Internships

Undergraduate Kinesiology students may be eligible to enroll in Internship Prep (KIN 471 or KIN 400X) during Spring 2025, then a 3 or 6 credit hour Internship in Kinesiology (KIN 496) during Summer 2025 or Fall 2025 if the following criteria are met:

Prior to enrollment in KIN 471 (Internship Prep) or KIN 400X (Internship Prep & Career Development):

• Junior or Senior status
• Successful completion of the following KIN courses: 220, 250, 265 (or 120/130)
• At least a 2.50 cumulative GPA

Prior to enrollment in KIN 496:

• Successful completion of at least two of the following KIN courses: 353, 375, 376, 386*
• Enroll in KIN 471 (or 400X) in Spring 2025 for a Summer or Fall 2025 internship
• At least a 2.50 cumulative GPA

*Depending on the type of internship, additional coursework may be required prior to enrolling in KIN 496. These recommendations are at the discretion of the Undergraduate Studies Committee in the Department of Kinesiology. Successful completion requires a grade of C or better.

The procedure for admission into KIN 471 (or 400X) and KIN 496 is as follows:

1. Complete the Qualtrics form.
   • Prior to completing the form, have the following documents / information accessible:
     1. Letter of intent (see details below)
     2. Current copy of your Degree Works (PDF)
2. The Qualtrics form is due Monday, November 4, 2024.
   1. If the form is submitted after the deadline, it may still be reviewed by the committee; however, those students submitting the form with all required documents before the deadline will receive priority.
3. The Undergraduate Studies committee will review your letter of intent and notify you of the decision by Friday, November 15, 2024. *Notification date may be later depending on when you applied. Please allow at least 3 business days for your application to be reviewed. 
4. Please do not register for a different course in place of KIN 471/400X while you wait to hear back. In other words, do not register for another course as a KIN elective or general elective. The committee will let you know if you are accepted into the internship program before the end of the registration window. Since this course requires approval, no one will take your seat in the registration process.

Your letter of intent must include the following:

1. Intended credit hours of the internship: 3 (150 contact hours) or 6 (300 contact hours).
2. Intended number of credit hours AND number of courses to take while interning (in addition to KIN 496), NOT while taking KIN 471 (this means you will need to have planned out 2 semesters ahead).
3. Type of internship you are interested in: Population (athletes, individuals with cardiovascular disease, children, etc.), setting (university, hospital, fitness center, etc.). 
4. Observational or hands on (some sites might only allow for one or the other).
5. Ideas of potential sites (first choice and backup options). Refer to #3 and #4 to answer this question
6. Future career goals – address how this internship will better prepare you to achieve these goals (graduate school, career, etc.)?
7. Do you have reliable transportation for the semesters you plan to enroll in KIN 471 and KIN 496?

Letter of Intent format:

• Limit to 1 page single spaced
• Please use separate paragraphs to aid the Committee in reading the letter
• Address your letter to Kinesiology Undergraduate Studies Committee
• Format as an official letter using block formatting
  • Here is an example of formatting from UNCG’s Career and Professional Development Office

You MUST enroll in the internship prep course (KIN 471 or KIN 400X) the semester immediately before you will complete your internship (KIN 496).

• Spring internship? Enrolled in KIN 471 (or 400X) in the preceding fall semester.
• Summer internship? Enrolled in KIN 471 (or 400X) in the preceding spring semester.
• Fall internship? Enrolled in KIN 471 (or 400X) in the preceding spring semester.

You CANNOT enroll in the internship prep course without an approved internship application.

UNCG Kinesiology provides a wide range of internship types, such as athletic training, strength and conditioning, personal training, physical and occupational therapy, and cardiac and pulmonary rehabilitation.

Be advised that you may not be placed at your #1 choice for a variety of reasons, including but not limited to:

• Particular site may not be taking interns that semester or may limit the number of interns
• Supervisor felt you were not a good fit (for example if you did not have course work in a specific area, such as electrocardiograms)
• Site may request interns for 300 (6 ch) hours and you can only intern for 150 (3 ch) hours or vice versa

Some placements are more challenging to secure than others. For example, we have a limited number of physical therapy and occupational therapy sites that will accept a student intern for 150 hours (thus, it is highly unlikely that you could intern at a PT or OT clinic for a 6 credit, 300 hour internship).

• 471 is the preparatory course confirming that you are eligible and prepared to intern. 
• 471 is a professional development course that aids you in finding an approved internship site
• While enrolled in 471, you will obtain all requirements for interning (such as development of a professional resume, cover letter, etc.) and of your specific site (for example, your site may require CPR and first aid certification, background check, drug screening, flu shot, etc.).

• No, see response above.

• No, see response above.
• The site in which you intern must be approved by the Kinesiology department and have a formal instructional agreement prior to interning. 
• KIN 496 has specific assignments and learning outcomes that must be accomplished while you are completing the internship.

1. Make sure you meet the eligibility criteria (see above).
2. Submit a letter of application by the designated deadline (see web link above for what must be included in the letter) and important dates.
3. Once you have been approved, you will be permitted to enroll in the course (then you must add it to your schedule).

1. You may conduct research on your own prior to and while taking KIN 471. 
2. A list of current internship sites will be provided during KIN 471. 
3. New sites can be added, permitted that they meet our departmental criteria.

Topics may include but are not limited to: Careers in Kinesiology, resume and cover letters, interviewing skills, professional organizations and certifications, job searching.

No, but there are assignments that may include: weekly submissions, mid and end of semester evaluations, documented hours, project, etc.

Various disciplines within Kinesiology including but not limited to: athletic training, cardiac and pulmonary rehabilitation, worksite / employee wellness, physical therapy, occupational therapy, personal training, fitness, chiropractic, massage therapy.

This should be discussed with your advisor and the internship coordinator. It is strongly advised that you consider the number of classes and credit hours to be taken while interning.

No, but KIN 496 is a repeatable course (up to 6 credits total) so you may complete a second internship.

KIN 496 can be repeated for a total of 6 credit hours, so it is possible for a student to complete two 3-credit KIN 496 internships.

In order to complete a second internship, speak with the internship coordinator. You may need to resubmit some of the assignments from KIN 471/400X or provide documentation (such as current CPR and First Aid certificates), but you will not need to re-enroll in the internship prep course.

No, while informal internships (not for course credit) and shadowing are strongly encouraged, it is expected that you will seek out these opportunities on your own.