Internships and Work Experience
The Internship and Work Experience (IWE) program offers professional opportunities for students--improving your employment skills while in school. Students may earn credit for their internship or work experience that is CSU transferable.
There are three options to choose from:
Internships: A great way to build professional connections, increase work experience and update your resume for the career path you want. You do not need to enroll in the internship class to take advantage of an internship while in school. Our office can help you find one!
Internships for Credit: Some majors require you participate in an internship. You may also elect to take the internship for credit class IWE-99, where you will engage in guided professional coaching while also gaining experience in your field.
Work Experience for Credit: You can earn credit for a job you already have while at the same time building your professional skills. Schedule a meeting with the instructor to learn more.
Enrollment in for-credit Internships and work experience
The Employment and Internship Office can help you find an internship. Fill out our Internship Interest form and we will reach out to set up an appointment with you--or schedule your orientation today using the orange button to the right. Did you know your current job may also be approved for an Internship or Work Experience site?
At your orientation the Internship and Work Experience Instructor will help you register and answer all your questions. You may also get assistance finding an internship.
You must be approved by the Instructor before you can add the class and be given an Add Authorization. The class will not be listed in the schedule before you are authorized to add it because the classes are designed specifically for each student.
TIP:
Schedule a meeting as soon as you are interested in an internship. It's better to plan ahead--so your internship will be ready when you want to enroll.
Internship and Work Experience Course Outline (for Student and Employer):
Schedule Orientation
Complete Employer Agreement (with Employer)
Register with Add Authorization provided by instructor.
Review the Canvas course Assignments and Due dates.
Submit your Job Description and Pre-Course evaluation.
Meet with instructor and draft Learning Objectives.
Submit Final Draft Learning Objectives (with Employer input)
Participate in end of Semester virtual Showcase.
Submit final Project, Timesheet and Post-Course Evaluation. (Employer also submits student evaluation and is invited to participate in a site visit.)
Internship Success Story
"I felt the sense of belonging since the first day of my internship at Granite Construction. I'm a woman, and construction is still a male-dominated industry. I really want to continue inspiring other girls and women to pursue a career in the construction industry."
Frequently Asked Questions
Students
No. The word internship is sometimes loosely defined, but an internship is tailored to a student or recent graduate in a particular field of study. An internship provides hands-on, supervised job training by a professional in the field.
An internship will identify specific learning outcomes with clear action steps needed to achieve outcomes. This may mean performing job duties that help the student demonstrate skills for which they are being trained
In addition, an internship is a finite placement with a clear start date, finish date, and schedule determined upon hiring. Internships can be paid or unpaid. They can be as short as a few weeks or up to a year in length, internships typically fall in the 3-6 month range. Duration can be determined by the employer.
Additional Information and Links:
General Info on Internships: Internships can be loosely defined, but a quality internship will be tailored to a student or recent graduate in a particular field of study to provide hands-on, supervised job training by a professional in the field. This may mean performing job duties to help the student demonstrate the skills they are being trained for.
An internship should identify specific learning outcomes for the student with clear action steps needed to achieve outcomes. In addition, an internship is a finite placement with a clear start and finish date and schedule determined upon hire. Internship duration can be determined by the employer. They can be as short as a few weeks to up to a year in length, but typically fall in the 3-6 month range.
General Info on Internships: Internships can be loosely defined, but a quality internship will be tailored to a student or recent graduate in a particular field of study to provide hands-on, supervised job training by a professional in the field. This may mean performing job duties to help the student demonstrate the skills they are being trained for.
An internship should identify specific learning outcomes for the student with clear action steps needed to achieve outcomes. In addition, an internship is a finite placement with a clear start and finish date and schedule determined upon hire. Internship duration can be determined by the employer. They can be as short as a few weeks to up to a year in length, but typically fall in the 3-6 month range.
Paid and unpaid internships: It is important to know that if an intern is paid, they will be onboarded as an employee for the business or organization. Their position will also need to meet the requirements set forth by all federal, state, and local laws and regulations. A paid intern earns at least minimum wage and is compensated accordingly for their time. In return, employers paying interns receive the flexibility to assign responsibilities and roles they otherwise would not should the intern be unpaid.
Unpaid internships for for-profit companies, according to Dept of Labor FLSA, are expected to meet the following criteria to be in compliance:
The internship, even though it includes actual operation of the facilities of the employer, is similar to training given in an educational environment.
The internship experience is for the benefit of the intern.
The intern does not displace regular employees, but works under close supervision of existing staff.
The employer that provides the training derives no immediate advantage from the activities of the intern, and on occasion its operations may actually be impeded.
The intern is not necessarily entitled to a job at the conclusion of the internship.
The employer and the intern understand that the intern is not entitled to wages for the time spent in the internship.Job Fairs and Hiring EventsJob Fairs and Hiring Events