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Internship Guidelines

The ÀóÖ¦ÊÓÆµ Career Center believes that internships are an integral part of the undergraduate education experience, and we value relationships with businesses, government agencies and non-profit community organizations that also are committed to student learning.

Internship position descriptions may be posted directly on . After approval for posting, students are able to view your announcement.

Please review our guidelines below:

Company & Organization Guidelines for Sponsoring an Internship
  • An internship is a practical, applied learning experience that relates to a student's academic studies and/or to a professional field where the student's undergraduate experience/education would be utilized.
  • Internship positions provide students with professionally oriented activities and/or projects that are completed under the supervision of a site employee (the site supervisor) who has expertise in the specific type of assignments/projects in which the student intern will be engaged.
  • Students should be expected to submit a cover letter and resume in application for internship positions. Students should be expected to participate in an interview with the appropriate company/organization individual(s) as part of the learning and selection process. Once a student is selected and begins an internship, on-going direction and supervision of the student will ensure positive outcomes for both the student and the sponsoring company/organization.
  • In order for a student to be an effective part of an organization, the ÀóÖ¦ÊÓÆµ Career Center requests internship sponsors to provide student interns with an initial orientation related to their duties, organization/company policies, and work-related safety training that any staff member/employee would receive.
  • Internships are most effective when the supervisor develops goals and learning objectives for the intern. The supervisor should schedule regular meetings with the intern to provide constructive feedback.
  • At the end of the internship, an exit interview should be conducted to review the intern's performance and accomplishments.
  • ÀóÖ¦ÊÓÆµ seeks to provide students with safe internship experiences. Students are advised not to carry any passengers (clients/service recipients/children) in their own vehicles. Likewise, students are counseled to inquire about any potential personal health or safety risk that may be inherent in an internship.
  • An internship should provide a student with a minimum of 120 hours of work during a placement period, typically one semester. (This averages to 8 hours per week in a semester period.)Ìý
    Paid & Unpaid Internships
    • Monetary compensation for internships is preferred and recommended.
    • In most cases, for-profit companies must pay interns at least minimum wage. If you are a for-profit company and believe your internship program qualifies as a training program, please review thisÌýÌýto determine if your internship program meets all components of the 6 criteria test.
    • For-profit companies must pay interns at least minimum wage. Even if a for-profit company pays a student intern a stipend, it must equal the number of hours the student works at the California minimum wage rate.
    • Non-profit organizations may offer paid or unpaid internships.
    • Non-profit organization may offer stipends to help student defray the costs of mileage, parking, or other expenses incurred when they volunteer.
    • Non-profit organizations with unpaid internship opportunities may contact Dr. Brenda Mendez, Director Career CenterÌýbimendez@csudh.edu.
    Academic Credit
    • Students are responsible for arranging internship credit through the academic department for their major.
    Liability Insurance
    • ÀóÖ¦ÊÓÆµ students participating in an experiential learning activity are covered by ÀóÖ¦ÊÓÆµ liability insurance ONLY if they are enrolled in an academic course to receive credit for an internship, fieldwork, practicum, or another form of community-based learning. Additionally, they are only covered while acting within the scope of their assigned duties/responsibilities.
    • If you are a non-profit organization and offering an unpaid internship, your student interns can be covered under a contract agreement with your organization and the ÀóÖ¦ÊÓÆµ Office of Procurement and Contracts. You can contact Dr. Brenda Mendez, Director of the Career Center, via email at bimendez@csudh.edu.


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