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Department of Horticulture Internship Guidelines
What
is an internship?
An internship is educational work experience. Similar to a class, it meets
for a specific period of time and has specific objectives. Internships
are intended to provide a structured, hands-on experience which compliments
academic study. An internship differs from a temporary job in that it
is intentionally structured to give experience in various areas. The best
internships are offered by companies that have an established program
in which you are rotated among different "divisions" or are periodically
assigned to different types of tasks. All students in the Landscape Contracting
and Crops options are required to finish an internship before graduation.
When
do I do my internship?
Internships can be accomplished during any semester. It is best to do
an internship in your junior or early in your senior year. Internships
are a prerequisite for HORT 4004 (Horticulture Seminar), which is offered
every semester. HORT 4004 is a required class for Landscape Contracting
students.
How
do I get an internship?
Internships must be approved before you begin work. An internet home page
is maintained which has good information about approved sites.
URL = http://hcs.osu.edu/students/interns/index.html.
If you are interested in a site that is not on this list, it must be preapproved by your academic advisor. Internships should ideally be 10-12 weeks and 40 hours per week. All internships must provide valuable, varied experience (e.g. being a member of a crew that only mows turf is not an internship). An official "Internship Agreement" must be signed by the company and returned to your advisor before you start. An evaluation form will be mailed to the company after you finish the internship. The results of the evaluation will not affect your grade in HORT 4004. Past experience cannot count for an internship; it must be preapproved. All arrangements are your responsibility. The "Internship Agreement" form can be obtained from your academic advisor.
