Forms for Professional Practice
Off-campus Fee Reduction Request
Professional Practice Health Insurance Certification
Professional Practice Internship Data Sheet (PDF)
Contact the Career Center for more information.
Who coordinates the internship or cooperative education experience?
Academic departments/schools are primarily responsible for placement, supervision, and evaluation of a student in an academic program. Each department/school has an appointed faculty internship coordinator, who acts as a liaison with the employers.
Academic departments/schools determine the following:
- Student eligibility for program participation
- Whether the work experience is Intern or Cooperative, elective or required
- The number of credit hours to be awarded
Professional Practice Facts
- Nearly 6,000 organizations in the United States and abroad have served as learning sites.
- Illinois State's commitment to Professional Practice is nationally recognized.
Professional Practice
Illinois State students are in demand! Many of our students find employment with companies in which they have participated in a professional practice opportunity. It is a goal of the Career Center to assist in facilitating the best experience possible for our students and partnering organizations.
What's the difference between a cooperative education and internship?
Internship
- Career/academically related
- Credit generating if authorized by Academic Department/School Professional Practice Coordinators
- Frequently a capstone, one-time work experience
- Part-or full-time and paid or unpaid
- Professionally supervised work or service experience for students that provides intentional learning goals and reflects actively on the learning experience
- Tuition and fees are assessed in the usual manner for all credit earned in internship experiences
- Presently, the vast majority of students participate in an internship option.
Cooperative Education
- Career/academically related
- Credit generating if authorized by Academic Department/School Professional Practice Coordinators
- Either alternating or parallel periods of classroom study and on-the-job work experience
- Professionally supervised
Qualified undergraduate and graduate students may participate in either of the two options.
