EIU Department of Mathematics and Computer Science

Internship Guidelines

While internships normally run during the Summer, preparation for a successful internship begins well before starting the position. Once you have enrolled in CSM 3870 Data Structures, begin your internship search in earnest. Dr. Moh’d (mabidalrahman@eiu.edu) our internship coordinator can provide the names of companies we have previously partnered with, add you to our mailing list for internship leads, and guide you through the process. While the internship coordinator is here to help you, ultimately it is your responsibility to find and qualify for an appropriate internship.

EIU’s Career Services runs internship fairs, events, and workshops that can assist in your search. The Writing Center can help with any aspect of your writing.

The internship coordinator must approve internships in advance. The standard is 8–10 weeks of full-time employment or 15 weeks of part-time employment in a majority (51% or more by time) computer science position. An ideal internship is a paid position that is external to the university.

A supervisor who gives routine feedback and guidance must mentor your internship. Your supervisor must also submit an evaluation of your work from their work email at the completion of your internship.

Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REUs) in computer science and supervised remote positions may be acceptable internships. As with any internship, work with the coordinator early to have your internship approved.

Approval will require at least:

• A statement of your responsibilities

• The dates the internship will run

• Number of hours you will work each week and employment status (full-time vs. part-time)

• Your supervisor's contact information

• Confirmation that your supervisor approves of the internship and agrees to submit their final evaluation

Approval is at the discretion of the internship coordinator. So work with them early in the process and keep them apprised of your search. Once they approve your internship, fill out the internship agreement form. If you are an international student, you will need to fill out the CPT recommendation form.

While you are working at your internship, you will take the class CSM 42751 Internship in Computer Science. The dates for your CSM 42751 class do not have to match the dates of your employment and the internship coordinator will pick the term they feel best corresponds with your work. However, you must work as an intern for some portion of the class. If your employment runs past the end of the class, the coordinator will assign an incomplete that you must resolve by the second week of the following semester. Otherwise, all dates for CSM 42751 are the same as other classes. In particular, you must complete all internship agreement forms by the “Last Day to Add a Full Term Course” for the term CSM 42751 is to run.

You are responsible for all tuition and fees for your internship.

Note, if your only remaining requirement is the internship, you can still walk in commencement in the spring, complete your internship over the summer, and then graduate at the end of summer. To do this, you need to complete the Commencement by Exceptionality Form by the Wednesday after Spring Break.

We only offer CSM 42751 Credit/No Credit. See the syllabus for your CSM 42751 for details on how the coordinator will evaluate your performance, but what follows are some guidelines.

By far, your most important responsibility is to your employer and supervisor. In general, if your supervisor is happy with your performance, we will be too! Other than that, your primary responsibility in completing your internship is to complete a recorded presentation on your internship. To assist you in preparing this presentation, it is an excellent idea to keep a work journal of your activities. Brief daily entries are the best, but the important thing is to be consistent. Regularly record what you do, what projects you work on, what meetings you attend, and what new ideas you learn. The effort you spend to keep this journal will pay off when you summarize your work into your final presentation.

The coordinator will ask reflection questions roughly once a week. The goal of these questions is also to help you prepare for your final presentation.

Part of the way through the semester, the coordinator will arrange a visit to your site or a remote visit. It is your responsibility to ensure this visit is scheduled. During the visit, the coordinator will meet with you and your supervisor and you will demonstrate some of your work. One goal of the visit is to ensure that your internship is on track and your supervisor is confident it will result in a positive recommendation. The coordinator may require more than one visit. 

Your grade will be based on your final presentation (31%), supervisor evaluation (31%), Site Visit (31%), and reflections (7%). This is just a sample set of weights. See your CSM 42751 syllabus for details on your class. 

If you have questions, be sure to contact the coordinator. We hope you have a great internship experience!