Undergraduate Business Practicum Experience

The Business Practicum Experience at University of Dallas is an opportunity for undergraduate business students to meld theory and practice through a professional employment assignment. Completion of 400 hours of approved work experience is required for graduation with the major of Business.

Objectives

• To provide students with real-world work experience that will make them more attractive candidates for professional jobs when they graduate from UD;
• To give students a better understanding of potential career avenues, including an opportunity to test the “fit” of these possible careers;
• To improve the UD classroom experience by giving students a wealth of contextual applications for the theories and practices they are studying; and
• To help students build a professional network.

Pre-approval is required prior to the start of the Practicum hours. Please complete this linked form to begin the approval process.

Please note that a student may complete a maximum of two different work experiences to accumulate the total of 400 hours. The student must obtain approval separately for each work experience.  Students enroll in the BUS 3095 Practicum course during the semester in which the student will complete the last of their 400 hours.

Procedural Requirements

• Work experience (employer and work description) must be approved prior to accumulation of practicum work hours.
• Work supervisor agreement (official form) must be secured prior to the commencement of the practicum work hours.
• Hours of work will be logged weekly in the Brightspace system during the enrolled semester or a separate logging process must be approved and used if hours are completed outside the Practicum course registration period.
• No later than the completion of the practicum course semester (start of finals week) the student will submit a practicum learning document, which will be reviewed by the practicum director for acceptability.
• No later than the completion of the practicum course semester (start of finals week), the instructor must receive from the employment supervisor(s) a completed supervisor verification-evaluation form. Although it is the student’s responsibility to ensure that the supervisor submits the form, it must be transmitted to the instructor directly by the supervisor.
• Practicum completion will be scored as pass/fail.

Definition of Eligible Work Experience

To be applied to the practicum requirement, all of the following requirements must be met:

• Eligible work experience is limited to a maximum of two employers at which the 400 hours are accumulated. Each work experience must be approved independently and prior to hour accumulation.
• The student must work in an employee capacity (i.e., an employee of the organization as defined by the FLSA or as a “W2” employee defined by the IRS), or if not as an employee, then in an officially designated “internship” capacity that meets US DOL guidelines for unpaid work (“Test for Unpaid Interns and Students” under the FLSA). (see exception for entrepreneurial ventures with pre-approval; consult with Practicum director for review)
• A student may not work for his or her parents or an immediate family member or for an organization that is primarily owned by an immediate family member. This requirement protects against nepotism or conflicts of interest and promotes employment experiences and professional network development independent of what the student might experience within a limited family environment. An exemption may be requested for an elevated, verifiable work experience in a family-owned enterprise (consult with Practicum director for review and pre-approval).
• A student may not act as an independent contractor or in self-employment due to the absence of a consistent supervisor overseeing and verifying the student’s work hours and experiences. An exemption may be requested for a substantial entrepreneurial venture that is monitored by an assigned mentor (consult with Practicum director for review and pre-approval).
• A purely volunteer capacity will not constitute an employment experience. Experiences that are traditionally completed by a volunteer at a registered non-profit organization must be converted to an internship (unpaid or paid) and managed by a designated internship supervisor who is an employee of the non-profit organization.
• On-campus employment by the University of Dallas is eligible as a work experience as long as it meets all other requirements of an eligible work experience.
• The eligible content of the work is generally not limited and may include any duties that are licit and relevant to career exploration and preparation. Students are encouraged to collaboratively craft distinctive work experiences with their practicum supervisor that help to develop identifiable skill sets, broaden professional exposure, and show progressive responsibility advancement.

Relationship to University of Dallas For-credit Internship

The business practicum hour requirement is independent of for-credit internships.  The business practicum requirement does not post any credit hours to a student’s transcript and its completion stands solely as a requirement for graduation. Completion of a for-credit internship does not itself constitute eligibility for practicum hour completion requirements. Please consult with your faculty advisor and the Office of Personal Career Development if you plan to complete a credit internship. 

Questions?  Please send any questions to practicum@udallas.edu.

 ONLY DECLARED BUSINESS MAJORS PARTICIPATE IN THE PRACTICUM PROGRAM

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