Career Development Center
Internship Resources and Guidelines
Summer 2008 Internship Registration Deadline - June 10th
What is an Internship?
Eligibility
Finding an Internship
Registration Process
Deadlines
Credits
Evaluation & Grading
Mid-Semester Internship Meeting
Questions, changes or concerns
What is an Internship?
An internship is a work-related learning experience that provides an excellent opportunity for students to gain "real world" experience and to explore a variety of career fields. The internship program at Purchase College is designed to give students practical experience in their area of academic study or in other fields of interest.
Time commitments typically range between three and ten hours of on-site work per week during the course of the semester.
Internships may be paid or unpaid, depending on the policies of the respective employers. Students alternately may receive a stipend to cover travel or housing expenses for a summer program. Credit-bearing internships are supervised both within the work setting and by a Purchase College faculty member who is knowledgeable in a discipline related to the internship. Other internship opportunities offer pay or a stipend for participation.
Who is eligible for an academic internship?
The academic internship program is open to students who:
1. Have completed at least 30 units of credit prior to the start of their internship experience (i.e. Sophomores, Juniors, and Seniors).
2. Have no more than 12 credits worth of previous internship credit.
3. Are in good academic standing.
It is recommended that students complete their internships prior to their senior year, whenever possible. Freshman interested in securing career-related experience may find other part-time jobs or non-credit bearing internships listed on our website.
Where can I find an internship?
Identifying internship opportunities is very similar to hunting for a job; it requires that students use several avenues to find the opportunities that best suit their interests and goals.
The Career Development Center maintains a variety of internship opportunities in many fields on Purchase JobScore, our online job and internship site. In addition, students are encouraged to use the following resources:
-Faculty members are often excellent sources of internship opportunities within their field of expertise.
-Counselors in the Career Development Center can assist students in developing an internship to meet their individual needs.
-Personal contacts & resources such as prior work supervisors, friends, or family
-The Career Resource Library contains many references and resources listing local and national, and international internship opportunities.
-Web-sites such as Purchase JobScore, www.internshipprograms.com, or Idealist.org also list internships locally and nationally.
The Career Development Center also has subscriptions to www.internships-usa.com (the Internship Series On-line) and the Entertainment Employment Journal on-line. Please stop by the Career Development Center or call x6370 for the username/password.
Listed below are some examples of recent Internship opportunities:
ABC-Good Morning America; Arista Records; The New York Aquarium; Y107 Radio; Madison Square Garden; Westchester Medical Center ER; New York New Media Association; The Museum of Modern Art; Rockland Psychiatric Center; Salomon-Smith Barney; Merrill Lynch; Legal Aid Society; Walt Disney World; Yonkers City Court; New York City Public School System; AIDS Related Community Service; Asain Cinevision; My Sister's Place; The Loft Recording Studio; Teen People Magazine; and Annie Leibovitz Photography Studios.
How do I register for an academic internship?
Registering for an internship is the same as registering for a course. Students should follow the Internship Learning Contract as they would a syllabus. Satisfying the requirements of the job description, academic project, hours, and credits is essential to successfully completing the internship.
Steps to Register for A Credit Bearing Internship:
1) Locate and secure an internship opportunity
2) Obtain a Faculty Sponsor
3) Complete and submit an Internship Learning Contract Form during registration or add/drop.
2) Obtain a Faculty Sponsor. This is a faculty member who will determine the academic appropriateness of proposed internship. Like an independent study, the faculty sponsor will oversee the academic (credit based) component of the internship. The Faculty Sponsor will assign a meaningful academic project as a component to the internship experience, upon which they will assign a grade. Students should seek out faculty who are knowledgeable in a discipline related to their internship area.
3) Complete and submit an Internship Program Learning Contract Form during registration or add/drop. The Internship Learning Contract is a binding agreement between the student, site supervisor, faculty sponsor, and Career Development. This form is obtained at the
a) The Internship Site Supervisor: This is the person supervises the student at their internship site: they must sign the contract and include a typed description of students' duties to ensure the experience has sufficient merit as a learning experience (we don't want our interns simply getting coffee!) If this person should change roles during the course of the internship, the student must notify the office with the name of the new site supervisor.
b) The Faculty Sponsor: The Faculty Sponsor will indicate on the contract what kind of academic project they shall assign.
c) The
*Summer Session Internships: Those students interested in summer session internships need to be aware that if the internship is taken for credit there is a charge for tuition of $181 (instate) -$429 (out of state) per credit (as of summer 2005). Students may work more than 150 hours at the summer internship and gain experience, but will only receive up to 4 credits for the experience.
What is the deadline to register for an internship?
Registration must be completed by the Add/Drop period for the semester during which the internship will be taken. See the Academic Calendar online to view the current and up-coming academic calendars for registration and Add/Drop deadlines
Credits
Most academic departments limit the total number of credits any student can acquire through internships to 12 credits over 4 years at Purchase. Some departments have their own policies, so students should be sure to check with their advisor.
Number of Credits Per Internship
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. They are calculated as follows:
4 Credits = 150 hours/semester (10 hours per week for 15 weeks)
3 Credits = 112.5 hours/semester (7.5 hours per week for 15 weeks)
2 Credits = 75 hours/semester (5 hours per week for 15 weeks)
1 Credits = 37.5 hours/semester (2.5 hours per week for 15 weeks)
Type of Credit
The type of credit awarded for internship credits is based on the Board of Study of the student's Faculty Sponsor for the internship experience. Example: If a student's faculty sponsor is within the Sociology department, students will receive SOC credits for their internship experience.
Can I receive credit for an internship that has already been completed?
Credits are awarded only for work performed during the academic semester in which students undertake their internship. "Retroactive" credits cannot be awarded for work performed before or after the semester in which the internship is undertaken.
Can I intern at an organization for more than one semester and receive credit?
Students cannot "repeat" an internship experience: that is, they cannot receive credit for performing the same job at the same organization for more than one semester.
EXCEPTIONS: If a student wishes to continue to intern at an organization for more than one semester and receive credit, their second internship job role/description must be significantly different from their previous internship role, so that they are learning about new aspects of the job or field. New duties must be substantially different in nature or more greatly advanced in scope than the previous internship duties. To ensure having one's internship experience approved by the career development office, students should have any second internships reviewed by a career office staff member prior to registration.
How am I graded for the internship?
Both the on-site supervisor and the faculty sponsor will monitor students' progress throughout the internship and offer assistance as needed. Prior to the end of the internship, the on-site supervisor will receive a performance evaluation to completed and returned to the Career Development Center. On the basis of this evaluation and the assigned academic project, the faculty sponsor will determine a grade. Both reports will be kept in the student’s permanent file.
What is the “Mid Semester Internship Meeting?”
All students participating in the academic internship program will be required to attend a mid-semester workshop or individual meeting with one of the career counselors. This meeting is intended to allow the student to share their experience with others, network with students who may be interning in similar career fields, and to provide feedback to the CDC to describe the experiences they are having within their own internship.
Can I make changes to my internship after it has started? Site Location? Supervisor? Hours? Credits?
All parties are expected to uphold the agreement made before the start of the semester. If absolutely necessary, some modifications can be made on occasion. Students should contact Career Development to request minor changes such as their site contact information or site supervisor name and title. If approved, the Internship Learning Contract will be updated and all parties will be notified.
After the add /drop period, students may not make major changes to their internships such as hours, credits, the sponsoring organization, or faculty sponsor. If an issue occurs that is beyond the student’s control, he/she must contact Career Development for possible special arrangements. Students are strongly encouraged to contact us as soon as possible for a potential resolution to be feasible.
Updated 4/08