GEN ST350: Frequently Asked Questions
How do I register?
The three page application for General Studies 350 can be found both on our website (link) and in MGH 120. Your site supervisor and academic sponsor must initial and sign your application before you can be registered. Upon turning in your application to MGH 120, the Carlson Center will register you and the course should appear on your MyUW within 1-3 days.
How many credits can I register for?
The number of credits you are eligible to receive is dictated by the amount of hours you will be on-site over the duration of the quarter. Generally, three hours per week on-site will grant one credit worth of eligibility, up to a maximum of six for any registration. For example, a student working 10 hours per week at their internship could register for up to 3 credits. Students may register for less credits than the maximum number. Students may choose to request a lower amount of credits than the maximum amount that they are eligible to receive.
What am I earning credit for?
Students enrolled in this course are receiving credit for the academic project they complete, not the internship itself. Completion of the internship is not sufficient to earn credit under General Studies 350.
How many total GEN ST 350 credits can I earn?
A student can register for a maximum of 6 GEN ST 350 credits during one quarter. No more than 18 credits of GEN ST 350 can be applied towards graduation requirements, and no more than 12 credits may be earned at a single internship site.
How will GEN ST 350 affect my tuition costs? Does it count towards full-time student status for Financial Aid qualifications?
This course will affect your tuition costs, financial aid eligibility, and scholarship status in the same manner than any other University of Washington credits would. Please consult the Quarterly Tuition Rates made available by the Office of Student Fiscal Services for more detailed information regarding any possible tuition costs that may accompany your GEN ST 350 registration.
I don’t know any professors at the UW. How do I find an academic sponsor? Can a TA be my sponsor?
The Carlson Center recommends that students work with a faculty member whose academic background is in some way connected to their internship work experience. If you do not know or have relationships with any such faculty members, departmental advisors should be able to refer you to faculty who are willing to work with students pursuing independent study options. It may be intimidating to approach faculty members that you do not have a relationship with, but consider it an opportunity to get to know new a professor. Graduate students, including teaching assistants, are not eligible to be academic sponsors.
What types of credits can I get for GEN ST 350? What requirements does it fulfill?
GEN ST 350 does not fill any specific requirements. Up to 18 credits of the course may be applied towards the 180 total credits that must be accumulated to graduate.
How do I know if my internship is eligible for GEN ST 350? Can I receive credit for my part-time job?
Most internships, paid or otherwise, are eligible for the GEN ST 350 course as long as the academic work is suitable. You may not receive credit for any part time job you may be working, but you may want to investigate how you might arrange an internship at your workplace, completing a different set of tasks or projects than those that are in your current job.
Can I register for the same internship for my department credits and GEN ST 350?
Generally a single internship may only be registered for one credit-bearing course. However, it may be possible to make exceptions if the number of hours on site will be quite high throughout the quarter. You may have the same academic sponsor for both courses but you must either double the length of your academic project or complete one academic project for each course.
Is there any way I can register with GEN ST 350 for an internship I have already completed?
No. The GEN ST 350 course is intended to grant students credit for academic work done concurrently with an internship experience, not the internship itself, so retroactive credit is not possible.
What are the deadlines? How late can I register for GEN ST 350?
This course follows all University of Washington registration deadlines. It can be added to your schedule by turning a completed application in to the Carlson Center up through the end of the first week of the academic quarter for no additional fee. The absolute last day to add the course is three weeks after the beginning of the quarter.
How do I get my grade at the end of the quarter?
The credit/no credit grade for the course depends on the completion of evaluations by the student, the site supervisor, and the academic sponsor. These evaluations will be submitted directly to the student and supervisors electronically at the beginning of the last week of the quarter.
The student evaluation deals with the process of integrating internship experience and academic work, the site supervisor evaluation addresses the internship work, and the academic evaluation deals exclusively with the academic project and the process the student went through in crafting it. Grades will not be released until all evaluations have been completed. It is the student’s responsibility to make sure that all evaluations are completed.
What if I don’t get everything done on time? Will I automatically get a No Credit grade?
If your evaluations are not complete by the time grades must be submitted, your transcript will show a placeholder grade of ‘X’. This mark will remain on your transcript until all evaluations are received and a final grade is reported by the Carlson Center. If you need an extension, please contact the Carlson Center. If evaluations are have not been completed by the end of the following quarter, the Carlson Center reserves the right to submit a grade of Incomplete.
I still have an X credit for GEN ST 350 and it’s holding up my financial aid. What do I do?
If having an Incomplete or ‘X’ credit will affect your financial aid, please make sure that you are monitoring your grade well before the financial aid deadline. Contact the Carlson Center to see which evaluations you are missing and we will do our best to help you collect them.
Will the Carlson Center notify me if I have incomplete evaluations?
No. Ensuring that the evaluations are submitted is the student’s responsibility. If it becomes necessary, students may request that additional copies of evaluation forms be sent to their supervisors, but monitoring the completion of the evaluation process is up to the student.
How can I earn GEN ST 350 credit if I am doing an internship abroad?
This is a common request so contact the Carlson Center and explain your plan. A staff member will e-mail you a modified GEN ST 350 application for foreign study. You must submit this application before you leave.
Do you have funding opportunities for unpaid internships?
Students in Service is a part time Americorps program that provides scholarships for volunteers and interns in the public sector. See their webpage for details: http://depts.washington.edu/leader/studentsinservice/index.htm
