Registering for Special Courses

Independent Study and Arranged Courses
The academic program at St. Norbert College is designed to provide maximum flexibility of opportunities to students for meeting their educational goals. An important aspect of the academic program is approved independent study under the supervision of a faculty member. There are two basic approaches to independent work by the student. The first is independent study of a course listed in the catalog, called an arranged course. The second is expansion of a student’s study which goes beyond the content of regular courses listed in the catalog through a special topic, directed readings or directed research, or work-study. The titles of the independent work may vary from one academic area to another. The requirements for these, however, are standard.

Students registering for independent work that is not part of an available course must secure approval in advance of registration from the supervising faculty member and the divisional dean. To secure approval, students must submit a written proposal including a summary of what is to be accomplished in the course and how it is to be accomplished. The proposal should be developed with the assistance of the student’s advisor or the supervising faculty member or both. There should be enough copies prepared to be kept on file with the advisor, faculty member, registrar and the appropriate divisional dean(s). As would be required in any course, the student should submit to the instructor evidence of the work accomplished. This evidence should be sufficiently extensive to permit a valid evaluation of the quantity and quality of what the student has accomplished in the course.

Audits
Full-time students may audit up to four semester-credits each semester at no additional charge. Registration for an audit is on a space-available basis.
Students may not audit required courses or lessons in their major; physical education coursework; or global seminars.

Individual faculty members will set the conditions under which their courses may be taken as an audit rather than for credit. Students registering to audit a course are expected to maintain a normal attendance pattern in that class. A student who does not fulfill the conditions set forth by the instructor will not have the course and the grade (AU) will be entered on the permanent record.
No course may be changed from credit to audit, or vice versa, after the end of the drop/add period. If a course is taken for audit, it cannot subsequently be taken for credit unless it is a music ensemble.

Internships Taken for Credit
In order to earn academic credit at St. Norbert College for an internship or field experience, students must register for a formal internship course. Successful completion of that internship course involves the student working toward completing specific learning objectives that are relevant to the on-site work experience and to the student’s career goals or major (the Learning Agreement). The internship earning academic credit is guided and assessed by both an on-site supervisor and a collaborating St. Norbert College faculty member.

1. Student interns must have junior or senior standing. Rare exceptions may be approved by a divisional dean or dean of the business school.

2. Students must have a minimum 2.50 cumulative GPA to be eligible to register for a credit-earning internship. Students with a cumulative GPA lower than 2.50 must obtain approval to register for an internship from the collaborating faculty member.

3. A maximum of eight internship course credits may be taken as part of the 128 credits required for graduation. Students may only take one internship course at each internship site. Exceptions may be approved by a divisional dean or dean of the business school.

Required Features of an Internship Receiving Academic Credit

1. Students and collaborating faculty members should check the college catalog to determine if the internship course regularly earns credit that counts toward the student’s degree or certificate program. If the internship course is not listed in the college catalog as a required or elective class for a particular degree or certificate, the student should complete a Course Substitution Form and submit it to the registrar’s office.

2. Students are required to work a minimum of 120 hours at the internship site over the course of a 15-week semester. Some programs may require more hours; check with the collaborating faculty member.

3. The on-site internship experience must take place during the semester the internship course is taken. That is, the internship and the internship course must be taken simultaneously. Rare exceptions must be approved by a divisional dean or dean of the business school. 

4. Students can receive academic credit for either paid or unpaid internships. Campus jobs funded by St. Norbert College are not eligible to be considered as internships for credit. 

5. An internship course can be counted toward two degree programs only if the student has a double major within the same academic division. Approval by the appropriate discipline coordinator(s) overseeing the internship courses is required for this arrangement and is based on whether it is felt that the work responsibilities of the internship meets criteria for fulfilling requirements in both degree programs. Even when such double dipping is allowed, the student still only receives four credits for the internship course. A Course Substitution Form should be completed and submitted to the registrar to designate an internship course as fulfilling two electives.

6. Students are not allowed to receive credit if they intern with a family business or if a relative is serving as the on-site supervisor.

7. Normal tuition policies apply to internships taken for credit.

Registering for an Academic Internship

1. Identify an internship for which you would like to receive academic credit. Talk with a collaborating faculty member, or make an appointment with the center for academic advising and career development for assistance with resources in locating and securing an internship.

2. Secure the help of a collaborating faculty member who will oversee your work during the internship experience. International students should begin the internship process by contacting the Center for Global Engagement.