Offer credit for internships

We call it “Columbia,” but this university’s proper name is “Columbia University in the City of New York.” We study inside the gates, but our education, we are told, is meant to extend far beyond them. And Columbians certainly do take advantage of much of what New York has to offer. Collectively, we have internships in almost every field imaginable. On a given day, you can find Columbians spread out across the city, whether they are doing research at the Federal Reserve Bank of New York or learning about curation at a small art gallery in Chelsea.

Yet, for all the time and energy we invest in internships, we cannot (with a few minor exceptions) receive course credit for them from Columbia.

We understand the academic philosophy that underpins the “no credit for internships” policy. It is, in the end, academic credit that measures our time here. Columbia is a stronghold for liberal arts education, and giving credit for internships would mean allowing a bit of pre-professionalism into the curriculum.

But the fact remains that Columbia students live in the real world. Internships provide a valuable opportunity to gain experience and network with potential employers, and they have the potential to be educational as well.

The University should recognize this reality and offer students the option of taking internships for credit. It is simply an issue of fairness. Currently, students of limited means often have to choose between a job and an internship. There is, after all, only so much time in a day. Offering course credit would lessen the burden on these students, allowing them to explore the opportunities of an internship.

How, though, could we ensure that students are pursuing internships that are in step with Columbia’s academic mission?

The University of Chicago, a school that shares much in common with Columbia philosophically, allows students to take internships for credit provided they enroll in a practicum that oversees their progress. Our departments could create similar courses to formally and carefully evaluate internship experiences for academic merit.

Credit could be limited to internships that meet a certain standard of academic relevance. We suggest the criterion that internships must build on coursework the student has already completed at Columbia. Students could be limited to one credited internship per semester, or one per year. Moreover, we could adopt the University of Chicago’s policy that this credit could not be used to graduate early.

Such a system would preserve the liberal arts focus of a Columbia education while encouraging students to seek out opportunities in New York City. Most importantly, it would level the playing field.

That might rock the boat a little, but it won’t tip it over.