Queen's Undergraduate Internship Program (QUIP)

Students in a Bachelor of Computing (Honours) plan (code BCH) can register in a Professional Internship version of their plan. An internship placement is an integral part of a Professional Internship plan. The INTN courses 301/1.5, 302/1.5, 303/3.0 and 304/1.5, 305/1.5 ensure that students continue to be registered during the terms of their internship placement. Satisfactory completion of a final deliverable (requirements may vary from year to year) following completion of the work period enables the internship student to receive credit for the required internship courses plus transcript and diploma annotations indicating a degree plan that includes a Professional Internship.

Internship Administration

The QUIP Office at Career Services facilitates internship delivery, which includes student advising and support, student internship search skill development, and employer development.

The internship administration will be done by Kat Scott (Administrator, Student Services Division, Faculty of Arts and Science), who will enroll students in their courses, track progress reports and communicate with the QSC Faculty Advisor, Sidney Givigi who will oversee the final deliverable.

Past Internship Placements

Contacts

• The Internship Administrator, Kat Scott
• Computing's Academic Internship Administrator, Sidney Givigi
• Computing's Undergraduate Chair, Yuanzhu Chen
• Career Services' QUIP Coordinator
• The QSC Undergraduate Academic Advising Team

Frequently Asked Questions

Why should I consider the Professional Internship program?

• Potential employers value the real-world experience that it provides.
• Transcripts and diplomas of students who complete the program include the additional information that the degree was completed with Professional Internship. For example, the degree category might read:
  Bachelor of Computing (Honours, Software Design with Professional Internship).
• Students enrolled in the internship courses continue to be registered at Queen's.
• Internship course fees and expenses related to moving to a placement location are eligible for the corresponding income tax deductions.

How do I enter the Professional Internship Program?

There are two important initial steps. One is to register for QUIP with Career Services. The other is to obtain Professional Internship Program approval from the School of Computing. The School requires:

• a CGPA above 1.90; and
• at the time of starting the internship, at least 60.0 units and not more than 111.0 units have been completed towards the student's plan. . (No exceptions are made to this rule.)

Students should email the request to the QSC Undergraduate Academic Advising Team.

Although most internships are pursued after the third year, some students have successfully started internships after their second year. Historically, students seeking internships that require technical skills tend to be more successful when they have completed key third-year courses, as these courses provide essential knowledge for performing technical tasks.

Students who start their internship search a semester or two in advance are typically more successful. This provides you ample time to: complete the Mandatory QUIP Job Search Modules; apply for a co-op work permit (if applicable); conduct an effective internship search and participate in Employer Networking opportunities. These preparatory activities begin during the Fall term; however, you may register for QUIP at any time in the year.

To be eligible for the first round of job offerings for internships, be sure to register for QUIP early in the summer term.

Can I begin a job without registering with QUIP and turn it into an internship later?

No. Please plan ahead if you are considering doing an internship. You will not be permitted to retroactively enroll in the Internship option.

Can I take a 4- or 8-month internship?

Internships must be 12 or 16 months.

Can I combine two or more jobs at different locations to make up the 12-16 months?

No. An internship must be a continuous 12-16 months at a single organization.

What courses do I register for and when?

Students will be automatically enrolled in internship courses. You cannot add these courses in SOLUS.

• 12-month internship: INTN 301/1.5, INTN 302/1.5, INTN 303/3.0
• 16-month internship: INTN 301/1.5, INTN 302/1.5, INTN 304/1.5, INTN 305/1.5

How much do the internship courses cost?

Fees for INTN 3.0 unit courses are the same as for regular Queen's half-courses (3.0 units) are listed on the Office of the University Registrar’s website. Fees for INTN */1.5 unit courses are half the cost of a 3.0 unit course.

Why do I have to pay fees for courses that don't count toward my degree?

The 6 units of INTN courses are part of your degree, they pay for the Internship Designation on your transcript. In part, the fees support functions provided by Career Services - finding placement possibilities, teaching resumé preparation, coaching interview performance, and setting up interviews. Note that the internship course fees are eligible for a tuition tax deduction and will reduce the tax liability on income from your placement.

What happens if I am "late" in getting an internship placement?

Students sometimes secure internship placements after the normal starting date. Late starts can be accommodated by retroactive enrollment in INTN 301/1.5.

How do the internship courses count towards my degree requirements?

All students who have completed an internship will require 126 units to graduate with 6 of these units being from INTN courses. These courses do NOT replace any required courses. You will graduate with 120 course units + 6 INTN units.

For SODE students, the requirement to complete the project course (CISC 498) is waived and this course becomes optional. You do NOT receive credit for CISC 498 but you are not required to complete CISC 498 if you choose not to.

Is it possible to take other courses during my internship?

You must have 9 units of your program left when you return from Internship. If you are not close to completing your program, you may register for 1 course per term in addition to the internship courses. Courses taken on internship must be fully online courses (i.e., offered through Arts and Science Online) and must not be core to your program. If you register in a course that is not a fully online course, you will be removed from this course. We prefer that you engage fully in your internship rather than managing work and courses if at all possible.

What happens after I finish my internship placement?

You are required to participate in a final deliverable upon completion of your placement. This will typically involve taking place in our Internship Showcase which will involve oral presentations or posters that will be presented to other members of the School (usually potential interns). Details along with deadlines will be sent to you close to the end of your internship. The format of the final deliverable is subject to change.

What goes into the presentation?

Your presentation will be a reflection of your internship including tasks that you carried out in your job, presentations that you gave, technologies that you learned, social activities or volunteer opportunities that you participated in, challenges you faced, lessons learned and advice that you might be able to give to potential interns.

Who grades the reports/presentations, and how are they graded?

The Academic Internship Administrator evaluates the final deliverable. There are no numeric marks for the internship courses, all grades are pass/fail.

Are there special rules for international students?

Government regulations require that international students be registered in a Professional Internship program in order to be eligible for a work placement in Canada.

For international students, QUIP eligibility is also determined by how early you apply for your work permit and inform the QUIP office by updating MyCareer.

International students considering a QUIP internship should register for QUIP and apply for a co-op work permit as soon as they are eligible as permit processing times can be lengthy. Once international students register in QUIP, they will be provided with detailed application instructions and a letter from the QUIP office to submit with their application to IRCC. Only students with valid co-op work permits will be allowed to apply for internship postings.

International students participating in QUIP may also need to apply to extend their Study Permit to reflect the new completion date of their degree. Please connect with the Queen's University International Centre (QUIC) to learn more about requirements for work and study permits.

I registered for an internship last year, but did not get one. Do I have to register again?

No, you only need to register once. Career Services retains your registration record.

How do I keep in touch while I'm away from Queen's?

Computing interns remain Queen's students during their placements, and should check Queen's email regularly for messages from the University and the School of Computing. Please feel free to reach out to Kat Scott, the QSC Undergraduate Academic Advising Team, Sidney Givigi, or the QUIP Office at any point during your internship.

Can I do an internship if I'm not a BCH student?

Arts and Science students registered in other Honours degree plans (such as COCA-P-BAH) may be eligible to do a conventional QUIP internship. However, eligibility for a Professional Internship in Computing requires registration in a Bachelor of Computing (Honours) plan (code BCH). General students are not eligible for internship. If you decide not to return to school after your internship and instead graduate with a general degree, your internship designation will not appear on your transcript.