A liberal arts education can develop in students a number of skills, including supervision and leadership, decision making, problem analysis and problem solving, creative thinking, communication, effective risk-taking, and functioning effectively as a member of a group. Students develop these skills through experiences both in and outside the classroom, in extracurricular and volunteer activities, in off-campus programs, in residential living situations, and in internships. Internships, learning experiences on-campus or off-campus for which academic credit is earned, can be an important part of students' liberal arts education.

Internships can provide students opportunities to develop liberal arts skills and to gain beginning level work experience. Participants in some internship programs attend supervisory or integrating seminars, and all participants have faculty supervisors throughout their internships.

Hope juniors and seniors can register for off-campus internships as part of the Philadelphia Center, the Chicago Semester, the New York Arts Program, the Oak Ridge Science Semester, or the Washington Honors Semester. Since students on these programs register for credit through Hope College, a student's entire financial aid package (less work-study) can be applied to the cost of the off-campus program. Students with an interest in these programs should contact the on-campus representatives for these programs.

On-Campus Contacts

Sander de Haan--Chicago Semester
Dale Austin--Chicago Semester
Jon Huisken--Chicago Semester
Jack Holmes--Washington Honors Semester
James A. Herrick--Philadelphia Center
Patricia V. Roehling--Philadelphia Center
Thomas M. Smith--Philadelphia Center
Jon Huisken--Philadelphia Center
Mike Seymour--Oak Ridge Science Semester
Charles Green--Oak Ridge Science Semester
John Tammi--New York Arts Program

Representatives from these programs visit Hope's campus each semester to recruit students and answer their questions.

In addition to the internships available through these five off-campus programs, departmental internships are possible. These internships, either on or off campus, usually earn from one to nine credit hours. Generally a three credit hour internship requires that students spend nine hours per week on the internship throughout the semester (fourteen weeks).

An important part of all internships is the involvement of students in their creation. After consultation with the department in which the credit is to be earned, students are asked to write a learning plan which includes the objectives, the means of accomplishing these objectives, and the means of evaluating the internship. Careful planning and preparation are essential for a profitable internship opportunity.

For more information regarding internship opportunities, please contact the Office of Admissions or Career Services.