Experiential Learning

Experiential Learning Form (NSC 391/491, 392/492, 399/499, & 498H) due:

• 7wk1 session: September 4, 2025
• Regular Academic session: September 17, 2025
• 7wk2 session: October 28, 2025

Internship Work Plan (NSC 393/493) due:

• September 5, 2025

All steps outlined on your form must be completed and submitted to NSW-ExpLearning@arizona.edu before the enrollment deadline listed above to avoid additional steps or issues with enrollment.

The primary goal of an internship is to give students an opportunity to apply lessons learned in the classroom to a real-world experience set in a professional practice-oriented environment, with the intern’s work overseen by a professional. In addition to offering students the opportunity to demonstrate and develop their technical skills, it allows students to develop professional skills such as teamwork, effective communication, social interaction and professional networking, an understanding of business procedures, leadership and critical thinking. Finally, it should provide students with work experience within a semi-formal academic framework that carries with it official course credit from The University of Arizona.

An internship for academic credit must be broadly related to the field of Nutrition and Human Performance such as physical therapy, athletic training, strength & conditioning, personal training, health coaching, or other related areas. Schedule an appointment with the Experiential Learning Coordinator if you are unsure if an internship you have in mind can count for academic credit. 

3-units of Internship are required for catalog Fall 2024 and newer for the B.S. in Nutrition and Human Performance. The requirement can also be fulfilled with 3-units of Independent Study NSC 399/499. Please read the NHP Internship Handbook thoroughly to understand your options. 

Schedule an Appointment with the Experiential Learning Coordinator: 

Schedule Appointment

Internship Work Plan

NHP Internship Handbook

Enrollment into NSC 393 requires approval and Department Consent, students cannot self-enroll into the course. 

First steps:

1. Identify what career or graduate school you’d like to pursue after graduation and research the requirements for that field, school, or licensure you’ll need to obtain.
2. Find an organization that aligns with your long-term goals.
   • The Experiential Learning Coordinator posts internship opportunities in the “Nutritional Sciences and Wellness Student Portal” in D2L.arizona.edu under “Get Involved!” and sends opportunities through the student listserv (email).
   • If you want to find your own site, schedule an appt with the Experiential Learning Coordinator, Nicole Chavez, here. For organizations that we don’t have a partnership with, an affiliation agreement will need to be established. This can take a few weeks to a few months to negotiate so it is critical that you meet with Nicole to discuss this option.
3. Apply or reach out to the organization you’d like to intern with.
4. Complete any necessary requirements, such as an interview.
5. Schedule a first meeting with your supervisor to discuss onboarding and shifts if you don’t have a scheduled orientation.
6. Once you’ve been accepted into an internship, you will fill out the Internship Work Plan Form with your supervisor. 

To get enrolled into the NSC 393 course:

7. Thoroughly read the NHP Internship Handbook.
8. Email the completed Internship Work Plan form to NSW-ExpLearning@arizona.edu and send a note of acknowledgement that you read the NHP Internship Handbook with your email before the form submission deadline.
   • The form submission deadline can always be found at the top of this webpage under “Form Submission Deadlines”.
9. If there are no issues with processing your form (i.e. holds, incomplete sections, etc.) then you will be enrolled in 5-10 business days.
   • Your internship is not approved until we have reviewed your form submission and enrolled you.
   • You will receive an email confirming you’ve been enrolled.
10. If there are any issues with processing your form, it will delay your enrollment, and you’ll receive an email notifying you of the issue.
11. You will be added to a D2L NSC 393 course site where you will have asynchronous assignments related to your internship. A Nutritional Sciences faculty member will oversee your coursework and grade your work.

**IMPORTANT** Your Internship Work Plan must be submitted BEFORE beginning your internship. Any hours completed before you are enrolled into the internship will not count toward your required 135-hour requirement.

Our current internship partners include: 

Block Fitness
Jet Sports
The Physio Shop
UArizona Athletics – Olympic Sports Strength & Conditioning (Iron Cats)
UArizona Adaptive Athletics 
UArizona Campus Recreation Center 
Exos (outside of Tucson)

Internship descriptions, application deadlines, and where to apply are sent to the Nutrition and Human Performance student listserv. Pay attention to weekly newsletters and emails sent out by the Experiential Learning Coordinator when looking for an internship. You are also welcome to find your internship site that aligns with your career goals, please read the NHP Internship handbook carefully for more information.

Individual Studies within Experiential Learning, under the following:

• Preceptorships (391/491)​
• Directed Research (392/492)​
• Internships (393/493)
• Independent Study (399/499)​

And Experiential Learning within the following courses:

• NSC 358L: Institutional Food Management Laboratory​
• NSC 395A:  Experiential Learning in Nutritional Sciences​
• NSC 497F: Community and School Garden Workshop (not taught by NSW)​

All these experiences will require varying degrees of hands-on experience where students will need to dedicate time outside of the classroom and outside of classwork in Brightspace.

Click Here For More Information 

Click Here for Preceptor Openings 

This is a list of organizations that students for online courses NSC 358L, NSC 395A, and NSC 444 have worked with in the past. This list is designed to help students identify potential sites in their geographic area for experiential learning or undergraduate internships. There is NO guarantee that the organizations on this list will have the capacity to take on students. Students are responsible for identifying a contact person at each site to reach out and discuss opportunities. Specific requirements and information on how to reach out to sites will be given to students enrolled in the course at the start of the semester. If you are enrolled in an in-person main campus class, your site options are preselected each semester by your instructor.

View List

University of Arizona registration deadlines apply to all the experiential learning courses listed above: https://registrar.arizona.edu/dates-and-deadlines.

Please keep in mind that any courses that require you to apply with the Experiential Learning Form and/or the Internship Work Plan Form should be emailed to NSW-ExpLearning@arizona.edu a few weeks before the registration deadline, to give adequate time to review your application and enroll you into the course.

• Grading: All for-credit experiential learning opportunities appear on the official transcript. Experiential learning opportunities which are graded on a S/P/F basis may or may not fulfill requirements for units per semester for specific funding sources. Students should consult with the Office of Scholarships and Financial Aid to verify that all semester unit requirements are met, for requirements of specific funding sources (grants, scholarships, etc.).
• Credit: The University and Board of Regents require a minimum of 45 hours of course work for each unit of credit awarded.
• The Number of Credits: Number of credits requested must lie within the approved credit range listed in the catalog course description.
• Tuition Fees: Tuition fees are calculated at the same rate as other NSC courses.
• The Proposal: The student should have a specific proposal in mind when requesting Experiential Learning credits.
• Incomplete: In the case that a grade of ‘I’ is awarded in an experiential learning course, and the project advisor is no longer available, another project advisor must be identified who agrees to evaluate the student’s work. All for-credit experiential learning opportunities must be reviewed and approved by the School of Nutritional Sciences and Wellness. Approval of internship sites, independent study projects and other experiential learning options is at the discretion of the Department of Nutritional Sciences and will be determined on a case-by-case basis.

Working with a Mentor in Another Department: If you are an NSC major, but are completing an experience in another department, you will need to contact that department to get registered. The NSC department can only register students in NSC courses under supervising mentors who are affiliated with the School of Nutritional Sciences and Wellness.

If you are having issues filling out the Experiential Learning Form on your device, you can fill it out online. Click on this how-to guide for more information.

University of Arizona students can utilize the Office of Student Engagement & Career Development as a resource for all things career, whether that's creating a career plan, developing in-demand skills, or securing career opportunities. You can learn more by going to their website or by speaking to someone one-on-one through LifeLab.