The Sport Management Undergraduate Internship
THE PROCESS STARTS A SEMESTER BEFORE THE INTERNSHIP!
In order for students to sign up for KIN 628, which is the course connected to their semester-long (400 hr.) internship, students must fulfill several administrative requirements in the semester before they plan to take the class and intern. The process should begin well before the registration period and requires students to meet with their faculty advisor, not the staff advisors on the 10th floor of Bellmont Hall. All students planning to intern must meet with a faculty advisor in the semester before the internship begins.
Step One: Take the on-line internship test
Watch for an email from the Sport Management Faculty announcing that an on-line quiz for the Sport Management internship is now available on the Blackboard site. This will normally be sent about a month before the advising period begins each semester. All students who plan to intern must go through the on-line tutorial and then score 100% on a quiz over that material before they ask permission to meet with their faculty advisor. The quiz and the study slides can be accessed on Blackboard (BB--Community--Sport Management Program--Documents).
Step Two: Make sure you are academically eligible
You must have at least a 2.5 GPA with upper division standing, and no more than six hours remaining of required sport management classes. Ideally, the internship should be the last class you take in the program. If you have questions about your GPA or remaining coursework, please consult a staff academic advisor on the 10th floor of Bellmont in the Career and Advising Office.
Step Three: Find an internship site
It is the student's responsibility to secure their own internship. Students are expected to identify possible sites, set up their own interviews, and work with the supervisor to complete the Internship contract before meeting with a faculty advisor. Information about possible internship sites can be found by watching the Sport Management Blackboard site, by participating in the Kinesiology and Health Education career and internship fairs, by visiting the Career and Advising Center on the 10th floor of Bellmont Hall, and through conversations with the other students and faculty. Because the internship is the first step toward a successful career in the sport industry, we strongly encourage students to take this process seriously and to pursue something challenging in the area of the industry where they plan to work.
Step Four: Meet with your FACULTY advisor during the advising period
Most undergraduates never meet with a faculty advisor until they begin the internship process. To find out who your faculty advisor is, check with the Career and Advising Office on the 10th floor of Bellmont Hall. Then sign up for an appointment in the advising notebook kept at the desk in Bellmont 222 beginning the week before the advising period begins.
When going to the faculty appointment, students should bring: 1) their filled-in contract (everything on it should be printed) if already completed; 2) a green "add" slip, and 3) an unofficial transcript. Both the contract and the green "add" slip can be found on Blackboard under the same "Documents" tab as the quiz. You can download an unofficial transcript at http://registrar.utexas.edu/students/transcripts/. After the contract is thoroughly reviewed and finalized by the advisor, all parties will sign the contract. Once the contract is finalized, the advisor will then sign the green "add" slip for the student who will then take the "add" slip to the 10th floor advising office where the student can enroll in KIN 628.
Students who HOPE to take KIN 628 but who have not yet secured an internship and gotten their contract signed by a site supervisor should also meet with a faculty advisor during the advising period. This allows the advisor to know that they have begun the process and they can discuss options if the final contract is not fully executed by the end of the advising period.
Step Five: Be a professional at the workplace and when fulfilling requirements for KIN 628
Once you have begin the internship, remember that you are now a professional and are representing both the Sport Management program and The University of Texas. Be prompt, ethical, polite, and diligent! When you finish a task ask what else needs to be done. Remember, your supervisor(s) will be writing letters of recommendation for you for many years into the future, so do everything you can to impress them with your enthusiasm, people skills, and work ethic. Please also remember that KIN 628 requires you to submit weekly logs and to complete an outside project as part of the internship. Be sure to turn things in on time and to meet all the required deadlines as outlined on the Blackboard slides and in your conversation with your faculty advisor.