Students putting makeup on a mannequin

Cosmetology Internships

Cosmetology students may complete an internship as one option as a graduation requirement. Students who are interested in pursuing academic credit should take note of the following requirements and academic approval process. Any student enrolled in a program and wanting to complete an internship must consult their academic department first before starting the approval process.

Internship Checklist

  1. Identify an employer.
  2. Email the  Program Support Specialist Tracey Dulceak at cosmeinternship@cod.edu to obtain a faculty advisor and secure authorization of your intent to serve throughout the internship time frame.
  3. Meet with an internship faculty advisor to discuss internship details.
  4. Complete and submit the following forms to your faculty advisor who will approve your internship and email them to cosmeinternship@cod.edu: Learning Agreement, Permit to Register, Academic Internship Responsibilities and Student Initial Self-Assessment & Covid documents.
  5. Register and and pay for the two credit hour internship course. Students will be notified by email of approval with registration information within 10 business days of receipt of all academic internship forms.
  6. Begin work at an internship.
  7. Complete and and submit your required projects to your faculty advisor by the last day of the term.

Internship Requirements

The State of Illinois deems students eligible to complete an internship after 750 contact hours. College of DuPage recommends the internship be completed during the second year in the program. Each student must maintain a cumulative 2.0 GPA to complete the internship. All cosmetology students must complete 150 work hours to meet the two credit course requirement.

  • All internship hours must be completed during the same term the student is enrolled in the internship class and retroactive credit will not be given.
  • Academic credit is earned by completing the required work hours and the academic assignments identified by the faculty advisor.
  • All communication will be sent by email to the student’s dupage.edu email address. Students are expected to check that email each day.

Internship Frequently Asked Questions

The academic approval process takes 5-10 business days once all completed paperwork is received by the internship coordinator. Students are encouraged to begin the process early.
Each internship must occur during a COD academic term. Some options do exist once the semester has started, however, students should schedule a meeting with their faculty advisor or internship coordinator to discuss all options and factors.
All internship courses require a permit to register. Permits are only issued after the student has received approval for his or her academic internship. Please review the Academic Internship Requirements and the Internship Checklist for information about this process.
If your current job is industry appropriate and offers you the opportunity to learn and execute your goals as agreed upon with your faculty advisor, yes you may.      
Your faculty advisor will issue an “Incomplete” as your grade. You will have one year to complete the remaining hours. Upon completion, your faculty advisor will amend the “Incomplete” to reflect the actual grade earned.

Contact Information

For more information contact codcosmetology@cod.edu.

Tracey Dulceak, Program Support Specialist
(630) 942-2514
Email: dulceakt@cod.edu

Mia Boyd, Faculty Chair
(630) 942-2918
Email: boydm72@cod.edu

Tim Meyers, Division Chair
(630) 942-3223
Email: meyerst@cod.edu

Arts, Communication, and Hospitality Division Office
McAninch Arts Center (MAC), Room 219
(630) 942-2048