The Practicum Program: Work-Integrated Learning

About Practicum

Practicum or work-integrated learning has been a part of the fabric of CMU since CMU became a university. The Practicum Program grows out of the vision of institutional founders, that students both gain academic knowledge and find ways to connect this knowledge practically in the world.

Creating opportunities for students to make connections between academic learning and practical application has been central since Werner Kliewer developed the program. Over the last 20 years, over 1,300 CMU students have completed practicum placements at more than 500 different organizations on every continent except Antarctica.

The structure of our program aligns with CEWIL's definition of an internship, which offers usually one discipline-specific, supervised, structured, paid or unpaid, and for academic credit work experience or practice experience. Internships may occur in the middle of an academic program or after all academic coursework has been completed and prior to graduation. Every student completing a Bachelor of Arts, Bachelor of Science, or Bachelor of Business Administration completes at least one practicum placement as a part of their degree.

Practicum by the Numbers...

1,400 students (and counting!) have completed practicum placements

500+ organizations have hosted our students for their placement

50 host countries spread across 6 continents

20+ year history of work-integrated learning at CMU

7 course options available for flexible program completion

100% of CMU undergraduate students, regardless of major, can complete a practicum placement

Course Options

PRAC-2190W Vocation, Meaning, and Work: (3.0 credit hours) This course introduces vocation as an idea within a literature exploring the meaning of “work” and “career” in Christian contexts, and as a domain of reflective practice that can inform our life’s choices and their meanings. Students will read and reflect on “vocation: as an idea within a growing literature." Then, students will begin a portfolio that draws together documents related to their academic and personal lives, and that points towards meaningful next steps in pursuing vocation in these areas.

PRAC-3000 Practicum: (3.0 credit hours) This course draws on the strengths that experience/based education offers, with students spending a substantial amount of time (a minimum of sixty hours) in a supervised off-campus placement assigned according to the student's individual interests and academic goals. Reflection on the experience, both individually and in class with other students currently in practica, will form an important component of the course. This course is scheduled alongside other courses during the academic year. Prerequisite: 45 credit hours of university-level studies.

PRAC-3005 Practicum: (6.0 credit hours) This course draws on the strengths that experience/based education offers, with students spending a substantial amount of time (a minimum of one hundred twenty hours) in a supervised off-campus placement assigned according to the student's individual interests and academic goals. Reflection on the experience, both individually and in class with other students currently in practica, will form an important component of the course. This course is scheduled alongside other courses during the academic year. Prerequisite: 45 credit hours of university-level studies.

PRAC-3100 Intensive Practicum: (3.0 credit hours) This course requires students to spend a block of concentrated time in a placement over a minimum of six weeks. This course is normally completed during one semester and is considered the main course of study that semester. Prerequisite: 45 credit hours of university-level studies.

PRAC-3110 Intensive Practicum: (6.0 credit hours) This course requires students to spend a block of concentrated time in a placement over a minimum of twelve weeks. This course is normally completed during one semester and is considered the main course of study that semester. Prerequisite: 45 credit hours of university-level studies.

PRAC-3120 Intensive Practicum: (9.0 credit hours) This course requires students to spend a block of concentrated time in a placement over a minimum of six months. This course may last as long as a year and is considered the main course of study that year. Prerequisite: 45 credit hours of university-level studies.

PRAC-3950 Social Innovation Lab: (3.0 credit hours) This is a course in which a transdisciplinary cohort of students will design, propose, and implement solutions to particular problems posed by a business or community organization. Students will work in small teams, select the topic, draft a course of action, and work with faculty member(s) to define appropriate methods and outcomes. The course is applied and competency-based, embracing a “problem-based learning” approach where students will share knowledge, peer support, and feedback on an ongoing basis. Prerequisites: BUSI/POLS-2500 and 30 credit hours of post-secondary education.

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