Internship Advising
Experiential Learning offers 30-minute appointments, Monday–Friday, for internship advising, course registration, resume reviews, and interview prep.
To schedule an appointment via Handshake:
- Select Appointments: From your dashboard, click Appointments on the left-hand bar.
- Choose Your Type: Select a Category and Type of appointment.
- Pick a Time: Select an available time slot or browse by specific staff members.
- Request: Fill out the “What can we help you with?” section and click Request.
Keep an eye on your Handshake notifications and email for your appointment confirmation and instructions.
HIP Courses
High-Impact Practices (HIPs) provide students with an opportunity to expand their learning inside and outside of the classroom. These opportunities integrate their academic experience to prepare students for what’s next. UCF offers four designated courses to support gaining HIP experience through the curriculum- Service-Learning, Integrative Learning Experience, Research Intensive, and Global Learning. Read below to learn more.
Service-learning (SL) is a teaching method that enables students to apply knowledge and skills learned in the classroom to meaningful service to the community. Service-learning combines classroom learning goals and community service in a way that enhances or benefits both the student and the community. Students are required to spend 15 hours outside of the classroom working with a nonprofit or government agency connecting course objectives to real world experiences.
Service-Learning Certificate
The certificate program in Service-Learning is designed for students in any discipline who seek to engage in a reflective analysis of community service as it relates to academic coursework. Service-Learning furthers the learning objectives of the academic course, addresses community needs, and requires students to reflect on their service to gain an appreciation for the relationship between community engagement and academics. Through Service-Learning (SL) courses, students develop academic skills, civic responsibility, and career opportunities. Since this certificate requires the completion of 12 credit hours of SL courses, it reflects significant interest and commitment to this process. This certificate is open to all undergraduate and graduate students in any major.
Service-Learning courses are designated with an “SL” and can be accessed under “special groups” in the class schedule.
Students can earn recognition for completing SL-designated courses. This certificate is open to all graduate and undergraduate students in any major. To qualify for the certificate, students must:
- Complete 12 credit hours and at least 4 SL-designated courses. Students may choose any of the UCF-approved SL courses in any discipline.
- Maintain a 2.5 minimum GPA in all SL-designated courses.
- Complete a minimum of 60 community service hours in all SL-designated courses.
Students who wish to earn the Service-Learning Certificate must declare this undergraduate certificate program through the myUCF portal as early as possible but no later than the graduation application window and must file a separate Intent to Graduate (ITG) form for this certificate prior to their semester of graduation.
Integrative-Learning Experience (IE) courses as those that offer students a chance to explore integrative pathways that connect the core knowledge and skills of their major to real-world professional and civic contexts. In IE courses, students work closely with their professors and peers to develop, reflect on, and articulate their goals.
Integrative-Learning has three core elements:
- Intentional Learning — whereby students set goals and plan their education deliberately and purposefully.
- High-Impact Practices (HIPs) — in which students participate in educational experiences that demand considerable time and effort, facilitate learning outside of the classroom, and require meaningful interactions with faculty and other students.
- Metacognition — in which students develop self-awareness and the ability to reflect and learn from their experiences.
Although many courses include aspects of integrative-learning, to be designated an IE course, integrative-learning must be central rather than peripheral to the course content and structure.
Research-Intensive (RI) courses offer you the opportunity to engage in active, curriculum-based inquiry under the guidance of a content expert. Rather than following a predetermined outcome, you will tackle complex problems and academic debates that do not have a known or agreed-upon answer. By following the formal research process of your discipline, you will move beyond standard coursework to produce an original research deliverable.
Participating in RI-designated courses provides a significant competitive advantage. You will refine essential professional competencies, including critical thinking, complex problem-solving, and disciplinary communication. Furthermore, these courses allow you to build a professional portfolio, with opportunities to present your findings at research symposiums or contribute to publications in academic journals, effectively preparing you for advanced graduate study and the professional workforce.
*Research-Intensive (RI) courses are managed by the Office of Undergraduate Research. For more information or assistance, please reach out to our@ucf.edu
The University of Central Florida defines Global Learning (GL) courses as those that offer students a chance to explore symbiotic, international systems and their impacts on humanity from multiple points of view. Through global learning (GL) courses, students should:
- Become informed, open-minded, and responsible people who are attentive to diversity across the spectrum of differences,
- Seek to understand how their actions affect both local and global communities, and
- Address the world’s most pressing and enduring issues collaboratively and equitably.GL courses at UCF will prepare students to consider issues from multiple perspectives, to contribute to discussions ethically and collaboratively, and to find solutions to issues faced by international organizations and the people impacted by their activities.
There are several academic activities that are central components of a GL course:
- Intercultural competencies- students learn to think and act appropriately, and to communicate and work with people from different cultural backgrounds.
- High-impact practices (HIPs)-in which students participate in educational experiences that demand considerable time and effort, facilitate learning outside of the classroom, and require meaningful interactions with faculty and other students.
- Metacognition– in which students develop self-awareness and the ability to reflect and learn from their experiences.
Because study abroad opportunities are already high-impact practices, study abroad courses are not eligible for the GL designation.
How to Find HIP Courses
Courses with a High-Impact Practice (HIP) designation are easily identified in the course catalog and can be filtered by selecting “Special Groups” within the Search for Classes tool in myUCF.
These designations include:
SL: Service-Learning
IE: Integrative Learning Experience
RI: Research Intensive
GL: Global Learning
The Amy Zeh High Impact Practice Showcase
This showcase is for projects connected with HIP-designated courses only.
Held during the fall and spring semesters, the Amy Zeh HIP Student Showcase celebrates students who have completed projects as part of their HIP-designated courses. Students can participate in person or online. More information about applying and submitting can be found on the Amy Zeh HIP Student Showcase webpage.
Get Internship Credit
Do you have an internship this semester? Your options:
- Obtain internship credit (0-3 credits) and have it reflected on your transcript
- Report your experience for university records
International Students on F-1 Visa: Please see the UCF Global site for details regarding internship participation through the F-1 Curricular Practical Training (CPT) process.
Benefits
- Internship experience is recorded on your UCF transcript
- Receive course guidance from a faculty member
- Direct liaison between employer and university to ensure a high-quality experience
- Innovative and supportive curriculum to maximize experience
- Semester evaluations and reflective activities to support professional growth
- Does not count toward GPA
- Zero-credit course is free, if enrolled in another course for credit (if not, the cost is equivalent to 1 CH)
Searching for an Internship
Be sure to use the “el-approved” label when searching for internships and co-ops. Only positions that have been labeled as such, have been approved to be credit eligible through Experiential Learning. Please note, credit registration will still have to be reviewed by appropriate Faculty Coordinator and/or Academic Success Coach depending on the major and academic program requirements. Even students who don’t require credit could still register for zero-credit internship courses.
What do the different position types in Handshake mean?
- Job — a paid, part or full time professional position, that may be hourly or salaried.
- Internship — a single semester, major related, paid or unpaid opportunity that may be used for academic credit. Only open to current students
- Co-op — a multi-semester, major related, paid position. At UCF, there are two types of co-ops. An ‘EL Signature Co-op’ where academic registration is required and others that are not. Only open to current students.
- Volunteer — unpaid, non-credit, part time or temporary position. May also include job shadowing opportunities.
Enrollment/Reporting Process
To register for internship credit, follow these steps:
- Activate Your Handshake Account
Go to ucf.joinhandshake.com and log in with your NID and password. Select Career Center from the menu, click Surveys, and sign the Terms and Conditions. - Request Your Experience
In Handshake, go to Career Center, select Experiences, and click “Request an Experience.” Complete the form with your internship details and submit.
Deadline to Submit: Monday of the drop/add week (1st week of classes) - Next Steps & Enrollment
Approval: Experiential Learning will coordinate with your college to verify your credit needs and send an approval request to your internship supervisor. Once approved, Experiential Learning will enroll you in the internship course (0–3 credits). You will gain access to the course via Webcourses on the first day of the semester.
Course Grades
Internship Courses are graded on a Satisfactory (“S”)/Unsatisfactory (“U”) basis. For a Satisfactory grade, student must:
- Complete a minimum of 135 hours (1–3 credits) or 100 hours (zero credit) during the enrolled semester
- Complete all course modules and assignments to your instructor’s satisfaction through Webcourses
- Obtain an acceptable evaluation from the employer
Knight Shadow Program
SUMMER 2026 PROGRAM DATES: August 4 & 5, 2026
Applications open May 26 – June 7, 2026
Info Sessions will be held virtually to learn more about the program and the application process. Explore Handshake to find upcoming questions.
For more information on the UCF Knight Shadow Program, contact knightshadow@ucf.edu
What is the Knight Shadow Program?
The UCF Knight Shadow program is a job shadowing opportunity for UCF students to connect with industry professionals to gain exposure to a wide variety of career fields and industries. Sessions take place during the academic breaks of the Fall (December), Spring (March), and Summer (August) semesters and include in-person and virtual options.
This program is not for academic credit and participants do not receive monetary compensation. Participants are responsible for their meals, as well as, travel costs to and from their Knight Shadow Host Site.
Typical Knight Shadow Activities
The specific activities involved in a job shadowing experience vary between hosts and industries, and between in-person and virtual opportunities. Some common activities include:
- A presentation on the organization
- A panel or meet and greet of current interns and/or alumni
- Observing job duties and client interactions
- Attending meetings or office events
- Office tours
- Learning about internship/career opportunities within the organization
- Reviewing the student’s resume, LinkedIn profile, and other professional development materials
- An informational interview
Opportunities and Locations
The UCF Knight Shadow program provides either in-person or virtual job shadow experiences, hosted in the greater Orlando area, throughout the state of Florida, and beyond.
Experiential Learning works diligently to provide a variety of job shadow experiences. However, available experiences are only those that are submitted by hosts. While we invite all of our contacts and target all majors/industries to participate in the program, some organizations may not have the resources to provide a job shadowing experience. Therefore, the list of experiences may be limited and vary by semester.
Contact Us
Didn’t find the information you were looking for? Reach out to our office—we’re just a call or message away and ready to answer your questions.
