Applying to Courses vs. Internship programs

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Difference between courses and internship programs

When creating a project, employers must indicate if their project is open to courses, internship programs, or both. Courses are a lower commitment way to reach a larger number of students, whereas an internship program allows you to have more control over the project outcome. Make sure to read the commitments section on the course or internship program page before you apply.

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Applying to courses

If your project is matched with a course, one or more student teams will be assigned to your project. They will complete the project as a class assignment, during the fixed dates indicated on the course page. You will be asked for input during the project, and will receive their work at the end.

The project scope for courses should: 

• Be clear and identify a specific problem to be solved. Narrow down the pain point as much as possible, e.g. social media strategy instead of marketing strategy. 
• Be flexible in order to smoothly integrate into the educator’s curriculum. Educators may ask to adjust certain aspects of your project, such as deliverables and deadlines, to better align with their syllabus.
• Provide learning value. Projects that offer students the opportunity to learn and get exposure to different areas of a business will be more appealing to educators. 
• Be attainable within a 3-4 month window. If a project requires a longer term commitment than this, matching with a course is not the right option. 

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Applying to internship programs

If your project is matched with an internship program, you can set your own preferred start and end dates. Students at that school will apply to participate, and you can decide who is approved to work on your project. During the project, you act as the supervisor to the student, and the degree of interaction is higher. Payment may be required, depending on the internship program. Internship programs can range from as little as 80 hours to as many as 400 hours.

The project scope for courses should: 

• Be clear as to what the student’s roles and responsibilities will be. The project page should include details on what the intern’s daily tasks will be.
• Be suitable for their level of education. Students will be completing varying degrees (e.g. bachelors, masters, or continuing education degrees). The intern’s role should be appropriate for their respective level of education. 
• Be targeted to one area of specialization. 
• Be incentivized. You can choose whether it will be a paid internship (stipend, honorariums, etc.) or a credit bearing internship (usually unpaid). The minimum reward for any project is feedback.

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Applying to Level UP

If you're looking for information about the Level UP program, please visit Riipen Help Center's Level UP FAQ.