Additional Credit Options
Students interning outside of New York City and Washington, DC may seek opportunities to supplement the 12 credits granted to all ILR credit interns. While interns are not required to do so, students may choose to avail themselves of one of the following options to gain additional credits.
Independent Study:
With the approval of the ILR Academic Standards Committee, credit interns may earn 1-4 credits by pursuing an Independent Study. The independent study is separate and distinct from the four (4) credit internship paper each intern must complete in fulfillment of the Credit Internship Program requirements. Students pursuing an independent study have the opportunity to more deeply research an interest that may or may not have a connection to the work they have undertaken as an intern.
To qualify for an independent study, interns must have a minimum GPA of 3.0, secure a faculty member to supervise their research and submit a proposal to the Academic Standards Committee for approval. Additional information and the relevant application forms can be found on the OSS website at: http://www.ilr.cornell.edu/academics/special-study-options/student-research/independent-and-directed-study
Online Courses:
Students may also pursue the option of enrolling for an online course. Interns do not incur any additional tuition costs by enrolling for an online course offered through one of the departments or programs at Cornell. Students should consult the university’s Course Roster to determine what, if any, courses may be of interest.
Interns should exercise careful judgment in the selection of an online class, as non-ILR courses are likely to qualify for general elective credit and not ILR elective credit. Finally, any course an intern chooses, may not disrupt their regular work day. Students will not be approved to take a course that will disrupt their internship duties.
Transfer Credit for non-Cornell Courses
To receive transfer credit for non-Cornell courses, students must submit to the ILR Registrar both an official transcript and a copy of the official course catalogue description or course outline. Since acceptance of the transfer credit may affect your plans for completing requirements for graduation, it is important that you talk with an advisor in the Office of Student Services before you commit to an internship in order to determine whether or not the transfer credit is likely to be accepted.
Students desiring ILR credit, rather than general elective credit, will find the process somewhat more complicated since the approval of the appropriate department chairperson is required. Before taking the course, check by telephone with the appropriate department chairman or the program director. After the official transcript is received by the ILR Registrar, the student should make an appointment with the chairperson of the department involved and be ready to provide a course syllabus or reading list, course description, and samples of work completed (i.e., exam booklets or papers). The chairperson will evaluate these materials and decide whether or not to grant ILR credit. This procedure applies to all non-ILR courses.