Updated: October 1, 2019, jjh  

 

Students in the Chemical Engineering and Biological Engineering programs may take ECHM/EBIO 498 whenever they are participating in an internship in their field. Students participating in a cooperative education program that involves multiple co-op internship periods may also take ECHM/EBIO 498. 

Most ChBE interns do not sign up for internship credit.  The internship can be recorded on a student’s resume for free, or the student can pay MSU to record the internship on a transcript by enrolling in ECHM/EBIO 498. Most students choose not to enroll in ECHM/EBIO 498 during their internship period to avoid the cost of summer tuition. (Co-op students are required to sign up for CHBE 498 each internship period.)   ChBE students may earn at most 1 credit of internship (ECHM/EBIO 498) for each 2-week period of the internship (minimum of 25 hours per week).  A maximum of 3 credits maybe earned over the academic term of the internship (6 week minimum is required for 3 credits), and a limit of 3 credits of ECHM/EBIO 498 may applied towards technical elective requirements even if the student has multiple internship/co-op experiences. Not all internships are eligible for credit – the experience must contribute to professional and educational development of the student in the field of chemical or biological engineering.  Please request approval in advance from the department head to ensure that your internship is eligible.

Students enrolled in either internship course must do the following:

  1. Register for ECHM/EBIO 498 during the semester they are working as an intern. You cannot work as an intern in the summer and then register for the credits in a later semester.
  2. Within one week of starting the internship, email an Internship Scope and Plan to the Internship Coordinator. This plan statement should describe the learning objectives of the internship and should be developed in conjunction with your internship site supervisor. The main purpose of the statement is to verify that the internship is likely to contribute to the student’s professional and educational development as an engineer. At a minimum, the learning objectives should include:
  • Student intern will be able to communicate in a workplace environment in a clear manner,
  • Student intern will be able to evaluate performance, accept feedback, and make necessary changes, and
  • Student intern will be able to set measurable goals and develop a plan to achieve them.

Any changes to the Internship Scope and Plan during the internship period should be communicated to the Faculty Internship Coordinator as soon as possible.

  1. During the final exam week of the semester (July 31 is a good estimate for the summer session) you are conducting an internship (http://calendar.msu.montana.edu/academic-term-calendar) send a final report (3-5 pages summarizing what you learned and the work you performed during your internship) to the Intern Coordinator. Your report should be reviewed by your supervisor before submitting it to the Intern Coordinator. Many students find it helpful to keep a daily journal during their internship to help them when it comes time to write the final report.

Note: Occasionally (very rarely) an issue of confidentiality of information arises. If this happens, contact the Intern Coordinator to learn about ways to accommodate the company’s need for confidentiality while meeting MSU’s need to document the internship experience.

  1. Your internship site supervisor should provide you with a performance evaluation. The performance evaluation can be completed using the company’s form, or CHBE’s form (attached). Submit the performance evaluation to the Intern Coordinator when it is available (typically at the end of the internship.)

The course grade will be determined by the Faculty Intern Coordinator based on the final report and the performance evaluation.

 

CHBE Internship Coordinator Contact Information

Abigail Richards
Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering
arichards@montana.edu
406-994-5926

Download ECHM/EBIO 498 Internship Courses Information & Performance Review form