academic sessions can enroll in FAES 3191 and either ANIMSCI or MEATSCI 3191 during the same academic period. The FAES 3191 course is graded S/U. If the 0-credit course is taken alone, with no other courses (student interning somewhere for the summer and not taking any additional classes at Ohio State), the student will be assessed instructional and student fees at the 0-0.5 cr hr rate. Factors such as the catalog year of the student, the term (summer tuition is commonly reduced), and the geographical location of the internship determine student fees. The 0 cr FAES 3191 course taken alongside any other OSU course (e.g., student interning in the Autumn semester while taking a regular course load, or enrolled in the summer with another course) will have no impact on student fees or credit hour limits. To enroll in FAES 3191, contact your academic advisor for the form, complete the form with their signature, and then it must be dropped off in 100 Ag administration.
Students should determine an area of interest he/she would like to pursue for the internship. The student’s academic advisor serves as a reference to aide discussions of internship selection and will provide academic guidance during the internship experience. When selecting an internship organization, consider:
- Internships must provide students with a new, hands-on experience that connects academics with career prospects;
- Employment under supervisors for whom students have worked, volunteered, or shadowed previously are not permitted;
- Internships under home and family operations are not permitted;
- Hours must be accumulated under a single internship position and combinations of hours from more than one position are not allowed.
When a potential internship opportunity has been identified, the student should contact potential employment supervisors to discuss opportunities within the company or institution. Prospective employers may be initially contacted via phone or in writing. The student should schedule a meeting to discuss internship possibilities and employer/employee expectations for the internship experience. Additional information regarding internship search strategies, including resumes, interview skills, and salary negotiations, can be found at OSU CFAES Career Development Office.
Does My Internship Need To Be Approved?
Yes! Your Internship Agreement Form and Proposal will need to be approved by your academic advisor at least 10 days prior to your proposed start date in order to count your experience for academic credit.