Internships

Internships in the community allow Spanish majors and minors to earn college credit for apprentice work in a field that has clear connections with their programs of study while practicing their language skills and enhancing their knowledge of culture and practical skills.

To be eligible for a departmental internship, you must:

  • be a declared Spanish major or minor
  • have accumulated at least 60 hours
  • have a GPA of 3.0 or better
  • have earned nine hours of Spanish at the 300 level or higher (applicants who narrowly do not meet this criterion are considered case by case).
  • have the language skills necessary to carry out the duties of the internship.

You are encouraged to find your own internship site in the community, one that fits your interests and abilities. Some possible types of sites would be non-profit organizations that provide services to Spanish-speaking immigrants, school programs, clinics, as well as businesses with clientele in Latin America and Spain.  As long as the internship work engages the language and other skills of a Spanish major, what the work is and where one does the work is flexible.  However, it is up to you to connect with the organization with which you would like to work.

Earning UofL Credit

To earn U of L credit for an internship, you will need to take Spanish 440 concurrently.  In addition to the work that you do for the internship, you will have to complete academic work documenting and reflecting on your experience.  Students in the program gain three credit hours for doing an internship, which requires at least 80 hours of work on site during the semester (approx. 8 hrs/wk).

The academic requirements may include a reflective journal, a final paper, collaboration with other interns and periodic face-to-face meetings with the internship supervisor. With Spanish 440, the process is very much like taking an independent study course, with collaboration, in this case, between student intern, site supervisor, and faculty coordinator.

To enroll in Spanish 440, you must receive permission from the internship supervisor.  She will be the official course instructor who confers your grade. 

Placement

In the past few years, interns have worked with Catholic Charities, Doors to Hope, Kentucky Refugee Ministries, Adelante Hispanic Achievers, Backside Learning Center (Churchill Downs) and the Kentucky Racing Health Services Center.  These organizations offer excellent training, supervision and opportunities for interaction with their clients.

If you have an internship site in mind, contact the program coordinator to determine if your position complies with program guidelines. The internship should not simply be a job you are already doing for which you decide to gain college credit. Usually, our preference is that the business be off-campus (although there are some exceptions). 

Contact

Should you have questions about the program, please contact Dr. Clare Sullivan, Director of Internships as .