Allow students to double count internship and research requirements
September 14, 2022
As a double major student at UT, planning coursework for both my majors was already extremely difficult. I quickly realized that each of my degrees, one housed in the Moody College of Communication and the other in the College of Liberal Arts, requires working an internship for academic credit.
My government degree presented me with the option of researching with a professor instead of a traditional internship, but this would involve seven to 10 hours of outside work weekly that would essentially be a part time job. I had a few choices, yet none of them were ideal. I could either find time for two different internships, or I could attempt to double count an internship but still have to take two different classes. I’d essentially be paying for an additional class in order to work a job.
Students should not be put in the difficult position of having to find and balance two internships or research opportunities in order to graduate. The University should allow double major students to count their internship or research credits for both of their majors.
Instead of requiring students to count both credits separately, the University could allow students whose various degrees require more than one internship or research credit to complete a single internship that fulfills both credits. UT could also allow students to double count an internship without being forced to take two different internship classes.
This policy wouldn’t be completely unheard of at the University, since students are already allowed to double count flags. If a double major student takes a course for a major that meets a specific flag, the course also fulfills the flag requirement for their other major. Double counting a major’s internship requirement could function as an extension of this.
Dalia Sabbagh, international relations and global studies and government senior, faces this issue, and has to take a research and internship credit for her government major as well as a capstone research class for IRG.
“I specifically made it to where I’m doing my government internship this semester and my IRG capstone next semester, because I don’t know that it would have been manageable for me to do both at the same time,” Sabbagh said. “(The classes) are different enough … where I understand why they wouldn’t be offered as one credit.”
In some cases like Sabbagh’s, the courses are different enough to where it may not make sense for the University to allow students to merge the two into a single credit. However, students still have to pay to take two research classes. The University should provide a discount or waiver to students who have to take these similar classes for different degrees.
Currently, UT does have a petition system in place, which allows students to petition for credit for a course they’ve already taken. Petitions could be used to try and count one internship or research class for both major credits.
“Whether or not to allow a petition for courses to double or triple count is at the discretion of the university’s colleges, schools and departments,” Kathleen Sakura Harrison, assistant director of marketing and communications at the University, said via email.
However, this petition system is not advertised as one that can be used for double counting internship requirements, and students may not be aware this option exists. Additionally, the rules vary depending on the college, meaning that students with majors in two different colleges may not have the same options as those in the same school or college.
Students pursuing double majors at the University already struggle with scheduling, planning and an increased workload. UT should support these students and alleviate added pressure by providing solutions that allow them to double count their internship and research requirements.
Abbe is a communications studies and government junior from Fort Worth, Texas.
