INTERNSHIPS

What is an Internship?

An internship is a para-professional or pre-professional experience designed in close consultation with a faculty advisor which gives the student an opportunity to apply knowledge from the classroom in an employment setting consistent with the students chosen career field. Because internships most often include a rigorous academic component and assume that the student already has significant knowledge and experience, internships are usually undertaken by juniors, seniors and graduate students. Internships may pay a wage or stipend or may be unpaid. Students gain valuable career experience and the opportunity to see and be seen by possible future employers.

The Internship Program is a field-based learning experience where a student is in a job setting, learning skills that integrate career goals with their coursework and major. The Internship Program is designed for students as a means to incorporate qualified and supervised work into their educational program and gain academic credit while making valuable career corrections. Although internships are generally unpaid, exceptions can be made in circumstances where the student's status as a student, rather than an employee, can be protected.

Why do an Internship?

A recent study discovered that a quarter of the new hires by prestigious Fortune 500 companies had participated in an internship program while a student. The number one criteria employers use in hiring is attitude and then experience. Internships allow you to apply what you are learning in the classroom to a work environment, build your career network and show a potential employer your abilities and skills. In today's job market, the experience an internship provides you is essential for your career development.

General Information

Internship positions can be on or off campus.

Internship units are upper division. Each academic program determines the range in the number of units available for internship credit. While the usual range is 1-4 units, some departments grant as many as 8.

Internship work activities are pre- or paraprofessional in a field related to a student's academic or career goals.

Field Experience-Internship Requirements

A minimum of 45 hours in an actual work situation per unit per semester is required. This averages out to 3-4 hours per week per unit at the Internship site.

Students should check with their academic department for the faculty Internship Advisor and departmental policy regarding Internships.

Students are required to fill out the Internship Agreement Form and have it completed and signed by the on-site job supervisor, Internship Advisor, the Department Chair, and School Dean before registering for internship units.

Students are required to complete any work and academic requirements as indicated on the Internship Agreement Form.

Enrollment Procedures

Locate an internship position by utilizing the Internship Binders and other resources located in Career Services (Salazar 1070), by consulting your faculty advisor, or by contacting an employer and creating your own internship.

Meet with the Internship Advisor in your major department and pickup the Internship Agreement Form.

Take the Agreement Form to the organization, work out the contractual agreement for internship activities at the site, and obtain the supervisor's signature.

Take signed Agreement Form to your faculty Internship Advisor with all four copies intact. Work out with the Internship Advisor the academic portion of the internship, the basis upon which the grade will be assigned, the number of times you will meet with your advisor, and where those meetings will occur. Secure the signatures of the Internship Advisor, the Department Chair, and the School Dean.

Submit the completed Agreement form with all signatures to Admissions and Records during the Add /Drop period in order to add the Internship to your schedule.

Deliver a copy of the completed agreement to your on-site supervisor.

SSU School of Business (Other majors can apply.)

"On behalf of the School of Business and Economics, it is my pleasure to welcome you to the place where students find jobs, and employers find interns..." [READ MORE]

Sonoma County

Click here to read the latest Sonoma County internships available.

Sonoma State University

Find an Internship using SSU's Job Connection

Search for an Internship using Jobsearch.About.com

Find an Internship using Jobsearch.about.com

Internships online

More and more organizations offering internships are creating Web sites. As we become aware of them, we will publish LINKS to assist you in locating an appropriate opportunity for your career development.

Community Involvement Program

Information on the Community Involvement Program