Program Policies & Procedures

Program Enrollment

Acceptance into the Internship Program (enrolled in SS 3994) requires a mandatory work placement. This mandatory work term will allow international students to participate and defer student loan payments. Those students not placed will be removed from the course and continue with the current academic stream.

Note: Enrolling does not obligate you in any way; it is an expression of interest and determination of eligibility to participate.

Additional Courses

Students may not take any academic courses during the internship work term courses, unless granted special permission by the Associate Dean (Undergraduate Studies), Faculty of Social Science. Only those students with a cumulative average of at least 75% should apply for special permission.

Please email the Social Science Experiential Learning Coordinator at socscintern@uwo.ca with your request including the course code and session type, outline of your time-management plan, and rationale for taking the course prior to your return to campus. All requests will be reviewed and submitted to the Associate Dean (Undergraduate) for consideration.

A maximum of 0.5 additional course credits per 4 months of a placement will be considered.

NOTE: You must have 3.5 credits remaining to complete at the end of your Internship Program in order to maintain your Internship status.

Internship Offers

Job Offers are sent through Western Connect; students will have two (2) business days to accept or decline an offer. You are required to notify the Internship Coordinator if a job offer is extended directly by the employer (i.e., not through Western Connect).

Once a job offer has been accepted, that acceptance is binding.

Students cannot apply to other positions or accept interviews once a job has been accepted.

After declining two internship offers, you will be withdrawn from the internship program and not permitted to apply for any additional postings.

Job Offers are sent through Western Connect; students will have two (2) business days to accept or decline an offer. You are required to notify the Internship Coordinator if a job offer is extended directly by the employer (i.e., not through Western Connect).

Once a job offer has been accepted, that acceptance is binding; once a Social Science Internship Agreement has been signed and submitted to the Social Science Internship Program team, students are bound to its terms including fee payment and completion of course deliverables.

Students cannot apply to other positions or accept interviews once a job has been accepted.

After declining two internship offers, you will be withdrawn from the internship program and not permitted to apply for any additional postings; students who decline multiple offers and/or withdraw interest in the program after securing/submitting a role may be prohibited from reapplying in later years at the discretion of the Social Science Internship Program team.

Students who do not successfully secure an internship will not be charged the program fee and may re-apply to the program in subsequent years; as long as they still meet the program’s eligibility requirements, they will be granted access to postings and resources. Returning students will not need to attend another career workshop, but a second resume and cover letter review is strongly recommended.

Privacy

The Social Science Internship Program team is committed to protecting the privacy of individuals. To view Western’s complete privacy policies and initiatives, refer to the privacy office website.

Personal information such as your name, address, and e-mail address will not be available to anyone beyond Social Science Internship Program staff except when you take the initiative to apply to a job posting or submit your resume for viewing by participating employers.

The Social Science Internship Program team will only use your personal information to facilitate your involvement in the work search and career development activities it offers as a part of its mandate.

If, at any time, you have questions about the accuracy, use, or privacy of your personal information you are encouraged to contact experience@uwo.ca

Course Withdrawal

The following scenarios will result in an “FAI” in Social Science 3994 (fee still applies) and withdrawal from the internship program:

  • Students who accept an internship offer and then renege on the offer prior to beginning the position
  • Students who goes out on an internship work term and then quit without cause
  • Any student who is withdrawn from the internship due to academic reasons (ie: a scholastic offence)
  • Students who are let go for cause
  • Students who sign and submit an Internship Agreement and then do not deliver on some or all of its terms including fee payment and completion of course deliverables (failure to pay the internship fee results in an academic seal of the student’s record)

Students who are let go due to changes in the economy, quit for health/compassionate reasons, or who otherwise wish to withdraw from the program after submitting a signed Internship Agreement:

  • Payment of the internship fees will be at the discretion of the Associate Dean
  • Students in this position will be withdrawn (WDN) at the discretion of the Associate Dean and directed to the appropriate and available supports.

The internship fee is NON-REFUNDABLE. Late payment of the internship fee will result in the accrual of late charges at the current university rate. Non-payment of the internship fee will result in an academic seal and an “FAI” in Social Science 3994.

Appeal Procedures

The performance of each student in the long-term internship program is assessed on the basis of satisfactory completion of the student’s placement term, adherence to the terms laid out in the Internship Agreement signed with the Social Science Internship Program team, the Employer's Evaluations of the student's performance, and an evaluation of the student's Final Assignment. The grade for the courses are either Pass or Fail, and a Pass grade will require that both the Employer's Evaluations and the Final Assignment be satisfactory.

The Employer's Evaluation is completed by the student's employer in accordance with prescribed guidelines, it is not necessarily based on written work submitted by the student although such work may provide a part of the material upon which the evaluation is based. The Social Science Internship Program team or the Associate Dean (Undergraduate) will mark the long-term internship Final Assignment. If the basis for the grade is the evaluation of the Final Assignment, then the usual appeal procedures of Western University will be followed. The successive levels of appeal are:

  • Experiential Learning Coordinator, Social Science;
  • The Associate Dean (Undergraduate Studies) or the AD's Designate (submission of written request);
  • Senate Review Board Academic (SRBA) - (submission of written application for a hearing).

If the basis of the unsatisfactory grade is entirely or in part the Employer's Evaluations, then the student will appeal in writing directly to the Associate Dean (Undergraduate) or the Dean's Designate. The Associate Dean (or designate) will meet with the student and will request an explanation, if necessary, from the employer and will make a decision on the basis of the available information. The decision of the Associate Dean (or designate) will be final.

LONG-TERM INTERNSHIP (8-16 MONTH)