The Internship Program for RPL Students
The Department's innovative internship program prepares students to work as professionals in the field of recreation, parks, and leisure services administration. The distinct contribution of the internship is the combined academic preparation and field experience which enables students to develop professional behavior and apply theory to practice during the 30 week/30 credit hour (RPL 320) experience.

The undergraduate internship is intended to provide students with a comprehensive experience, of their choice, that covers all possible aspects of significant professional experience at one placement site for thirty weeks, or two different placement sites for fifteen weeks each.  The placement site chosen by the student (either from our extensive site files, or a site of the student's preference) must be approved beforehand by the academic advisor and the director of the Center for Leisure Services who oversees the internship program.  During the internship experience the student is closely monitored by an assigned department faculty member to ascertain that degree requirements and specific goals are attained.  An important factor in guaranteeing a successful internship is matching the career goals of students with the human and physical resources of the facility.

Internship Site Library

For the students that are looking for an internship, the Community, Commercial, and Outdoor and Therapeutic Recreation database is available online.

View the intern site library page here

Prior to starting an internship, the student must:

• Have completed all on-campus coursework.
• Have performed or logged 180 to 500 clock hours of experience within the field of recreation in either a paid or volunteer capacity, with at least half the experience hours performed within the concentration of choice, (i.e. therapeutic, community, commercial, outdoor).
• Complete the RPL 310 (pre-internship course -- which is a pre-requisite) no more than two semesters before the actual internship experience is to commence.

We encourage students to make the major decisions about their internship placements themselves with consultation and guidance from their faculty advisor and the Director of the Center for Leisure Services.

Additional Resources for Current Interns
Current Intern Newsletter (PDF download)