What are Internships?
Internships are a way for you to get "real-life" experience outside the classroom. They are a chance for you to find out whether you like working in a particular area or job. They offer you the opportunity to develop a project to "market" yourself to prospective employers or professional schools. You should know that employers and professional schools look more favorably on you when you have worked at a "real" job and have done an internship that shows you are capable of working in a particular area. When you finish your internship, you will put both the experience and the project on your resume.

What are some typical internships?
Internships are most often done off campus in businesses or social service agencies. You might help design an evaluation component for a homeless shelter or a marketing niche in a stock brokerage. You may work in a law office or a legislator's office. Some internships may be on-campus, where you work in student government. And some may be "on your own," putting together a plan for your business. The idea is to find a place or placement where you want to work and then work with the faculty person to make a project of it. You can be a volunteer in your internship or be paid for it! Here's a list of internship opportunities to get you stareted.

How much work is it?
Most students do the following path: three units of internship in the internship class offered in the Spring semester. You should do 135 hours of work project during that semester and participate in the Internship class discussing internship, career, and work-related issues.. You will be expected to produce a project on your internship, which will be shared in class. Additional units can be taken if your project warrants it. Your final project will focus on your internship in a larger context, be practical, and portfolio in nature to market you. You should see the Internship Advisor early in your junior year to begin the process. Some students may want to develop a particular internship with a specific instructor and project, such as the Latino Student Congress or Hutchins Center. You should see the instructor involved if that is your interest.

When should I start my internship?
You should see the Internship Advisor in your junior year. If you are working in the area of Human Services, you may want to volunteer in some helping capacity to see whether you like working with people. You should take Community Involvement Project (CIP) in Hutchins. This is not Internship, but it gives you a "feel" of being in a working capacity. It counts as University Elective Units, however, and it is taken on a Credit/No Credit Basis. You volunteer 30 hours for one credit. (You may not volunteer for more than 4 credits in any one semester, and six in all.) If you are working in a non-Human Services capacity, you may want to do Directed Study with a particular instructor or the Internship Advisor and develop a research project. You may also want to "prepare" for your internship by doing directed studies on your general area before you start your internship.

How do I find an internship?
There are many places to look. You can go to the Career Center on campus, speak to the Internship Advisor or your instructors, see our internship opportunities, or you can "create" on your own by contacting a place where you want to work. Ideally, the kind of project you would like to do is what your work supervisor wants and your instructor approves.

How do I get academic credit for an Internship?
You will need to fill out an internship Agreement found in the office bookcase (#SSU11,) and then obtain consent from your internship instructor and field supervisor, where appropriate. Then you obtain the Provost's signature and file the form with Admissions and Records.

Can I do more than one internship?
You may do more than one internship or study away or year abroad. But you should consult your advisor, because you are expected also to take a spread of courses or do independent study in a variety of different areas to be a well-rounded student.

What are some other options?
You may want to study away from campus on your own or in another university or do a field project while not "residing" on campus (i.e., be a regular student attending classes.) You should see your advisor as early as possible to begin this process. The CSU has year-abroad programs; so do other colleges, from a semester to a year program. You can obtain that information from the International Programs Office on Campus. Under special conditions, you may travel and do independent study after consultation with your advisor and approval from the Hutchins faculty. There are strict regulations from the CSU as to how you proceed; these can be obtained from the International Studies Office. If you are planning to go this route, you should speak to your advisor as early as possible.