skip the i-Guide Illinois State University Majors at Illinois State Attending Illinois State Life at Illinois State Visitors to Illinois State Illinois State A to Z Listing Illinois State Campus Map Illinois State Web site home Web and Campus Accessibility at Illinois State
College of Business, Building Students' Futures

 Student Information

Course Requirements

Finance interns need to complete a minimum of 135 hours of work at the internship site for the 3 hours course credit and these hours should be completed by the last week of the semester (for fall or spring enrollees) or second summer session (for summer interns).
 
You will need to complete a mid-term evaluation report and submit it to the internship coordinator halfway through your internship experience.
 
A paper will be due the last day of class before final exams (fall and spring interns) or the first day of the last week of the second summer session (summer interns) and should be at least 15 pages, double-spaced (if enrolled in FIL 398; 10 pages are required for FIL 298, 20 pages for FIL 498).  Tardiness in turning in the mid-term evaluation report or the paper will result in a grade penalty.
 
Your supervisor will be doing an ongoing evaluation of your performance and will complete a written supervisor’s midterm and a supervisor’s final evaluation on your performances.
 
Your course grade is a combination of your supervisor’s evaluations (70%) and your paper (30%).
           
General Guidelines for the paper

  1. The paper must be double-spaced.

  2. Type must be 12 point, Times New Roman.

  3. Margins should be one inch on all sides.

  4. All pages (except the cover, contents and appendix) must be numbered.

  5. The appendix should include your weekly journal and samples of your work, company literature, etc. The appendix will not be counted toward the required length.

  6. Grading will take into account grammar, spelling, and readability.

  7. Sorry, but the title page and table of contents should not be counted toward the required length.

The paper’s format should be as follows: 

Section 1
This section discusses what you learned from your internship. This is the most important section of the paper. It should cover the following points:

  • Description of company and the unit/division/branch of the firm where you worked.

  • Explain what you did during your internship.

  • Explain what you learned and what you are able to take with you from this experience. Include a listing of what you did during the internship and the percentage of time spent on each activity.

  • Comments on how supervision was done. How often did you meet with your supervisor? What kind of feedback did you receive from your supervisor?

  • Describe the procedures used for your training and any materials used such as manuals, tests, books, videos, self-study materials, CD ROM, etc. What topics were covered? How long was the training? 
    The majority of this section should relate to financial concepts you learned and applied. But you must also include observations about the following areas:

  • operations of the business – management, employees, training

  • work relationships – communication, cooperation, conflict resolution

  • personal management – time, stress, organization

  • career possibilities – positives, negatives 

Section 2
This section explains how what you learned in finance classes at ISU related to your internship. Did the internship confirm what you learned in your finance classes? Did you get further insights on material that was covered in a course? Were you able to apply finance principles and techniques learned in the class? In your discussion, please be specific in naming the classes involved in the concepts, principles, and techniques and how they related to your internship, including how we could have better prepared you given the courses you have completed.  Follow this format in your discussion:

  • First course name and number

  • Second course name and number

  • And so on

Section 3
This section indicates any classes that you could have taken at ISU (that you have not taken) that would have helped during your internship. Again, be specific on what class and how you think this might have helped you.

Appendix
Place any material relevant to your internship experience here. At a minimum, it should include a copy of your weekly journal. The journal should describe your work week, including training, meetings, tasks assigned, tasks completed, and other work-related activities.
Where possible, if your employer allows, please include examples of your work in the paper’s appendix such as: forms, spreadsheets, letters, PowerPoint presentations, tables, reports, etc. You may have these back when grades are completed if you desire.