About the Internship Experience

View Handbook

The Internship Experience

The CIS program recognizes the value of relevant work experience and partners with technology-based organizations to provide students with an opportunity to broaden their skills base in information technology, cultivate mature life and workplace skills that prepare the student for personal and professional challenges, and establish a network of professional contacts in the information technology field.

The work completed by the student intern is expected to parallel or exceed job performance expectations. These expectations include responsibility, productivity, professionalism, and well-defined IT skillsets. Some, but not all, positions award monetary compensation (an hourly wage or a project stipend) for the work performed.

The Internship Experience is an elective 3-credit information technology (IT) offering at the associate-degree level and a required offering at the bachelor-degree level that provides the student with an opportunity to build a professional portfolio of relevant work experience. With the guidance of an organizational mentor, students will develop a significant IT project that applies appropriate information technology (IT) skills in hardware/networking, database design and development, programming, or client- server-side Web scripting. The internship is offered at three levels: CIS280, CIS380, and CIS480.

The student is prepared to take the CIS280 Internship Experience after completing the core CIS associate-degree requirements and at least one programming language or a Web design and development course.

The student is expected to take the CIS380 Internship Experience after completing the core CIS associate degree requirements and CIS330 Systems Analysis, CIS350 Database Design and Management, and at least one programming language (CIS212 Visual Basic, CIS214 Java, or CIS215 C++). As the CIS380 internship is expected to require information systems analysis, information systems design, database design, and/or applications programming, the student should also have taken any other 300 or 400-level courses associated with the focus of the internship project.

A CIS Internship Experience that is extended over two semesters may be designated as a CIS380 the first semester and a CIS480 during the second semester if the level of responsibility, application of IT skills, and independent research is significantly increased.

During the internship experience, the student maintains a reflective journal that identifies effective communication, critical thinking, and problem solving skills applied during the implementation of the IT project.

At the conclusion of the internship, the student summarizes the highlights and challenges of the internship in a written report and presents the IT project development process, focusing on the transfer of theoretical and classroom and lab experiences to meet corporate challenges.

Kevin White

"I believe that it is very important for not only the Computer Information Systems program to have internships, but all programs. Thanks to my internship, I will now have both work experience and a degree when I graduate and essentially be a more marketable candidate."

Current Internship Opportunities

Planning to participate in an internship experience during the spring 2016 semester? Spring and Summer is the time to start searching for an organizational mentor that can provide the hands-on experience that you need to favorably compete for a technology position when you have your degree in hand.

The University of Maine at Augusta has a number of opportunities to work and grow in the IT field, while working on a project that will benefit the University.

Be sure to visit Project Login for current internship and career opportunities

Do you want to make a difference in the Bangor region? If so....

Maine Career Connect (MCC) could use your help!

What is MCC?

Maine Career Connect is a program affiliated with the University of Maine and the Maine State Chamber of Commerce designed to builds bridges for new, recent or relocated hires and their families. MCC helps these hires connect with their local and regional community and its resources so that they can better transition to the region and consequently stay in the community.

MCC is a team of partners, members and advocates engaged to address employer recruitment and retention issues specifically related to the relocation of employees to the greater Bangor region. The result is success in the recruitment and retention of highly skilled, diverse talent and subsequently, the building of a stronger more engaged workforce and community.

MCC is looking for a student intern who wants to get involved with an organization on the ground level and will work with the Director to bring forth a new program to the greater Bangor region. Specially, intern will:

  • Help update and create a better web presence.
  • Design a web calendar system that automatically adds reoccurring monthly events.
  • Create a resources database. MCC delivers both a binder and a USB drive of requested community resources to each family member that we work with. Assistance is needed in both locating these resources as well as designing a database to track and update them.

Student must be able to work independently; be polite, professional and courteous when talking to potential resources. Student should be a creative and innovative thinker who is ready to be involved in a project that will have positive consequences on our region for years to come.

The position requires approximately 10 hours per week and is sadly, unpaid. For more information please contact Carin Sychterz at 949-7070; mainecareerconnect@gmail.com or to learn more please visit us at mainecareerconnect.org.

Corporate Partners

The Internship Experience is a three-way partnership among the student intern, the organizational sponsor, and the University mentor that connects the University and the community by developing mutually beneficial business relationships. The Computer Information Systems program recognizes the commitment required to sustain a successful internship program and values the role that each of these partners play in providing a valuable learning experience.

We have students seeking internship placements in the fall, spring, and summer semesters and provide a description of current opportunities on our Web site.

The internship experience will provide the Organizational Sponsor with an opportunity to

  • meet short and long-term goals with temporary employees who are technically competent
  • assess the work performance of a prospective employee without an expensive, long-term commitment
  • expose current employees to technical innovations in the academic curricula and gain a fresh perspective on industry trends

Any local technology-based organization interested in partnering with the internship program at the Bangor or Augusta campuses of the University of Maine at Augusta may contact a member of the Computer Information Systems program for additional information on the role of the organizational sponsor:

Faculty Mentors

Web Design:

Diana Kokoska

203 Lewiston Hall
Bangor Campus
(207)-262-7864
dkokoska@maine.edu

Network/Security:

Henry Felch

257 Randall Tech Ctr.
Augusta Campus
(207)-621-3371
henry.felch@maine.edu

Programming

Larry Whitsel

205 Lewiston Hall
Bangor Campus
(207)-262-7783
larry.whitsel@maine.edu

Data Science

Matthew Dube

126 Jewett Hall
Augusta Campus
(207)-621-3212
matthew.dube@maine.edu

Learning Centers

Learning Centers

Our Programs

Support