The requirements for Smith Engineering at Queen's QUIP Professional Internship are as follows: 

  1. You must register in the QUIP program; registration can happen any time within your second or third year of study. 
  2. You must be in good academic standing to undertake an internship. The minimum ECGPA (Engineering Cumulative GPA) requirement at the time of application is 1.90, and the minimum ESGPA (Engineering Sessional GPA) is 2.0.
  3. If you receive and choose to accept an internship offer, you must enroll in up to four internship courses, depending upon the duration and timing of your internship (APSC 301-304). You will pay tuition fees and receive academic credit for these courses, making you eligible for the Professional Internship degree designation and full-time student status while on internship.
  4. To receive a Professional Internship designation on your degree, you must spend a minimum of 12 consecutive months and a maximum of 16 consecutive months on internship.
  5. You must fulfil the requirements stipulated by your employment contract, as well as the requirements stipulated by your Academic Internship courses, listed in the Faculty of Engineering calendar.

Please note:

Internship Fees for Courses

While QUIP is an optional program to participate in, it remains an academic internship that is a formal part of a Queen's degree. The internship course structure enables the internship to be recognized as a 'Bachelor of Applied Science with Professional Internship' degree designation on the transcript and the degree.

Because QUIP is academically linked, it allows interns to remain Queen's students during the internship. This has a number of benefits with regards to OSAP, insurance, awards, etc. The tuition fees associated with the internship courses also cover the cost of administering the program and academic advising.

Course Enrolment

If you have accepted an internship position, the Professional Experience Coordinator will add you to the QUIP courses necessary for your program and your Undergraduate Program Assistant will drop your core courses in July. All courses taken for QUIP work towards the Degree Designation "With Professional Internship" that will be on your transcript.  

Fee Payments

Tuition is for the current year and is charged at Domestic and International fee amount per unit. See the Office of the Registrar website for a listing of all fees.

12-Month Internship Courses (Summer start) 12-Month Internship Courses (Fall start) 16-Month Internship Courses
APSC 301 (Summer) - 3.5 units - No tuition fee APSC 302 (Fall) - 3.5 units - Tuition fee APSC 301 (Summer) - 3.5 units - No tuition fee
APSC 302 (Fall) - 3.5 units - Tuition fee APSC 303 (Winter) - 3.5 units - Tuition fee APSC 302 (Fall) - 3.5 units - Tuition fee
APSC 303 (Winter) - 3.5 units - Tuition fee APSC 304 (Summer) - 3.5 units - No tuition fee APSC 303 (Winter) - 3.5 units - Tuition fee
    APSC 304 (Summer) - 3.5 units - No tuition fee

Note: Final Reflection Questions and a Final Report or Seminar Option must be completed following the internship to meet the academic requirements of the program. Further details will be supplied in the pre-departure materials should you receive and accept an internship.

QUIP Policies

BASc with Professional Internship

The internship is a paid position and the minimum allowable rate of pay is set at the legal minimum wage in the location in which you are employed. The hours worked during the internship may be eligible for contribution towards the experience requirement for a Professional Engineering certification. To meet the definitions of the Ministry of Finance regarding internship, the internship should be continuous. 

Completion of Internship Requirements

The Internship Designation will only appear on the transcript once all the courses are passed, and their employment contract requirements are fulfilled.

The internship courses are regular academic courses and adhere to Smith Engineering regulations in terms of academic procedures and regulations.

All internship courses are designated as Pass/Fail. A Pass standing (P) is awarded for each course when the student has successfully completed all the respective course requirements.

If a student does not fulfill all the requirements of an internship course they will receive a GD (Grade Deferred) in the respective course, until they fulfill the requirement.

Early Departures from Internship

Early departures must be preapproved by the Employer and the Smith Engineering Experiential Education Program Advisor, and the student must have spent at least 12 months on internship to receive academic credit for the Professional Internship, except in certain exceptional circumstances.

A student who prematurely quits their internship without prior approval will not be allowed to reapply to the program.

If a student has accepted a job offer and then reneges to take another job, they will be removed from the internship program and not allowed back in.

Course Enrolment While on Internship

Students in Smith Engineering at Queen's are permitted to enroll in one additional course per term while on internship. To minimize conflicts with employers, instructors, and other students, permissible courses are limited to those that are fully asynchronous and free of activities that are subject to space-time limitations, such as mandatory lectures, group work, and exams that are scheduled during the workday (lists below).

Students may choose a course from one of the following lists:

There may be extenuating circumstances that warrant an exception to this policy. In the event an intern wishes to enroll in a course that falls outside of the approved parameters, the QUIP Intern Course Exception Request Form must be completed and signed by the student, course instructor, and employer and submitted to careercomms.eng@queensu.ca for approval. 

Applying QUIP for Academic Credit

Upon successful completion of a full QUIP internship, students will receive academic credit in place of one free or technical elective, as defined by each department below: * as defined by each department below:

Department  Requirement 
Chemical Engineering/Engineering Chemistry  Group A Technical Elective
Civil Engineering  Free Elective
Computer Engineering List B Technical Elective
Electrical Engineering  List B Technical Elective 
Engineering Physics  List B Technical Elective
Geological Engineering  Technical Elective
Mathematics & Engineering  List II Technical Elective
Mechanical Engineering  List 4 Technical Elective
Mining Engineering  List B Technical Elective
Mechatronics and Robotics Engineering Free Elective

*Students who started their internship in 2023 are eligible to apply APSC 302 & 303 as listed above, or as a List B Complementary Study. Instructions for designating this credit will be distributed to returning interns. 

For students starting their internship in or after 2024, requests to apply APSC 302 & 303 as a List B Complementary Study credit instead of a technical elective will be reviewed and may be approved in extenuating circumstances, at the discretion of individual departments.  

To be eligible for this benefit, you must:

  • Be registered in QUIP.
  • Successfully complete a 12-16-month QUIP internship.
  • Meet all requirements of a QUIP internship, including completion of QUIP professional requirements as outlined in policies and regulations on the registration form and approval from the QUIP program.
  • Completion of academic requirements.
  • Submission of 4,8 and 12-month performance evaluations.
  • Submission of final QUIP academic requirements including reflection questions and final video/report.
  • Pay the internship tuition fees and have no outstanding debt with Queen's University.
  • Return to studies following the internship.

  • Contact
    For more information about QUIP, please visit the Career Services QUIP page or contact the QUIP team:
    QUIP Team
    quip@queensu.ca

    For Engineering-specific advising and support, contact Corporate Relations:
    Corporate Relations Career Education Team

    careercomms.eng@queensu.ca