For Penn students seeking internships, the issue of receiving academic credit for their work is an uphill battle. In most cases, Penn does not give credit for internship work, a condition that can potentially be limiting for applicants since many companies prefer to hire those who do receive credit.
"You can't get an internship here unless you're going to receive school credit for it," said Maura Koehler, human resources coordinator for Philadelphia's Fox 29 TV station.
"It is company policy, but it's also a matter of being compensated for your work, since it's unpaid. From what I know, that's the norm these days," she added.
Penn does allow students to receive academic credit under certain circumstances. Annenberg School for Communication students, for instance, can take a Communications class that is accompanied by a semester-long internship.
"You would have to take the class to get credit" for an internship, said Emily Papir, undergraduate coordinator for the Communications major and a Class of '04 alumna. The class requires students to keep field notes of their experiences.
Still, some students argue that this method of receiving academic credit is unfair.
"There is an independent study internship course, [Communications Internship] 299, but you can only take it once," said Samantha Golkin, a College senior who spent last summer working an unpaid internship for ABC's Good Morning America.
"The class is offered in the summer too, but it's an added expense of around $2,500 for taking a class in the summer semester," she added. "So not only are you working for free, but you are also paying a lot. Unfortunately, the most important time for a student to get an internship is over the summer."
According to Kent Peterman, director of academic affairs for the College of Arts and Sciences, there is good reason for being stringent about academic credit qualification.
"The kind of work that takes place in internships can vary quite a bit," Peterman said.
He added, "You could be xeroxing all summer or doing a research project. How is the University supposed to assess that unless we have some sort of an intellectual product to evaluate?"
Still, there are loopholes to the system. For employers who only wish to hire students potentially receiving academic credit, the College provides a letter explaining that students are eligible to apply for academic credit. Whether or not they do so later on is their choice. "Usually, internship coordinators don't bother you about it," Golkin said.
The possibility of receiving credit mentioned in the letter refers to independent study work, where students research topics of their own choosing. Internship experience is generally regarded as an important asset to this research, but not the entirety of the work.
"While internships may provide students with data or background that would prove helpful in a subsequent independent study, work done in an internship cannot by itself count as an independent study," according to the Department of Economics Web site.
And some argue that the process -- which includes writing a proposal and formulating a timeline -- is too much to ask for receiving academic internship credit. "It's really difficult to do that," Golkin said. "You have to find a professor to sponsor it. Then you have to work with them to make up a syllabus."
Recently, there have also been problems with companies taking issue with Penn's letter -- which, Peterman said, is of concern to the University.
Pressure on the part of the companies to avoid hiring interns who will not receive credit "is coming more and more from insurance policies or union regulations," Peterman said.
He added that "we're concerned about the problem and certainly don't want to deprive our students of opportunities for internship. We're searching for solutions."
For Penn students abroad, the situation is largely the same. Internships are viewed as valuable but optional work experiences, rather than as a way to earn academic credit. However, there are certain exceptions to the rule, and, if there is a substantial academic component to the internship -- such as heavy research -- credit may be obtained.
Still, for students determined to receive academic credit for an internship without conducting an independent study, there are some other options. American University's Washington Semester program links qualifying students to Washington, D.C. internships for a semester and gives them transferable academic credit.
"It's almost like studying abroad in Washington," said Kate Moore, the program's internship director. "It's a professional and academic program."
The program includes coursework as well. Each year, Washington Semester enrolls students from 50 to 75 schools around the country.
