Instructional Leadership, emphasis: K-12 School Leadership (MEd)
School of Hotel and Restaurant Management student holding phone while working at a partner restaurant.
  1. NAU
  2. Franke
  3. HRM
  4. Hotel and Restaurant Management Experiential Learning
  5. Internships and work hours
  6. Objectives, Policies, and Procedures

Objectives, Policies, and Procedures

Objectives

The School of Hotel and Restaurant Management Fieldwork Experience (Internship) Program at NAU is intended to benefit students and companies by providing a real world paid work experience for participating students. As a result of their practical work experience, students return to the classroom better informed, more prepared, and motivated. In addition, the program provides the cooperating employer with the opportunity to make sound evaluations of potential management employees for future employment.

This program promotes voluntary cooperation among employers, students, and The School of Hotel & Restaurant Management. The goal is to develop students’ professional and technical competence in preparation for leadership responsibility in hospitality-related enterprises. The Internship Program is an integral component of ensuring that the undergraduate degree curriculum provides intellectual growth, communication skills, ethical awareness, appreciation of values/societies, and professional knowledge of the hospitality industry. Internships need to provide students with experience and challenges beyond the general frontline work experience, which includes cross training in several positions or departments and exposure to supervisory responsibilities, tasks, and duties.

Credit Hour Standards

Number of academic units to be earned36912
Minimum amount of work hours an intern must work200300400540

In order for a position to qualify the student to earn academic units, the student must be completing the internship during the semester for which they are enrolled in the fieldwork experience course. (HA208 or HA408)

Up to six (6) hours of HA208 (Freshmen & Sophomores) academic units may be taken for an intern position during the fall, spring or summer terms. Up to twelve (12) hours of HA408 (Juniors & Seniors) academic units may be taken for the one intern position during the fall or spring terms. Up to nine (9) hours of HA408 academic units may be taken for the one intern position during the summer term.

A student is allowed to earn a maximum of twelve (12) HA408 unit hours for any combination of internship positions (i.e., one internship for twelve (12) units, two internships for six (6) units each or a 3/9 unit combination). A maximum of six (6) HA208 unit hours is allowed for freshmen and sophomore students only (i.e., one internship for six (6) units, two internships for three (3) units each). All HA208 and HA408 unit hours will apply to the required curriculum, advisor approved electives or general electives.

Interns may enroll for up to 6 units of classes above and beyond the HA208 or HA408 internship units. The focus in this given semester is the internship experience, not a full load of classes.

Compensation

The employer has several options available for compensating the student:

  • The employer may pay the interns’ tuition AND also pay a reasonable and established wage for the assigned position.
  • The employer may pay the intern a reasonable and established wage for the assigned position AND provide housing at discounted rates.
  • The employer may pay the intern a reasonable and established wage for the assigned position.

Documentation

The student will submit all academic assignments by the deadlines outlined in the course syllabus. These assignments combined with required number of hours an intern must work, and the minimum internship requirements will be the basis for the final grade determination of pass/fail. The academic assignments an intern is required to complete will depend on the number of academic units in which the intern is enrolled.

Grading

The HA208 & HA408 fieldwork experience are graded as pass/fail.

Academic Integrity

Acts of academic dishonesty related to an internship will result in disciplinary procedures as specified by the University and the Arizona Board of Regents’ Code of Conduct. Academic dishonesty includes: 1) plagiarism: any attempt to pass off other’s work as your own; 2) cheating: any attempt to gain an unfair, hidden advantage over one’s fellow students; 3) fabrication: any attempt to present information that is not true; 4) fraud: any attempt to deceive an instructor or administrative officer of the university. Students should be prepared to accept the consequence of a grade of F in the course for acts of academic dishonesty.

We expect our students to act ethically in the workplace as they complete their internship requirements. Students should comply with The W. A. Franke College of Business code of conduct, and the code of conduct for the organization that employs them. Any legal or ethical violation in the workplace will be considered academic dishonesty and will be subject to disciplinary procedures as described above. Please refer to the following website for university policy on academic integrity: https://in.nau.edu/academic-affairs/academic-integrity/

Learning Objectives

Learning objectives are outlined in the course pack under the Minimum Requirements at various unit levels. Suzanne.Siler@nau.edu, Program Director, has final approval on all internships.

Correspondence

Objectives, Policies, and Procedures

All e-mail correspondence must be conducted via Bb-Learn. Course content is primarily delivered through the Blackboard Learn online learning platform accessible at https://bblearn.nau.edu/webapps/login/. Weekly internet access is required to complete the SHRM 208 or 408 online course.

Procedures

Please see Checklist for Taking an Internship for Academic Credit.

Policies

Objectives, Policies, and Procedures

  1. To be eligible for enrollment in the internship courses HA208 or HA 408, students must meet the following minimum requirements:
    • Be declared an HRM or IHM major
    • Have a minimum cumulative GPA of 2.5
    • Have completed 15 semester hours for HA208 & 60 semester hours for HA408
  2. Students must locate, apply for, and obtain their own internship. Students must follow all formal procedures as described in this document in order to receive academic credit for the work experience.
  3. An internship, part-time position, or full-time position must be paid in order to receive academic credit.
  4. Credit for the work experience will NOT be granted retroactively (i.e., credit will NOT be awarded for work performed prior to the semester in which the student is enrolled in the fieldwork experience course.
  5. A position that is primarily clerical or retail will NOT be approved for internship credit. The Program Director has final approval on all internships and can override an advisor’s prior approval.
  6. A participating organization is free to terminate a student in the internship program at any time. However, the student will receive a failing grade.
  7. Should a student leave the organization by choice before the Work Agreement is fulfilled, without first gaining the approval of the Program Director and the cooperating employer, the student will receive failing grade.
  8. The intern supervisor is required to complete one written evaluation during the student’s employment experience. If the evaluation is not received by the end of the semester in which the student is enrolled in the internship course, the student will receive an incomplete grade. An incomplete grade will automatically change to a failing grade within one year of being posted if the student fails to meet the course requirements.
  9. In all cases where students and/or organizations are having difficulties with respect to the Work Agreement or fulfilling any part of the course requirements, contact Program Director, Suzanne.Siler@nau.edu immediately.