Nov 02, 2024  
University of Alberta Calendar 2023-2024 
    
University of Alberta Calendar 2023-2024 [ARCHIVED CATALOG]

Internship Program [ALES]


Return to: Faculty of Agricultural, Life and Environmental Sciences [ALES] 

The Internship Program (IP) is coordinated by the Career Centre under the supervision of the Faculty of ALES and is open to students registered in one of the Faculty programs.

The IP provides experiential learning to augment academic study with a four-, eight-, 12- or 16-month period of paid, discipline-related work experience with a cooperating employer. Students need to have completed 36 units of course weight, including a minimum of 12 units of course weight in ALES credits. Upon completing the work experience period students return for at least one academic term. To accommodate the work experience period, students normally require between four and five years to complete the full degree requirements.

Students can apply for acceptance into the IP in their second year of study if they are in good academic standing, are legally permitted to work in Canada, and are registered in one of the academic programs offered by the Faculty of Agricultural, Life and Environmental Sciences. International students must have a working visa when applying to the program. Application forms, admission process and requirements are available on the Career Centre website. Applicants must meet a spoken English requirement (see Spoken English Requirement).

Students are encouraged to apply to the program as early as possible. Students registered in the IP receive assistance in finding suitable work placements. Students can approach employers to hire them as interns as well as compete on posted internship placements. Students can start internship terms in January, May or September. The ultimate responsibility for securing work rests with the student and there is no guarantee that all qualified students will be placed.

While engaged in work experience, IP students are enrolled in WKEXP courses, and are considered full-time students at the University of Alberta. To successfully complete the IP, students must complete a minimum of four months of the following WKEXP courses: WKEXP 981, WKEXP 982, WKEXP 983. All WKEXP courses are 0 units of course weight and are graded on a credit/no credit basis. Grades are determined by the student’s job performance, as evaluated by the employer, and by the student’s final report, as evaluated by the Career Centre and the Faculty of Agricultural, Life and Environmental Sciences.

Further information about the IP can be obtained by contacting the Employer Relations Advisor at the Career Centre.

Students should be aware that under Alberta’s Protection for Persons in Care Act, they may be required to satisfy a criminal records check before being allowed to serve a period of internship work. See Requirement for Police Information Checks for further details.