Career Development Center

The academic internship program is open to students who:

• Have completed at least 30 units of credit prior to the start of their internship experience (i.e. Sophomores, Juniors, and Seniors).
• Have not exceeded 12 credits worth of previous internship credit.
• Are in good academic standing.

Please note that registering for internship credit is different than registering for an independent study or learning assistant role.  Service learning such as volunteering and elected positions (e.g. Student Senate) can be good leadership and resume-building opportunities but are separate from internships.

*Effective spring 2018, students will be asked if they have been convicted of a felony when completing a Learning Contract for the Academic Internship Program. For students who may have previously been convicted of a felony, please review the college policy . Employers that host Purchase interns and serve as Internship Sites may also require an application asking potential interns to respond to this question and concern.

Identifying internship opportunities may require utilizing a variety of methods:

• Purchase JobScore, our online job and internship site, is available to all matriculated students.
• Counselors in the Career Development Center can assist students in finding internships.
• Job and internship search sites and many other industry related sites can help you find opportunities to apply to.
• Faculty members are often excellent sources of internship opportunities within their field of expertise.
• Personal contacts & resources such as prior work supervisors, friends, or family.

Purchase Academic Internship Stipend (PAIS)
This program offers grant-funded stipends for those students already registered for unpaid, credit-bearing internships.  Please visit the Academic Internships page for eligibility information and how to apply.

Travel Reimbursement Grant for Unpaid Internships
You may be eligible for up to $250.00 per semester.  Please visit the Academic Internships page for eligibility information and how to apply. 

Prior to submitting your Learning Contract, please ensure you have done the following…

1. 1. Received confirmation from the Internship Supervisor that you have been accepted to intern with them. 
      • The supervisor’s role is to mentor the student at their internship. They must review/approve the on-line learning contract and include an internship description to ensure the experience has sufficient merit as a learning experience. If this person should change roles during the course of the internship, the student must notify the Career Center with the name of the new internship supervisor. Please note that students cannot supervise or evaluate student interns in a credit-bearing internship.
   2. Obtained a Faculty Mentor.
      • The Faculty Mentor’s role is to oversee the academic (credit based) component of the internship. They will assign an academic project for you to complete and assign a grade as a component of the internship experience. Students should seek out faculty who are knowledgeable in a discipline related to their internship area. 
   3. Are aware of the deadlines to register for credit. Please reference the “Student Internship Guidelines” section of our Academic Internships page. 

To apply for academic credit for your internship, you can follow the steps below…

1. 1. Log into Purchase JobScore
   2. Go to Academic Internship Program
   3. Add an Academic Internship Learning Contract
   4. Complete and submit the form

Please note, your contract will need approval from the Career Development Center, your supervisor, and your faculty mentor.  It is the responsibility of the student to make sure that the Internship Supervisor and Faculty Mentor approve the Academic Learning Contract and that once the approvals are in that the registered internship is on their Degree Progress Report (DPR).

Registration must be completed by the extended internship registration deadline, which is typically a few days past the add/drop period.   After this period, there is a late registration appeal period in the fall and spring semesters.

Students can also register for an Academic Internship in the fall and the spring semesters as a “Short Course.” These are 1 or 2 credit internships (38 - 75 hrs. total) that open for registration in October for the fall semester and March for the spring semester.  

Number of Credits per Internship

The number of credits awarded for internships are based on how many hours students work at their internship over a semester. The maximum credits for any single internship per semester 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)

Types of Credit

The type of credit awarded for internship credits is based on the Department of the student’s Faculty Mentor for the internship experience. (Example: If a student’s faculty mentor 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 experience gained during the academic semester in which students undertake their internship. “Retroactive” credits cannot be awarded for an experience that has taken place before or after the semester in which the internship is undertaken.

Can I Intern at an Organization for More than One Semester for Credit?

If a student wishes to continue to intern at an organization for more than one semester and receive credit, their second internship must be  different from their previous internship role, so they are learning about new aspects of the position or field. New learning outcomes should be established and must be substantially different in nature than the previous internship experience. Students should have any second internships reviewed and pre-approved by a career center staff member prior to registration.

Students should follow their Internship Learning Contract as they would a syllabus. Satisfying the requirements of the job description, faculty-assigned academic project, hours, and credits is essential to successfully completing the internship. Both the Internship Supervisor and the Faculty Mentor will monitor each student’s progress throughout the internship and offer assistance as needed. Prior to the end of the internship, the Internship Supervisor will complete a performance evaluation. Based on this evaluation and the assigned academic project, the faculty mentor will determine a grade.

All students participating in the academic internship program are required to attend an internship seminar or an individual meeting with one of the Career Development Center counselors. These meetings are intended to help interns:

• Reflect on the skills they’re developing through their internship experience.
• Learn strategies for gaining professional skills (e.g. networking, resume building, public speaking).
• Share their experience with others and network with students who may be interning in similar career fields.
• Explore strategies to ensure a more successful internship experience.

All parties are expected to uphold the agreement made before the start of the semester. If absolutely necessary, some modifications can be made on a case by case basis. Students should contact the Career Development Center to request minor changes such as their internship contact information or Internship 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 internship organization, or the Faculty Mentor. 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.

Those students interested in summer session internships need to be aware that if the internship is taken for credit there are tuition costs per credit. Additionally, part time students should be aware that there are tuition costs during the summer as well as the academic year, similar as registering for a course. For example, a 4 credit internship will cost approximately $1200 for an in-state summer session or part time student. 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.