Food Science Internships

Before seeking an internship experience, be sure to take note of all departmental guidelines and policies listed below.

Advance Notice Required - Consult the Department Internship Coordinator ( Jeff Hamblin) at least one full semester in advance of the semester you would plan to actually begin your internship. Two semesters in advance is even better, especially if you:

• Are seeking a specific job focus (product development, quality assurance, plant operations, etc.), a particular product area (i.e., potatoes, dairy, grain products, sport nutritionalists, etc.), or a specific company.
• Are planning to conduct your internship in either a Fall or Winter semester.

Student Eligibility - You must be of Junior standing and have completed at least two 300-level Food Science Courses to conduct an internship for course credit.

Timing - Internships are traditionally conducted during the Junior or Senior year within either the Fall, Winter, or Spring semester - ideally during your off-track semester.

Duration - An internship in the Food Science field is typically a 10 to 12 week period of full-time employment in the food industry (i.e., 400 to 480 total working hours). However, in some cases, it may be possible for two shorter internships to collectively fulfill the 10-12 week requirement.

Course Credit - You may receive up to a maximum of three graded course credits (per internship experience) by enrolling in FS 498R: Food Science Internship (one credit earned for each four-week period of full-time employment [i.e., 160 working hours]). The FS 498R course may be repeated twice for a maximum of six total credits.

Compensation - An internship in Food Science is traditionally a short-term paid employment, though compensation is not a requirement for an internship experience. Nevertheless, any wage considerations are directly negotiated between you and the employer.

You are ultimately responsible for finding (i.e., identifying, applying/interviewing for, securing) your own internship opportunity. Below are some key resources and ideas to assist you in this process. Plan ahead and begin early!

Meet with the Internship Coordinator (Jeff Hamblin), who can help you to:

• Learn of existing company internship requests and opportunities.
• Seek out or pursue a specific type of internship opportunity.

Visit the BYU-I Finding an Internship page to:

• Identify currently advertised internship opportunities.
• Browse the university database of past student internships for ideas on types of positions or participant companies.
• Take advantage of career planning (resume/interview assistance) and networking activities available on campus to increase your chances of winning your desired internship.

Discuss your internship interests and goals with your Faculty Mentor (or other department faculty). They can help you target key companies or gain access to potential professional contacts within these companies.

Be proactive - Do not just wait for opportunities to fall into your lap!

• Directly contact a company of interest and inquire about possible internships (usually through the Human Resources Dept. of through a specific "friendly" contact within a particular company that you either know or have been provided by a faculty or peer).
• Search the websites of companies of interest for available internship positions.

Once you have interviewed for and have been offered an Internship position, you will next need to go through the process of arranging to receive course credit for your internship experience.

Access the BYU-I Internship Approval Portal and complete the described process. By navigating this portal, the following items will be accomplished:

• You input requested information and details about the internship.
• The employer completes the Master Agreement with the university.
• The Department approves or rejects the internship experience (approval is virtually assured at this stage if you have worked with the Department Internship Coordinator to get to this point).
• If approved, you will be notified to register for FS 499R course credit.

Payment of Course Fee: Upon enrolling in FS 499R, you will need to pay an administrative course fee to the university during the semester of your internship.

Health Insurance: You are required to have or maintain health insurance coverage (either private or through the university) while working as a student intern.

Once your internship has been approved and you have enrolled in the appropriate number of FS 498R course credits, you will conduct the course assignments described below after you officially begin your internship.
The internship coordinator will also provide students enrolled in FS 498R with an official course syllabus with these and other relevant details.

Weekly Report - Summarize the past week's activities, experiences, and learning in a concise one-page form.

• Due Date: Each Monday during your internship (the first report is due on the Monday following the first completed week of the internship, while all subsequent reports are due each Monday thereafter for the duration of the internship.)
• Instructions:
  
  1. Download the provided Weekly Report form.
  2. Complete the Weekly Report (you can type directly into this form), and then print it.
  3. Sign the report yourself and also obtain the signature of your supervisor to verify that no confidential or company-sensitive information is included in the report. Please do not turn in a report that has not first been reviewed and signed by your supervisor.
  4. Scan the completed/signed form to a PDF format, and email the electronic scanned copy to the Internship Coordinator (Jeff Hamblin).

Internship Final Report - Provide an overview and summary of the internship experience in the form of a written report.

• Due Date: No later than the Monday of semester Week 14 (unless otherwise agreed upon by the Internship Coordinator)
• Instructions:
  
  1. Download the Internship Final Report Cover-sheet.
  2. Prepare the typed report to the instructions provided on the Internship Final Report Cover-sheet, then print.
  3. Complete and sign the Internship Final Report Cover-sheet, and also obtain the  signature of your supervisor to verify that no confidential or company-sensitive information is included in the final report. Please do not turn in a report that has not been first reviewed and had the cover-sheet signed by your supervisor.
  4. Scan the completed/signed cover-sheet to a PDF format, then compile the cover-sheet and final report body into a single PDF file. You will then email the PDF file to the Internship Coordinator (Jeff Hamblin).

Internship Evaluation - Near the end of your internship experience, you must complete the BYU-I Experiential Learning Self Evaluation to provide feedback on the quality of your internship experience. More details will be sent to you in the final weeks of your internship about how to complete this requirement.