Academic Credit
Whether or not an internship is paid or unpaid, with or without credit, it offers you a wonderful learning experience. Many students do internships simply for the experience.
Tufts offers two options for recognizing your internship: Academic Credit or Career Center Internship Credit.
Academic Internship Credit
The Career Center does not offer academic credit. If you are seeking academic credit, you need to determine if an academic department or program offers an internship course for credit. Several departments at Tufts offer internship courses for academic credit, but these courses may not be available each semester. Please contact the appropriate academic department for more information.
Below are links to departments currently providing internship course/credit information on their websites.
- American Studies
- Anthropology
- Child Study & Human Development
- Civil and Environmental Engineering
- Community Health
- Film & Media Studies
- Economics
- Entrepreneurial Leadership
- Environmental Studies
- International Relations
- Mechanical Engineering
- Peace and Justice Studies
- Political Science
- Psychology
- Sociology
- Studio Art (SMFA)
- Women’s, Gender and Sexuality Studies
Communications Internship
Many employers in the communications industry only offer internships if students receive academic credit. To receive academic credit, you must go through Film and Media Studies and register for the course FMS99. For more information, contact Leslie Goldberg.
Finance/Business Interns
Students may get academic credit through the Economics department. This option is typically used by students pursuing finance positions and is justified by the student’s overall course of study. For more information, contact Pat Schena (Patrick.Schena@tufts.edu).
Career Center Internship Credit
Tufts Career Center Internship Credit is an official way to note an internship on your transcript upon satisfactory completion. Students may register for this credit when their employer requires some sort of recognition by the University for an unpaid internship and internship credit is not available through an academic department.
Career Center Internship Credit is not academic credit. It does not affect the total number of credits you need for graduation. Since you do not receive a grade, it does not affect your grade-point average. This internship option does not fulfill major, minor, or degree requirements. No faculty sponsorship is required. There is no cost for Career Center Internship Credit, and there is no limit on the number of times you may receive this credit.
Please Note: Some organizations will not accept Career Center Internship Credit for unpaid internships. It is your responsibility to determine credit requirements and make plans accordingly.
Prerequisites for Career Center Internship Credit:
- You must be a matriculated, enrolled student at Tufts University.
- You must complete the internship before graduation.
- You must apply for Career Center Internship Credit before the beginning of your internship, and by the applicable deadline; credit will not be given retroactively.
- Summer interns must work a minimum of 150 hours. Fall or spring interns must work at least 75 hours.
- If you are an international student, please check with the International Center before applying for credit to determine if there are any restrictions on your ability to complete an internship and/or if there are any additional requirements you need to fulfill, including registering for CPT.
