Academic Internship Guidelines for
Internship Site Supervisors

The Purchase College Internship Program
Your Responsibilities As An Internship Site Supervisor
Recruiting Students / List An Internship Opportunity With Purchase College
The Difference Between an Intern and an Employee
Procedures and Timelines/Deadlines
Who To Contact With Questions

Download the Guide for Internship Site Supervisors

What is the Purchase College Internship Program?

The Purchase College Internship Program at the Career Development Center provides students with opportunities to obtain academic (credit-bearing) as well as non-credit internships with local and regional employers. As a high impact educational opportunity, the internship program allows students to gain knowledge and experience, learn in a “real world” environment, explore a chosen profession and achieve academic credit for their experience.

Employers often seek out talented, motivated, and skilled Purchase student interns as a way of supporting their organizations’ project needs, finding “future stars, while providing undergraduates with an exceptional learning experience in their industry of interest.

What are my responsibilities as an Internship Site Supervisor?

1. Provide a meaningful learning experience for your intern
   Internships are expected to provide educational, hands-on, learning experiences where students gain an opportunity to learn and develop relevant competencies and skills, while adding value to your organization. The intern should receive appropriate training, supervision, and on-going support for their experience. Projects assigned should be learning based, as supervisors provide clear expectations for the intended learning outcomes and competencies that the student will gain.
   
   
2. Provide Supervision
   While you, as an Internship Site Supervisor, can benefit from the input and assistance of your intern, interns benefit from your knowledge, guidance, and mentoring as they learn new skills and contribute to your organization. Your role is to serve as both a supervisor and an educator.
   
   
3. Please complete and return the Internship Learning Contract and Evaluation in a timely way.
   At the beginning of an academic internship, Internship Site Supervisors must complete and sign their section of the Internship Learning Contract Form in order for the student to register their internship with the college for academic credit.  Along with the contract form, internship sponsors must attach a typed internship description outlining the intern’s role, responsibilities, and the competencies the intern can expect to gain from their experience with your organization.  Near the end of an academic internship, Internship Site Supervisors receive directions on completing an on-line Evaluation for their interns, which must be completed in order for the intern to receive academic credit for their experience.  (See Procedures and Deadlines bellow.)

Please Note:  The number of credits awarded for internships are based on how many hours students work at their internship site over a semester. The maximum credits for any one internship is 4.  (view the minimum hour/credit requirements).  To assist students and internship sponsors with tracking hours, students can maintain an Internship Time Sheet throughout the semester.

Internship opportunities can be listed on our free on-line job and internship system – Purchase JobScore.  To access the system, simply visit our Employer Services page and select “Create your employer account” in order to create your account on the system. You may then post a description of your internship for students to review.

What is the difference between an intern and an employee?

An employee is an individual who is hired to perform a job or service on a full-time or part-time basis and is paid for the performance of his or her duties by the employer. If a student is hired as an employee, the US Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) requires that he or she is paid at least minimum wage. Please refer to the US Department of Labor Wage and Hour Division  and the NACE Position Statement on Compensation for Internships for additional details. 

If a student is hired as an intern, the employer is not required to provide compensation; however, the internship site must comply with the US Department of Labor’s six criteria for establishing unpaid internships: 

1. Interns must not displace regular employees
2. Interns have no guarantee of a job offer at the end of the internship
3. Interns are not entitled to wages during an internship*
4. Interns must receive training from the organization, even if this impedes the usual work of the organization
5. Interns must get hands-on experience with the equipment and processes used in the industry
6. Interns' training must primarily be of benefit to them, not to the organization (US Department of Labor; Fair Labor Standards Act)

*Although it is not required that Site Supervisors pay their interns, whenever possible, offering some type of compensation, such as a stipend, will help to attract high quality candidates to your organization. If your position is unpaid, you may consider offering alternative “perks” such as travel reimbursement, lunch, or participation in conferences and special events, if appropriate.

While all members of a staff, including interns, may be asked to complete a variety of tasks, the majority of the interns’ assignments must be learning based. Primarily, an internship (whether paid or unpaid) differs from a job because the student’s learning is the central focus of the experience.

What are the necessary Procedures and Timelines for sponsoring an intern?

After you post your internship on Purchase JobScore, interview and select your intern, please be aware of the following deadlines:

INTERNSHIP CONTRACT DEADLINE:
Prior to the start of the internship - Fill out and return the Internship Learning Contract form and attach a typed description of the intern’s duties and expected learning outcomes before the end of the academic registration period.

Deadline: Exact dates vary each semester, but the typical timeframes are listed below. It is the intern’s responsibility to submit their contract before the end of the Add/Drop Registration period. View current registration deadlines on the academic calendar.

Fall Interns            Registration deadline - 1st week in September
Spring Interns       Registration Deadline - Last week of January
Summer Interns   Registration Deadline - 1st week of July

EVALUATION FORM DEADLINE:
Several weeks before the end of the internship, Internship Site Supervisors receive directions on completing a performance evaluation; the qualitative measures on this form comprise a part of the intern’s grade for their internship experience.  This form needs to be completed before the end of the academic semester in order for interns to receive a grade (and credit) for their experience.

Please visit the Internship Site Supervisors page for detailed information on completing the evaluation.

Deadline: End of academic semester
Fall Interns            Evaluation Deadline - 2nd week in December

Spring Interns      Evaluation Deadline - 2nd week of May

Summer Interns  Evaluation Deadline - 1st week of August

Who do I contact if I have questions or issues regarding an intern?

Occasionally issues arise about expectations regarding an intern or internship experience.  Please contact our office at 914-251-6370 should you have any questions. Any issues relating to an intern may be directed to the Assistant Director/Internship Coordinator or the Director of the Career Development Center.

updated 6/11