499 OnSite Internships

For the undergraduate student, the Experiential Learning Office is concerned with primarily one course, the 499 internship. Unlike most other courses, the 499 internship cannot be registered for by the student as they normally would. The Experiential Learning Office handles this process, as our office serves as a “gatekeeper” for the 499 internship course. Meaning, in order for a student to be enrolled, they must have secured pre-approval through the internship application process from our office to ensure the proper academic timing and readiness (explained below). Once that preapproval is secured, the Experiential Learning Office will send an enrollment request on behalf of the student to the Registrar’s Office. 

Academic Timing

For the 499 internship to be as effective as it can possibly be, timing is critical. If a student tries to take the class too soon, they will lack the necessary training and experience. If they wait until too late, students tend to become distracted by graduation and job hunting. 

In specific, students are not permitted to do their 499 internship until they are in at least their junior year. While some students choose to wait until later, the optimal timing for many is after the completion of the junior year, prior to the start of the senior year (typically during the summer semester).

Academic Readiness

We also check to be sure students have completed all the necessary practicums and prerequisite coursework.  The completion of the practicums and prerequisites are critical building blocks of preparedness.  For a student to excel in their internship they must have certain courses and that is why they are designated as prerequisites.

The process of approval and enrollment is a two-sided, multi-step effort that is completed by both the student and Experiential Learning:

Students must take the following steps:

• Decide on an internship site and determine who will serve as your internship supervisor/mentor.
• Develop a job description in conjunction with your site supervisor/mentor.
• Fill out the application for the internship and submit it.

Once those steps are completed and the application is submitted, the Experiential Learning office will do the following:

• Review the student’s application.
• Double-check your site for compatibility and verify the mentor’s role in the internship.
• Send the enrollment information to the registrar’s office (enrollment is handled through our office so the student will not need to worry about completing this step).

Students can find a field-based ministry opportunity by consulting our OnSite Internship Partner locations list. “OnSite” is the term that has been coined for our vetted and approved internship site partners, not just here locally in Lynchburg, but from all across the country. It is a play on the fact that students are serving “on site” at a ministry location, rather than on campus. OnSite was created to help ensure the highest possible level and quality of internship, and as such, must be used for your official credit bearing 499 internship. In an effort to help students experience something similar to the job search process, we allow students to explore, initiate, and select their own internship opportunity for approval. Keeping in mind, the internship must coordinate with your DCP. Please note, your credit-bearing 499 internship cannot be done at your home church, as it is our intent to help develop well-rounded students who have more than “the home church experience”. For students who are looking to gain experience from an internship, but not academic credit, OnSite Partner locations are highly recommended, but not required. If at any point in the process, you are running into roadblocks or frustration, or just need a little help, be reminded, we are here to assist, guide and coach students through the process.

The approved site must provide an internship opportunity that falls within your major. i.e. pastoral ministry, youth ministry, church ministry, camp ministry, women’s ministry. They should also provide opportunities for growth in areas that you want to learn and improve in. The location is expected to teach, guide, instruct, mentor, and provide accountability through the internship. 

Some residential students choose to complete their 499 internship during the Fall or Spring semester, at an approved OnSite church/ministry here in our local Lynchburg community. 

The location should provide a mentor who is playing an active role in the process of getting you started with the ministry, will identify areas and opportunities to learn and grow, and participate in regular informal evaluations and a couple of formal evaluations.  

These specific duties should be decided by you and the site supervisor and must fit within the context of your degree. From this discussion, a simple job description should be established and include duties that fall within your major. 

The 499 internship requires at least 200 hours of ministry involvement. This would include preparation, presence, and participation – all elements for a successful ministry experience. This is an A term course which is a combination of the B and D terms. The 499 internship requires a minimum of 12 weeks and at least 200 hours.

Unfortunately, it cannot. If you completed an internship in the past, it will not count towards the 499 internship. Your internship only counts if done in the date parameters of when the course takes place.

Once you register, it will automatically be provided in Canvas. Just like all other courses, there is a professor, syllabus, and class processes and details. It is important to stay on track with the assignments, forms, requirements, and due dates in Canvas.  

If you are an international student conducting an internship within the U.S., you must contact International Student Services to obtain the CPT form, and complete it before applying for your internship.  

Once you have a location and you’ve talked with the site supervisor about a job description, you can apply.

After submitting the application, the application will send emails to both you and the site supervisor. Your supervisor will email the Experiential Learning Office the supervisor agreement and you will either email that back to explearning@liberty.edu or upload it into your application. Once that is done, you’ll receive an email stating you’ve been approved. 

Due to the nature of the application process, the Experiential Learning Office has set the following deadlines to ensure there is sufficient time to review the application, secure the site supervisor approval, and submit the enrollment request to the Registrar’s Office. As such, all internship applications must be submitted by the following deadlines.

• Spring Semester: November 1^st
• Summer Semester: March 1^st
• Fall Semester: August 1^st

For any further questions about this process, please contact explearning@liberty.edu