OBJECTIVES

Offer an accredited course (HORT 484) for work experience which is standardized for all students. Section number will vary depending on the semester the internship is taken. Up to six (6) hours can be applied to the degree plan. An overall GPR of 2.00 is required to enroll for HORT 484. Students should be of Sophomore, Junior, or Senior rank; with special permission Freshman may participate. The course is repeatable to a total of six (6) hours. A maximum of four (4) hours credit is permitted per semester. Students must enroll in HORT 484 during the semester in which the internship is conducted and must obtain prior approval to enroll by the internship coordinator. Internship credit may not be awarded retroactively. An internship agreement form that has been approved by the Internship Coordinator must be on file in the coordinator's office prior to a student's registration for the course.

Standardize application procedures, task evaluations, and student/employer follow-up procedures. The department will know what students are working, where they are placed, when they are working, how they can be contacted, and in what tasks they are participating.

Hold spring and fall semester internship orientation meetings to inform students and advisors of internship opportunities, requirements, and procedures. Attendance at one of these orientation meetings is required prior to approval of internship agreement forms or approval of registration for the course will be permitted.

STUDENT, SUPERVISOR, AND COORDINATOR PROCEDURES

1. Students interested in interning will attend an internship orientation meeting at the announced times during the spring or fall semesters within a two year period prior to interning. Students will complete the Student Information form and return it to the Coordinator. This will then be filed in the Coordinator's office. With permission of the Internship Coordinator, attendance at an orientation meeting may be waived after viewing an internship orientation video.

2. Each participating site needs a designated Supervisor for the Student while at the site. This person will be responsible for instructing the Student and corresponding with the Departmental Coordinator. The intended purpose for the internship program is to provide the Student with an educational field experience, not merely a labor force for the participating business or organization. This will be emphasized in the correspondence and/or conversations with the Coordinator's office (refer to 4a.).

3. Students will be responsible for locating suitable internship sites, either by mail or personal contact. The Student should use the name of the Supervisor of internships at the site for all correspondence. The Coordinator will keep the Student current with possible internship site opportunities received in the Department of Horticulture by filing new announcements in the Internship File in room 204 HFSB. Students are responsible for arranging and financing all travel, housing and other expenses associated with the internship. Reimbursement for expenses and/or compensation for work performed during the internship is to be negotiated by and between the student and cooperating company or organization. Representatives of the Texas A&M University Department of Horticultural Sciences attempt to determine only the suitability of the proposed activities for meeting the educational requirements of the proposed internship. The Texas A&M University and its representatives assume no liability for the actions of the student or cooperating company or organization.

4. When the Student has located a site that has agreed to serve as an internship site, they will:
a. Have the Supervisor contact the Coordinator's office if this will be their first internship experience with the Department of Horticultural Sciences at Texas A&M University.
b. Provide the Coordinator's office with the telephone number and mailing address of the Supervisor.
c. Fill out the Horticulture Internship Agreement form with the Supervisor. Both the student and on-site supervisor need to sign this agreement and return it to the Coordinator's office for final approval and signing. If the Coordinator has questions regarding the experience, he/she will correspond with Supervisor at the internship site, clarify, and submit a revised Internship Agreement form for Supervisor and Student signatures. After which the Coordinator will sign the agreement and mail or fax a completed Internship Agreement form to the Supervisor and Student. Horticulture Internship Agreement Forms must be completed and approved by finals week of the semester preceeding the proposed internship. No exceptions will be granted.
d. The student will register for the appropriate number of credit hours (HORT 484, 1 to 4 hours) during the semester in which the student is actually on-site at the internship. Students must register for HORT 484 via the TAMU Dept. Horticultural Sciences Undergraduate Coordinator's office in order to verify that the internship is in abstentia. Registration must be completed prior to finals week of the semester preceeding the proposed internship. No exceptions will be granted. Typically a 40 hour per week internship that lasts for an entire semester is granted 3 hours of credit per semester. Shorter internships may be awarded credit on a prorated basis. Part-time internships are not eligible for credit. For exceptional educational opportunities, such as foreign travel, etc., 4 hours of credit may be awarded per semester. Local internships are discouraged as the intent is to encourage the students to experience immersion in horticulture industries away from the campus environment.

5. Once the Student has acquired housing for the internship experience they will complete the On-Site Student Information sheet and forward it to the Coordinator's office.

6. During the last week of the internship experience, the on-site Supervisor will complete the Student Evaluation form. This should be discussed with student before they leave the internship site. This form will be 1 of 2 cover sheets accompanying the internship summary paper. Original signatures of the student and on-site supervisor are required on this document.

7. The Coordinator will assign a grade of incomplete (I) during the semester in which the student is actually on the internship (as it would not be feasible for the student to have completed the required paper and seminar until after completion of the on-site portion of the internship).

8. Upon completion of the on-site portion of the internship, the Student will write a letter of appreciation to the Supervisor and include a copy of this as 1 of 2 cover sheets for the internship summary paper.

9. The Student will prepare a Seminar with slides, video, or other appropriate media for a large group, and present it to the interns, other interested departmental members (for example a Horticulture Club meeting), or to an appropriate outside organization with prior approval of the Internship Coordinator.

10. The Student will write an Internship Summary paper outlined at the end of this packet and submit this to the Coordinator at the time of the Student's seminar.

11. The Student will complete the above requirements during the spring or fall semester (whichever is sooner) following the completion of the on-site portion of the internship or an unsatisfactory grade (UF) will be assigned for the internship. Unsatisfactory grades count as an "F" for grade point determinations. Students are responsible for providing a current mailing address to the coordinator's office during the first week of classes after the completion of their internship so that the coordinator can contact them to arrange for meetings to organize the presentation of the internship seminars. Typically these organizational meetings will occur during the second or third week of the semester with student seminars to be scheduled between the fifth and tenth week of classes during the semester following the internship. In the case of spring semester internships, these requirements will be completed in the subsequent fall rather than summer semester.

12. Following completion of the above requirements, the Coordinator will assign a satisfactory (SA) or unsatisfactory (UF) grade to the Student based on the internship summary paper, the seminar, and the Supervisor's evaluation. A change of grade from the I assigned during the semester in which the internship is performed to the appropriate course grade will be made after receipt of all required course materials.

Questions regarding this packet should be addressed to:

The current Internship Coordinator is Dr. Leo Lombardini. Dr. Lombardini can be contacted at (979) 458-8079 or at l-lombardini@tamu.edu via email.

This internship packet was revised by Dr. Michael A. Arnold, former Internship Coordinator, on 2/6/01 to reflect changes occurring in the horticulture curriculum since the last revision, original format and content of the packet was approved by the Texas A&M University Department of Horticultural Sciences Faculty on 2/3/94, current format was approved on 6/22/99.

All policies and guidelines indicated in this document are superceded by any applicable federal, state, or local laws or ordinances, or official university policies or guidelines originating from the TAMU Horticultural Sciences Department, TAMU College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, Texas A&M University, or the Texas A&M University System offices that may contravene policies or guidelines indicated herein. Superceding of individual policies or procedures herein do not render others unenforceable.