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Candler School of Theology

 

CE 545 Ministerial Internship

The following information can be found below:

Purpose and Description

Internships are a student initiated practical experience for which the student gains academic credit at Candler. Internships provide students with an opportunity to tailor their course of study by meeting specific ministry-learning goals they have. It also can be an important avenue for discernment of the student's professional ministry and calling.

Students are encouraged to select contexts of ministry that will enable them to explore issues of ministry, and/or develop specific skills (teaching, preaching, administration, etc.). Students may intern with a church, an agency, or with an existing internship program. Students are also welcome to view our internships notebook with current internship opportunities in the Contextual Education Office. Students may determine the number of academic credits as well as the focus of their work with an internship.

Please note that if a student wants to volunteer or work without academic credit, then he/she does not need to apply through our office.

All internship proposals are subject for approval by Dr. P. Alice Rogers, Internships director.

Internship Guidelines

  1. CE545 may be taken for variable elective credit for a maximum of six credit hours, for satisfactory/unsatisfactory credit only. Each hour of CE545 credit requires 42 hours of work in the internship setting. (Example: three hours of credit requires 3 x 42=126 hours of work).
  2. The student is responsible for securing a setting, a supervisor, and a faculty person to participate in the project.
  3. In conjunction with the faculty person and the supervisor, the student will create and be responsible for a reading list of texts relevant to his or her learning goals and setting.
  4. The student must complete a final project for the internship.
  5. The student must meet weekly with the supervisor for reflection and supervision.
  6. At least two thirds of the total hours worked for the internship must be actual contextual work. One third of the time may be used for study, preparation, and supervision.
    • The student’s grade will be assigned by the faculty person in consultation with the supervisor. The faculty person will then forward the grade to the Office of Contextual Education to have it recorded with the Registrar’s Office and in OPUS. Copies of the supervisor’s narrative evaluation of the student should be submitted to the faculty person working with the student, the Contextual Education Office and the student.

Steps for Enrolling in CE 545 – Internship

  1. Meet with Director Dr. P Alice Rogers - Students are required to contact the Office of Contextual Education (404.727.4178) to schedule a meeting with the Internship Director; please allow at least three weeks before the last day of registration.
  2. Complete CE545 Registration Form - Students will complete the Internship Registration formPDF File[PDF 12K] with three signatures (student; faculty supervisor; and Director of Internships, Dr. P. Alice Rogers). This form must be submitted with a copy of the internship proposal.
  3. Submit Internship Proposal - Students will write an internship proposal (see Internship Proposal Guidelines); one copy of the proposal will go to the faculty supervisor and a second copy will be submitted to the Office of Contextual Education.

Internship Proposal Guidelines

The proposal should include the following:

  1. A clear and concise project outline that provides information on the project rationale, setting, division of hours, etc.
  2. Student’s learning goals and how the project fulfills those goals.
  3. A listing of readings, methods or resources you plan to use to facilitate reflection (e.g. texts, one-on-one interviews, journal, etc.)
  4. A letter from student’s project supervisor detailing supervisor’s position, method of supervision and agreement to participate in the project.
  5. A letter from the student’s faculty supervisor indicating agreement to participate in the project and method of supervision.

Suggestions for Writing Learning Goals

Learning goals have to do with knowledge and/or skills that you wish to develop through your work in the setting. For example: “To start a singles group” is a task goal, not a learning goal.

Some examples of learning goals:

Try to think of as many as possible. The more focus you have the richer your experience is likely to be.

About the Final Integrative Project

The student is responsible for conceiving (in dialogue with faculty and supervisor) and completing a final integrative project. In general, this project should demonstrate that the student has made progress in realizing his or her learning goals. Specifically, the final project should be the product of the student’s integration of any readings, reflection, and the practice of ministry in the student’s setting. The final project may take a variety of forms: a standard academic paper, an audio-visual presentation, the development of a curriculum for a church program, the planning and leading of a retreat or seminar, etc.

Supervisor’s Responsibilities

The supervisor should provide the following:

  1. A narrative evaluation of the student’s work at the end of the internship
    • Copies of the evaluation should be submitted to the faculty person working with the student, the Contextual Education Office and the student
  2. Recommendations to the faculty person concerning what grade the student shall be given for the internship

Faculty’s Responsibilities

The faculty member works with the students to provide guidance and direction concerning the specifics of the project such as reading lists, writing exercises, and means of reflection. The faculty member agrees to meet with the student to monitor progress on the project and will consult with the supervisor to submit a final grade.