Internships

You can schedule an appointment two ways:

• Log into Handshake, choose Career Center (upper right hand corner) and select the Appointments option. Select "Schedule A New Appointment"
• Call 651-523-2302 during business hours

Internship appointments run for approximately 30 minutes and are only available to undergraduate students.

View our Brief Guide to Internships (PDF). 

There are six core requirements that all students must meet in order to get credit for their internship.

Meet with Molly Isaacson

Students must meet with Molly before the add/drop deadline to receive credit, including a P-credit, to access the required paperwork and receive approval for their internship experience.

If you are enrolled in any of the following internship Practicum or Seminar courses, you do NOT need to meet with Molly to register: CJFS 5660, LGST 5900, MGMT 3960, PSCI 5100, SJSC 3900, BIOL 5963

Register your internship

Students must register their internship by the appropriate add/drop deadlines for the term in which they are completing the internship. If the add/drop deadline has passed, students must complete an Undergraduate Petition of Registration Deadline (Google Doc) to request a late add, drop, or withdrawal. Submitting a petition does not guarantee your request will be approved.

Work a minimum of 120 hours

Students should aim to complete the 120 hours within the academic term in which they have registered the internship. If students are able to complete a minimum of 80 hours within the formal limits of the term, they may count up to 40 hours that they work before the term begins, or they may request an incomplete grade (Google Doc) to finish any remaining hours after the term has concluded. It is up to the discretion of the faculty supervisor whether to grant an incomplete and how to structure the incomplete contract (available from Registration and Records). If students are taking an incomplete, they should alert the assistant program director of internships about when they anticipate they will complete their hours and their final evaluation. Once they have completed their final evaluation and any remaining assignments to the faculty supervisor, the faculty supervisor may assign a final grade by submitting a grade change to Registration and Records.

Work under the guidance of a site supervisor

Students must identify one primary supervisor at their internship site who will provide them with ongoing training or supervision. In some cases, supervision duties may be split up among several individuals. However, it is necessary to have one primary contact that the student can report in the LEAP Learning Agreement and with whom the student will complete their midterm and final evaluations.

Work under the guidance of a faculty supervisor

Students may work with any faculty person at Hamline. They are not limited to faculty within a specific department unless required by their major or minor. It is recommended (but not required) that students work with a faculty member who is somewhat familiar with the type of work that the student will be completing at the internship site, as well as the student’s career goals. It is up to the discretion of the faculty member whether to agree to supervise a student internship.

Complete the appropriate internship paperwork 

Students are required to complete several forms during their internship: A LEAP Learning Agreement (LLA), a Midterm Evaluation and a Final Evaluation. More detail on these can be found in the Forms and Deadlines section.

*Note: Please be aware that internships cannot be registered retroactively (already completed).

Internships completed before submitting the appropriate, accepted, and completed registration paperwork do not satisfy Hamline University's requirements and do not qualify for credit.

*All LLAs must be completed by the student AND approved by both faculty and the site supervisors by this deadline. If this deadline is missed, students may be withdrawn from the internship course.

**Individual internship registration will be withdrawn automatically if a completed and approved LEAP Learning Agreement is not submitted to the CDC by the last day to withdraw.  

***See summer tuition rates

Students are required to complete a LEAP Learning Agreement during the course of their internship.

• Online LEAP Learning Agreement form
• Sample LEAP Learning Agreement (PDF)

Note: Students planning to meet their LEAP requirement through Collaborative Research, Apprentice Teaching, or Independent Study must complete the Independent LEAP Agreement document with a supervising faculty member. These LEAPS are NOT coordinated by the Career Development Center.

Instructions for completing the LEAP learning agreement

The following forms are required of all undergraduate internships registered for credit at Hamline. In order to receive credit, students must register their internships by the appropriate add/drop deadline for the term. See the student guide section for instructions on how to register an internship and the deadlines and due dates section for specific deadlines.

Forms

• Environmental Studies Requirements (Word Doc)
• Hamline School of Business (HSB) Additional Requirement (PDF)
• LEAP Learning Outcomes Rubric (PDF)
• Midterm Evaluation Form (PDF)

In order to complete the Midterm Evaluation, select the link and download the file to your computer before completing and saving the form. To submit the Midterm Evaluation, you must copy (cc) your site supervisor on an email to workshop@hamline.edu with the completed form attached. Your form will not be accepted without the site supervisor copied on the email.

The Final Evaluation is an online form that will be emailed to your site supervisor two to three weeks before the end of the term.

• Handshake 
• Past internship sites by major (Google Doc) (Hamline login required to access this information)  

• Internships: Getting Started (PDF)
• Making the most of the internship experience (PDF)
• Job and internship search (PDF)

At Hamline, an internship is defined as:

"A form of experiential education that integrates knowledge and theory learned in the classroom with practical application and skill development in a professional setting. Students earn academic credit or have some other connection to a degree-granting, educational institution. This work/learning arrangement is overseen by a faculty member and by a designated employee of the host organization in order to be considered for academic credit. The internship is usually the length or equivalent of an academic term, may be part-time or full-time, paid or unpaid. An integral component of the experience that distinguishes it from other types of work is one or more forms of structured and deliberate reflection contained within learning agendas or objectives."

This definition allows for some flexibility for students to intern in a variety of different settings and explore how their liberal arts education can be applied in a wide array of career areas. It also allows for students to develop their own internship experience, or adapt an existing job or volunteer experience into an internship, by adding a structured learning component that includes goal-setting, on-going supervision, and reflection.

Internships are part of the LEAP (Liberal Education as Practice) requirement of the Hamline Plan. By registering an internship prior to the experience and completing the appropriate paperwork and requirements, Hamline students meet their LEAP requirement (the “P” of the Hamline Plan), while receiving 2 or 4 academic credits. Students may find the 2 credit option helpful during terms where registering an internship would cause them to exceed their credit limit, or during situations such as the summer term when tuition is charged on a by-credit basis. Students may register up to 12 credits of LEAP experiences during their time at Hamline. 

Students planning to meet their LEAP requirement through Collaborative Research, Apprentice Teaching, or Independent Study must complete the Independent LEAP Agreement document with a supervising faculty member. If faculty members have any questions, they should contact the chair of the University Curriculum Committee (UCC). Please follow all listed instructions to ensure timely review by the UCC. 

Some departments have chosen to require an internship as part of their program curriculum. Others require students to work with a specific faculty member or take an internship practicum seminar when completing an internship. It is up to the discretion of each academic department if and how it would like to incorporate internships into its program curriculum. Consult with your advisor and/or department chair for specific requirements within your program, and see below for a summary of departments with special requirements:

Note: Please be aware that internships cannot be registered retroactively (already completed).

Internships completed before submitting the appropriate, accepted, and completed registration paperwork do not satisfy Hamline University's requirements and do not qualify for credit.

Internships are registered as “Individual Internships” or through a “Practicum/Internship Seminar” depending on whether students are completing them independently with a faculty supervisor (similar to an independent study) or as part of a course or seminar within their major or minor. In Practicum/Internship Seminar, the faculty who teaches the seminar is considered the students’ faculty supervisor for their internship.

Students looking to register for an Individual Internship must obtain approval from the CDC in order to register through Workday. This allows the assistant program director of internships to check-in with students and discuss their internship plans, verify that they understand the requirements, and ensure that they have access to the necessary internship forms. Students will be registered under the name of the assistant program director of internships until they submit their LEAP Learning Agreement, at which time their registration will be switched to the faculty of note on this form.

Students doing an internship as part of a Practicum/Internship Seminar do not need to obtain a signed add card from the Internship Program Coordinator. Their internships are automatically registered when students register for the seminar via Workday or through the approval of the seminar instructor.

Students participating in a Practicum/Internship Seminar do not need to obtain approval from the CDC in order to register; their internships are automatically registered when students register for the seminar via Workday or through the approval of the seminar instructor. We still advise these students to meet with the assistant program director of internships for LEAP Learning Agreement information. Please call the Career Development Center front desk at 651-523-2302 or stop by our office in Drew Science Center 113 to schedule an appointment.

There are several key players in establishing a successful internship experience: The student intern, the faculty supervisor, the site supervisor, the assistant program director of internships and the CDC.

Student intern

The student intern is responsible for securing an internship, finding a faculty supervisor and formally registering the experience by the add/drop deadline for the term, completing the LEAP Learning Agreement in consultation with the faculty and site supervisors and submitting it to the CDC by the due date for the term. Students must also meet the work expectations of the internship employer, complete any academic and reflective work as agreed upon with the faculty supervisor, arrange meeting times, and ensure that the Midterm Evaluation and the Final Evaluation are completed with the site supervisor and turned in to the CDC in a timely manner.

Faculty supervisor

The faculty supervisor is a fulltime Hamline professor who oversees the academic components of the internship experience. This means helping students develop a plan to meet the learning objectives for the internship experience, structuring academic reflection for the internship, and monitoring the student’s growth and learning. Faculty are encouraged to monitor the student’s progress at the internship site by communicating with the site supervisor and reviewing the Midterm and the Final Evaluation forms. The faculty supervisor may also schedule a visit to the internship site to meet with the student and their site supervisor to discuss the internship experience and observe their work. Faculty are expected to provide students with guidance and feedback on navigating the internship experience when needed, and to assign a final grade for the internship at the end of the term.

Site supervisor

The site supervisor is a professional staff person at the internship site who has expertise in the intern's work area. The supervisor is responsible for orienting and training the intern as well as guiding and evaluating their work at the internship site. Supervising requires taking time to discuss the intern's work, providing background information and resources, giving coaching and feedback, and providing opportunities for new learning. The site supervisor also provides formal feedback on the intern’s performance through the Midterm Evaluation and the Final Evaluation. The site supervisor may contact the faculty supervisor or the assistant program director of internships for feedback and assistance if problems arise with the internship experience.

Assistant program director of internships

The assistant program director of internships is a staff member in the CDC who coordinates the undergraduate internship program at Hamline and provides resources and assistance to students, faculty and site supervisors. The assistant program director of internships meets with students to advise them on the internship program requirements and registration guidelines, provides assistance with the internship search, and oversees the administrative aspects of the internship program. The assistant program director of internships is a good first point of contact for students considering an internship experience, and serves as an ongoing resource for students, faculty and site supervisors throughout the internship process.

Career Development Center (CDC)

The CDC serves as the administrative center for the undergraduate internship program at Hamline. The CDC provides a wealth of resources for students who are searching for internships. These include (but are not limited to) the online internship posting system Handshake, records of past internship sites (Google Doc), and a Hamline webpage with links to outside job search resources and ongoing internship programs throughout the Twin Cities. The assistant program director of internships and career counselors assist students with identifying their internship interests, finding resources for their search, and developing and fine-tuning resumes, cover letters, and interviewing skills in preparation for the application process.

The CDC also serves as the internship data collection agency for the university. All LEAP Learning Agreements and evaluations are submitted to the CDC. The CDC is responsible for filing internship Learning Agreements with Registration and Records, providing copies to faculty, students and sites, maintaining internship data, and developing an Internship Annual Report that summarizes student internship activity and performance. The CDC also collects student feedback on internship sites and the internship experience and makes this available to students in the CDC.

There are several core requirements that all students must meet in order to get credit for their internship:

Register your internship

Students must register their internship by the appropriate add/drop deadlines for the term in which they are completing the internship. If the add/drop deadline has passed, students must complete an Undergraduate Petition of Registration Deadline (Google Doc) to request a late add, drop, or withdrawal. Submitting a petition does not guarantee your request will be approved.

Work a minimum of 120 hours

Students should aim to complete the 120 hours within the academic term in which they have registered the internship. If students are able to complete a minimum of 80 hours within the formal limits of the term, they may count up to 40 hours that they work before the term begins, or they may request an incomplete grade (Google Doc) to finish any remaining hours after the term has concluded. It is up to the discretion of the faculty supervisor whether to grant an incomplete and how to structure the incomplete contract (available from Registration and Records). If students are taking an incomplete, they should alert the assistant program director of internships about when they anticipate they will complete their hours and their final evaluation. Once they have completed their final evaluation and any remaining assignments to the faculty supervisor, the faculty supervisor may assign a final grade by submitting a grade change to Registration and Records.

Work under the guidance of a site supervisor

Students must identify one primary supervisor at their internship site who will provide them with ongoing training or supervision. In some cases, supervision duties may be split up among several individuals. However, it is necessary to have one primary contact that the student can report in the LEAP Learning Agreement and with whom the student will complete their midterm and final evaluations.

Work under the guidance of a faculty supervisor

Students may work with any faculty person at Hamline. They are not limited to faculty within a specific department unless required by their major or minor. It is recommended (but not required) that students work with a faculty member who is somewhat familiar with the type of work that the student will be completing at the internship site, as well as the student’s career goals. It is up to the discretion of the faculty member whether to agree to supervise a student internship.

Complete the appropriate internship paperwork 

Students are required to complete several forms during their internship: A LEAP Learning Agreement (LLA), a Midterm Evaluation and a Final Evaluation. More detail on these can be found in the Forms and Deadlines section.

The following forms are required of all interns:

LEAP Learning Agreement (LLA)

The LLA is an electronic form that serves as a contract between the student intern, Hamline University and the internship site. It also serves to finalize the student’s internship registration by providing details on who will be supervising and assessing the intern (both at Hamline and at the internship site), whether the internship will merit credit toward a major or minor, and whether the faculty supervisor has approved A-F grading.

The major/minor credit and A-F grading request sections only apply to Individual Internships. Practicum Seminars automatically apply credit toward a specific department and are typically graded on an A-F scale. No additional approvals are necessary in these sections for students in Practicum Seminars. By contrast, Individual Internships are registered by default as Interdisciplinary credit and No-Credit/Pass/High-Pass grading and therefore must have the appropriate approval of department chairs and faculty supervisors to merit alternative credit or grading.)

The LLA also contains two important sections intended to provide some structure to the internship experience: The job description section and the Learning Objectives section. The job description section requires a description of the daily duties and responsibilities, as well as any special projects that the student intern will be doing at the internship site. This section outlines the relationship between the student and the internship site. 

The LEAP Learning Outcomes and Internship Learning Plan section outlines the student’s learning plan for the internship experience. It is this section of the learning agreement where a student articulates what they will be doing at or through the internship to fulfill the learning outcomes of the LEAP program, and to merit academic credit for the experience. This section structures the relationship between the student and the faculty supervisor, though it must also be approved and supported by the site supervisor. Students are asked to describe their learning plan for achieving the four LEAP learning outcomes, as well as what artifacts of learning they will be able to present to their faculty supervisor for evaluation (or in other words, what assignments or products will the faculty be able to use to assess whether and how the student achieved the learning outcome). Artifacts of learning should include specific products/assignments to be returned to the faculty supervisor for their internship.

Students should complete the LLA and have it approved by their faculty and site supervisors by the LLA due date. This is typically four weeks into the term. The LLA deadline is always posted in the Brief Guide to Internships as well as in the Internship Deadlines section of the CDC website. If a student completing an Individual Internship does not turn their LLA in to the CDC by the last day to withdraw for the term, they will be administratively withdrawn from the internship. If a student in a Practicum/Internship Seminar does not turn their LLA in to the CDC by the end of the term, they should not be eligible to pass the course.

The assistant program director of internships reviews each LLA to ensure that it is complete. Upon their approval, it is then sent to Registration and Records where the students’ registration is finalized, and any necessary changes are made (assigning the correct faculty supervisor, attaching major or minor credit, etc.) Students, faculty, and internship site supervisors may log in to the LLA application at any time to check the status and review their LLAs.

Midterm Evaluation and Final Evaluation

These function as performance reviews for students, and communication tools between the site supervisor and the faculty supervisor. Evaluations are based around the LEAP Requirement and broader Hamline Plan and are intended to capture the transferable professional skills that students have developed in the classroom and are applying at the internship site. Students are encouraged to complete these forms with their site supervisor to the best of their ability while also to using them as a springboard for a discussion that is more customized to their internship experience and learning goals. 

The Midterm Evaluation can be downloaded as a PDF from the Internship Forms page of the website or picked up as a hard copy in the CDC. Students are responsible for scheduling a meeting with their site supervisors to discuss their progress and performance. Students then turn the evaluation in to the CDC where it is kept on file and a copy is sent to the faculty supervisor. The Midterm Evaluation does not have a specific due date because all students complete their internships hours at different rates. Students should plan to turn it in at the midpoint or 60 hours into their internship.

The Final Evaluation is an electronic form that is emailed out to site supervisors two to three weeks before the end of the term via noreply@hamline.edu. The form is due on the last day of classes for the term. Once the site supervisor has completed it, a copy will be sent via email to the student for approval. Upon the student's approval, copies will be shared electronically with the assistant program director of internships and the faculty supervisor.

Evaluations are not intended to be the only tool for determining a student’s grade for the internship experience. Rather, they should be used in combination with the student's learning plan, as well as any additional criteria that a faculty supervisor may have when assigning a final grade. See the Grading and Assessment Section for more information.

Students are responsible for finding their own internship, but the CDC provides a wealth of resources and support throughout the process. In general, it is recommended that students begin their search at least three to four months before they plan to start the internship. The internship search includes researching possible internships, submitting applications, and participating in interviews. Before beginning the search, students should ask themselves the following questions to help clarify their goals:

• In what specific field(s) would you like to intern?
• What skills do you hope to acquire or enhance during the internship?
• What are your academic and personal goals for an internship?
• What are the characteristics of your ideal internship site?

Schedule an appointment with the assistant program director of internships to discuss your interests and brainstorm ideas and resources for the internship search. Then follow the steps below:

• Develop a resume and a cover letter.
• Register for the internship posting board, Handshake, and monitor it regularly. You can save searches in the system and receive email alerts about new postings. Explore other web resources for finding internship opportunities, such as the Internship Search Resources by Industry page of the CDC website.
• Contact prospective internship sites directly. Many internships and jobs are never posted through the CDC or anywhere else. For ideas about who to contact, consult the assistant program director of internships, the CDC Internships website, or the CDC library located in our office in Drew Science 113.
• Reach out to people in your network. Networking is a simple and powerful internship and job search tool. Most people are eager to help sincere, motivated college students explore interests and launch careers. Talk to family, friends, faculty, and former or current supervisors to come up with ideas about where to find internship opportunities. Consult with the assistant program director of internships for ideas about how to connect with people in your field of interest. Check out Hamline's guide to networking.

It is not uncommon for students to experience some ups and downs in the internship search process. A typical internship search in the metro area may require as many as 15 to 20 site contacts/applications and two to three interviews with different employers. Make an appointment with the assistant program director of internships if you are:

• Overwhelmed and experiencing difficulty getting started on the search
• Having trouble locating the right type of internship opportunities
• Have applied at 10 to 15 sites and haven't received any offers that interest you
• Are interviewing but not converting the interviews to internship offers

International Students on F-1 visas are eligible to complete internships off campus through Curricular Practical Training (CPT). Students must have been lawfully enrolled on a full-time basis for at least one academic year to be eligible to apply for CPT, and the internship position must be considered integral to the students' program of study (meets the LEAP requirement, for example), and be directly related to their major(s). If students are unsure of their status and eligibility to complete an internship, the advisors in the Global Engagement Center can assist them with understanding their individual status and eligibility.

All off-campus internships, paid or unpaid, require CPT authorization in order to comply with immigration regulations. CPT can be approved for part time (20 hours or less a week) or full time (more than 20 hours a week) positions.

Participating in part-time CPT does not affect Optional Practical Training (OPT) eligibility (up to one-year of full-time work authorization typically done post graduation), but if students accumulate 12 months or more of full-time CPT, they will not be eligible for OPT.

Students completing off campus internships must first obtain CPT authorization from one of the designated school officials (DSO) in the Global Engagement Center, and obtain a new I-20 which notes CPT authorization before they begin work at their internship site. Students do so by turning in a completed and fully approved LEAP Learning Agreement to the Global Engagement Center in collaboration with the assistant program director of internships. It typically takes only a few business days to register the internship in the system (SEVIS). Under no circumstances may students begin work before the final authorization and new I-20 is issued. CPT may not be authorized retroactively.

By default, Individual Internships are graded on a no pass/pass/high pass scale. Students have the option of requesting A-F grading. This request may be denied by their faculty supervisor so it is recommended that students discuss their desire for A-F grading before submitting their LLA. Practicum/Seminar Internships are typically graded on an A-F scale, however this depends on how the faculty instructor has structured the course with the Undergraduate Curriculum Committee and Registration and Records.  

Faculty supervisors have the discretion to determine the exact criteria by which they will grade an internship, but this should be discussed with the student and clearly laid out at the beginning of the internship when the LLA is being developed. In general, internship assessment should include a number of factors: The student’s performance at the internship site (as evidenced by the performance evaluations and any conversations with the site supervisor), the plan and progress on achieving the LEAP Learning Outcomes, and any assignments or artifacts of learning as agreed upon by the faculty supervisor and the student.

Some common assignments/assessment tools that students may complete include daily/weekly reflection journals, midterm and/or final reflection papers, as well as portfolios of work completed at the internship site. Students and faculty are welcome to be creative when structuring the internship assessment plan and personalize it to the student’s unique learning style and internship experience. For ideas on grading and assessment, see the Faculty Internship Guide. 

Faculty must submit internship grades through Workday by the grading deadline for the term. To change grades or submit grades after the deadline, faculty should contact the Records Coordinator in Registration and Records.

There are a number of excellent reasons to do an internship. A few of these reasons are listed below:

• Try out a potential career to see if you like it.
• Gain professional work experience and develop both transferable and job-specific skills.
• Apply skills and knowledge gained in the classroom to a professional environment.
• Develop networking relationships.
• Take a sneak peek at the world of work. Learn how organizations operate and what you can expect after graduation.
• Get a jump-start on a job offer. Some employers see internships as an excellent way to recruit employees.
• Make yourself more competitive when applying for jobs after graduation or to graduate school. Employers prefer to hire candidates with experience. Graduate schools like applicants who have demonstrated an interest in the field through work or  volunteer experiences.
• Fulfill your Hamline Plan LEAP (“P”) requirement.

Internships are not required for all majors, however, you are required to earn LEAP credit ("P") to graduate. Completing an internship is just one way of earning LEAP credit. You may complete a total of three internships for credit (a maximum of 12 credits), but you may do an unlimited number of internships that are not registered with the university.

Students can do internships at any class level, during any academic term, including fall semester, J-term 2025, spring semester or summer term. All internships must be registered during the registration period for their respective terms by the end of the add/drop deadline. If you find an internship after the add/drop deadline, consult with the Assistant Program Director of Internships to see if you can do a late add. Late adds are not possible after midterm.

Please note that internships completed during fall or spring semesters do not require any additional fees outside of your regular tuition. Registered J-term 2025 and summer internships do require tuition. Consult with Student Administrative Services (SAS) for current summer tuition and registration fee rates.

No. Because the internship search and application process is an essential part of the learning experience, obtaining an internship is the responsibility of the student. It is an opportunity for students to learn and practice essential job search skills that they will need in the future. The CDC can help at every step by providing the preparation, guidance, information and resources you will need to be successful. Begin your search early.

If you need assistance, please contact the CDC to schedule an appointment with the assistant program director of internships via Handshake or by calling 651-523-2302. 

We encourage you to start looking for an internship at least three months prior to when you would like to start the position. The amount of time it will take to find an opportunity will vary depending on your area of interest. In general, the larger the organization, the earlier they will begin their recruiting process. Some large corporate organizations will even begin searching for summer internships in the fall! It is best to start early and do your research to get a sense of the various application deadlines so you don’t let any opportunities pass you by.

Not necessarily. Most Individual Internships (INTD 3990) are considered interdisciplinary. In other words, they are not affiliated with any particular major. Internships offer students an opportunity to explore a possible career field or gain experience in a career field of interest while applying knowledge gained in the classroom to a professional environment. The career you choose to explore or pursue may or may not be related to your major/minor, therefore an internship does not have to be related to your major/minor. If you are completing a Practicum/Internship Seminar, however, your internship will need to be related to your major/minor because the credit you receive will have that designation.

Majors/Minors that typically require related internships*:

• Bachelor’s of Business Administration with Concentration (all) 
• Creative Writing 
• Criminal Justice & Criminology 
• Environmental Studies 
• Exercise Science 
• Forensic Science 
• Legal Studies/Paralegal 
• Nonprofit Management 
• Political Science 
• Public Health Sciences 
• Sociology 
• Social Justice 
• Women’s Studies 
• Etc.

*Departmental requirements can change year to year. Always check with your advisor and/or the Center for Academic Success and Achievement (CASA)

The internship listings posted on Handshake are only one resource for finding an internship. To conduct an effective internship search, you will want to utilize as many resources and strategies as possible. These additional strategies could include posted job listings from other sources and publications, networking with people you know to find potential opportunities, and identifying and contacting potential internship sites directly. If you need assistance finding an internship, please do not hesitate to make an appointment with the Assistant Program Director of Internships to discuss strategies and develop a plan of action.

Also, keep in mind that depending on your overall interests and objectives, your internship may not need to be directly related to your major. It can also be helpful to take a broad approach when looking at internship listings that are categorized by field. Some internships do not fit neatly into existing categories so they might be listed under headings you are not initially considering.

It is possible to turn an existing job into an internship, however you need to put some thought and consideration into this proposal before pursuing it. For an existing job to become an internship, it must align well with your academic, professional and personal development goals. You must also submit a LEAP Learning Agreement that proves that your work in the internship will be different and more sophisticated than your work in the regular job. Talk with your faculty supervisor and the assistant program director of internships prior to arranging such an internship to determine whether the experience would qualify as an internship.

You are not alone! Many students are uncertain of their career interests. Fortunately, the CDC has a variety of resources that can help you identify your interests. Make an appointment with a career counselor to discuss some strategies and resources that can help you answer these questions.

The main reason Hamline offers two credit and four credit internship options is to accommodate students who want to do an internship but find themselves in a credit overload situation. Some students would like to do an internship over the summer to fulfill the LEAP requirement, but do not want to pay the full cost of a four credit course.

A two credit internship, because it provides fewer academic credits, will require less academic work during the internship. The amount of academic work completed during the internship is determined by your faculty supervisor.

Be sure to check if choosing one option over the other will fail to meet your graduation requirement of 128 credits (140 for double majors) and/or specific requirements for your major/minor.

Individual Internships: To identify a faculty supervisor for an internship, consider faculty members in your major and/or faculty members who have an interest in the subject area or career field of your internship. When you have identified a potential faculty supervisor, ask that individual if they would be willing to serve as your faculty supervisor. The faculty person will likely ask you some questions about the type of internship in which you are interested and your overall goals for the internship. Be prepared to answer the following questions:  

• How will this internship support my academic learning goals? 
• How will this internship support my life or career goals? 
• What skills do I hope to gain or strengthen during this internship?

Practicum/Seminar/Capstone with Internship: The instructor of the course is your faculty supervisor. 

No. Any full-time, undergraduate faculty member can serve as your faculty supervisor. You must ask a faculty member to be your supervisor and he or she must agree. See the "How do I find a faculty supervisor?" question for more information on this process.

Credit-bearing Individual Internships (two or four credit) will appear on your transcript under their course number with the position title of the internship (which you enter on the LEAP Learning Agreement under "Title of Experience"), the grade assigned and the number of credits earned. Practicum/Internship Seminars will appear with the course title of the seminar, the grade assigned, and the number of credits earned.

To receive credit you must work 120 hours at the internship site. We recommend that you work at least 10 to 12 hours per week, though you do not have to work the same number of hours every week. You negotiate your schedule with your site supervisor. Most internship sites are somewhat flexible with students when negotiating a work schedule because they understand you may have class, work and activity commitments. Internships that occur over summer usually involve working more hours per week in order to meet the required hours.

No. You must complete at least 80 hours of your internship during the semester that you receive credit. The remaining 40 hours may be completed before the semester in which credit is given to allow some flexibility. However, it is important that the process of planning the internship, developing the objectives, and completing the LEAP Learning Agreement occur before or shortly after the internship begins.

As soon as you realize that you will not complete your 120 hours on time, notify your faculty supervisor and the assistant program director of internships. You will likely need to file for an extension with your professor, or an “Incomplete.”

No. The employer determines whether an internship is paid or unpaid. Internships in the nonprofit, social service, and government sectors are often unpaid. Internships in the for-profit sector are often paid. You will want to clarify this particular question with the employer. Both paid and unpaid internships are eligible for credit through Hamline.

No. An internship is a student-planned and directed learning experience that provides an opportunity to integrate academic, professional and personal skill development. In order to register the experience the internship must be conducted under Hamline faculty supervision. The internship program provides students with supervised, meaningful work in a professional setting. Given these features of an internship, it is critical that students plan internships in advance with careful consideration of their objectives and desired outcomes. Thus, internships cannot be registered retroactively (after the fact) because they would not meet the required objectives of setting and achieving goals, receiving continuing feedback, and reflecting on your learning while in the midst of the experience.

The faculty supervisor is a Hamline professor who oversees the academic components of the internship experience. This means helping students develop learning goals, structuring academic reflection for the internship, and monitoring the student’s growth and learning. Faculty are encouraged to monitor the student’s progress at the internship site by communicating with the site supervisor and reviewing copies of the Midterm and the Final Evaluation forms. The faculty supervisor may also schedule a visit to the internship site to meet with the student and their site supervisor to discuss the internship experience and observe their work. Faculty are expected to provide students with guidance and feedback on navigating the internship experience when needed and assign a final grade for the internship at the end of the term.

Students do not earn academic credit simply by working at their internship site. Rather, credit is earned based on the learning and growth that students demonstrate as a result of their experience. The LEAP Learning Agreement (LLA) serves as a tool through which students and faculty supervisors can structure a learning and assessment plan tailored to the individual student’s experience and learning style.

Since internships meet the LEAP requirement (Hamline Plan “P”), students and faculty must use the LEAP Learning Outcomes as a guiding framework for creating these plans. Students should work collaboratively with their faculty supervisor to develop specific goals designed to meet the learning objectives of the LEAP requirement at Hamline. These learning objectives are:

• Apply learning from particular academic programs or disciplines to your internship experience
• Integrate skills or capacities developed through education and experience into your internship experience
• Reflect throughout the internship experience to develop personal insight, growth, and development, and to build capacity for lifelong learning

As you are working with students to create their learning plan, keep in mind the importance of developing learning goals that are specific, measurable and achievable. At the end of the internship experience, students should be able to provide you with artifacts of their learning that you can use in your grading, and which can be collected by the University for assessment purposes. Artifacts may come in a variety of forms, such as reflective journals or papers, a portfolio of work completed at the internship site, research papers on topics related to the internship experience, etc.

See the grading and assessment section for more information on evaluation at the end of the internship experience.

As an individualized learning experience, students and faculty have the discretion to design a learning plan for the internship that best meets their learning/teaching styles. However, there are a few best practices that faculty should follow to facilitate student learning and growth before, during and after the internship experience.

Pre-internship advising

• Help students consider the kind of internship that makes the most sense for them, based on their academic and career interests.
• Help students plan the best timing for an internship based on their academic plans.
• When appropriate, provide suggestions and resources for the internship search.
• Refer students to the CDC for specialized assistance with the internship search and internship advising. This is also helpful in eliminating confusion surrounding registration and LLA submission.

During the internship process

• Meet with students early in their internship experience to discuss their learning goals and complete the LLA. Work together to develop a clear plan for how you will evaluate the students and assign them with a grade at the end of the internship.
• Plan to communicate regularly with your student advisees through in-person meetings, video calls, email and/or phone communications.
• Regularly re-visit the student’s learning plan with them and make changes as needed.
• Communicate with the student’s site supervisor. Arrange at least two phone conversations at the beginning and end of the internship, and consider conducting a site visit midway through the internship (not required).
• Monitor the feedback that the student is getting from their internship site through the midterm and final evaluations (copies will be sent to you from the CDC). Engage students in reflection on their feedback.

After the internship

• Help students reflect on their experience as a whole. What did they learn? How did it change them personally and professionally?
• Discuss with students what their next steps will be. Will they pursue other internships, either in the same field or a different field? What additional coursework might they pursue to further their professional development? How does the internship impact their career and/or graduate school plans?
• Refer students to the CDC to further reflect on these topics and for assistance incorporating the internship into their resume and future searches.

Reflection is a critical component of the internship experience. Reflection is where connections between academia and the professional world are made, and where students deepen their understanding of the world of work and of themselves as developing professionals. Reflection also provides an avenue through which you can assess student learning.

In their publication “A Practitioner’s Guide to Reflection in Service-Learning” (1996) Eyler, Giles and Schmiede outline the “Five C’s” as a framework of best-practice for reflection. Reflection should be:

• Continuous in time frame
• Connected to the “big picture” information provided by academic pursuits
• Challenging to assumptions and complacency
• Contextualized in terms of design and setting
• Creative in terms of development and delivery

David Kolb’s Experiential Learning Cycle provides a graphical representation of the reflection process and boils it down to three questions: What? So what? Now what?  

• Image

  

  Eyler, Janet, and D.E. Giles. A Practitioners Guide to Reflection in Service-Learning. Nashville: Vanderbilt University, 1996.

  Reflection can be both informal and formal. You can engage students in reflection through regular conversation about their internship, as well as through formal assignments.

  Sample reflection prompts

Prompts are adapted from the University of Minnesota’s Community Service-Learning Center (umn.edu).

• What is your role at the internship site?
• What were your initial expectations? Have these expectations changed? How? Why?
• What about your internship has been an eye-opening experience?
• How do you motivate yourself to go to your internship site when you don't feel like it?
• What specific skills have you used at your internship?
• Describe a person you've encountered at the internship who made a strong impression on you, positive or negative.
• Do you see benefits of doing the work that is done at your internship? Why or why not?
• Has your view of the population with whom you have been working changed? How?
• How have the environment and social conditions affected the people at your site?
• What institutional structures are in place at your site or in the community? How do they affect the people with whom you work?
• Has the experience affected your worldview? How?
• Have your career options been expanded by your internship experience?
• Why does the organization you are working for exist?
• Did anything about your internship surprise you? If so, what?
• What did you do that seemed to be effective or ineffective at the internship?
• How does your understanding of the organization or the profession change as a result of your participation in this project?
• How can you continue your involvement with this organization or in this field?
• How can you educate others or raise awareness about the issues on which you have been working?
• What are the most difficult or satisfying parts of your work? Why?
• Talk about any disappointments or successes of your internship. What did you learn from it?
• During your internship experience, have you dealt with being an "outsider" at your site? How does being an "outsider" differ from being an "insider"?
• How are your values expressed through your internship?
• What sorts of things make you feel uncomfortable when you are working at the internship? Why?
• Complete this sentence: “Because of my internship, I am....”

These assignments can be built into student's learning plan, or they can be complimentary assignments that you require to enhance the student’s learning and provide artifacts for your assessment at the end of the internship experience.

Reflection on the discipline/professional exploration

• Glossary of terms: Develop a glossary of terms encountered at the internship. Provide definitions, sources, etc.
• Paper discussing future trends: Write a paper discussing future trends in the field. Provide an emphasis on changes occurring in the profession. Cite professionals at the internship site, journals, etc.
• Investigation of a professional organization: Identify a professional organization relevant to the internship and write a summary paper that includes:     
  • Mission of the organization
  • Benefits to membership
  • Ways to become involved in the organization as a student or new professional
  • Interview with a local member of the organization
• Related careers paper: Research a career related to the internship position; discuss parameters (e.g., salary, education required, promotion prospects), future trends, and assess fit.

Reflection on the organization/position

• History/mission paper: Write a paper that explores the history and mission of the organization. Require interviews of staff members at the organization as part of the research. Topics to include:
  • Mission of the organization
  • Impact of the organization
  • History
  • How has the organization changed over time?
  • Basic management structure of the organization
  • Funding of the organization
  • How does the intern’s work fit into the organization’s mission, etc.?
• Ethical dilemma paper: Write a paper that explores a common ethical dilemma that professionals in the field may encounter. Identify ethical standards for the field and discuss potential solutions.
• Monthly interim reports/monthly executive summaries: Write regular reflective papers to discuss responsibilities and challenges, progress on learning objectives, communication with site supervisor, likes/dislikes, mistakes/achievements, etc.
• Annotated bibliography: Write an annotated bibliography on five to 12 documents (articles, books, etc.) related to the internship position/responsibilities; include a summary of the readings and relationship to the internship experience.
• Project analysis: Write a report to review a project completed at the internship site.
• Feasibility study: Write a report to propose a new project or other changes that the student believes would improve the internship site.
• Research report: Write a research report on a topic relevant to the internship organization, industry, field, etc.
• Stakeholder meeting report/analysis: Attend a meeting with stakeholders from the internship site and write a reflection on what was learned, how it affects the site and how it will affect current or future work. For example, students interested in education may attend a PTA meeting.
• Letter to future interns: Write a real or hypothetical letter to future interns. Include reflection on the internship experience as well as advice for success.

Career development/life skill assignments

• Informational interviews: Conduct informational interviews with staff at the site, or other professionals in the field. Write a report/analysis of findings.
• Job shadow a professional or professionals in different areas at the internship site. Write a report or analysis of the experience.
• Create or update a resume: Have the document reviewed by professionals at the internship site, the CDC, and/or the faculty supervisor
• Summarize the transferable skills developed at the internship site in a reflective paper
• Write a cover letter: Identify a real internship or job opening and write an application cover letter that highlights the transferable skills developed in the internship experience
• Develop personal branding/social networking tools: Design a LinkedIn profile, online portfolio, or write a report on professional networking leads
• Write thank-you letters to site supervisor(s): Specify why the internship was beneficial, what was learned, how the Site Supervisor helped with the intern’s learning and growth, future steps as a result of the experience
• Give a presentation on the internship to other students and discuss the following:
  • Internship search
  • Goals for the internship
  • Expectations
  • Responsibilities
  • Supervision
  • Challenges
  • Successes
• Poster presentations: Give a formal presentation at a poster symposium. Include topics such as:   
  • Research conducted
  • Organizational history/mission
  • Special internship project
  • Responsibilities and learning

Adapted from Kathryn Hanna, Ph.D., faculty at the University of Minnesota and Hamline alumna ‘69.

See the Grading and Assessment section of the Hamline University Internship Guide for general guidelines on grading internships.

Because internships fulfill the LEAP requirement of the Hamline Plan, faculty supervisors are required to provide assessment data to the University to report on student learning outcomes. The LLA is structured in such a way to streamline this process for students and faculty because students are required to develop specific learning goals aimed at achieving the learning outcomes, and also to articulate what artifacts they will produce to demonstrate their learning. In addition to being useful material for grading, these products can also be used as assessment data.

Artifacts of student learning can take many forms, such as reflective journals, papers, presentations, and more. See the section above on reflection for ideas on formal assignments that could be used to promote reflection and demonstrate student learning.

You may choose to have students address their learning and progress toward the learning outcomes in one summative reflective paper. An example prompt for this paper could be:

Reflecting on your internship experience, discuss the following:

• How did the knowledge you have acquired as a student (either in your major/minor or generally as a student of the liberal arts) inform your internship experience? What academic concepts or theories did you observe and/or apply in your internship?
• How did the skills you have developed as a student at Hamline prepare you for your internship experience? In what ways did you apply these skills? How did the skills and experience you developed at your internship site inform your studies at Hamline?
• In what ways did you demonstrate initiative during your internship to monitor your performance, identify areas for personal or professional development, and use your existing skills and resources to learn and grow in those areas?

At the end of the internship experience, students should upload assessment data to the University assessment software, Canvas. This data will be randomly sampled on a regular basis by a team of faculty and staff to assess as a whole how students are faring in their demonstration of learning outcomes in each of the Hamline Plan areas. Faculty teaching practicum/internship seminar courses should create a special folder in their Canvas site for these artifacts for assessment.

Because internships take place in community settings, students will, at times, face a variety of conflicts or concerns. The following are some common concerns that may arise during an internship, as well as steps for addressing the issues.

The student is not being given substantive work or appropriate supervision

This can be a helpful learning experience for students to advocate for themselves in a workplace setting. Talk with students about how to have this conversation with their site supervisor. Help them make a plan for when to discuss the issue and how to approach the topic in a professional manner. The assistant program director of internships can assist with this as well.

If this initial conversation does not prove to be effective, you may choose to intervene as faculty supervisor, or you may ask the assistant program director of internships for assistance with intervening. Contact the site supervisor and discuss your concerns with them. Brainstorm ways that the student can get additional work or assistance at the site. Follow-up with the student and the site supervisor in a week or two to make sure changes have been made.

If the situation has not improved, the student may choose to terminate the internship. Consult the assistant program director of internships for assistance on how to terminate the internship in a professional manner. See the section on what to do if the internship falls through for options for maintaining or terminating the internship registration.

The internship site supervisor has left the organization

If an internship site supervisor leaves their position midway through the internship, the student may switch site supervisors to another staff person at the internship site. Students should contact the assistant program director of internships with the name and contact information of the new site supervisor, and share it with you as the faculty supervisor as well.

The student is unable to get enough hours to meet the minimum requirement

If a student discovers that they are unable to fulfill the minimum hour requirement for the internship, their may choose to extend the internship into the subsequent term by requesting an “Incomplete” grade from you as the faculty supervisor. Students must have worked at least 80 hours at their internship in order to be eligible for an incomplete. It is up to your discretion as the faculty supervisor whether to grant an incomplete, and how to structure the incomplete contract (Google Doc). If students are taking an incomplete, they should alert the assistant program director of internships about when they anticipate they will complete their hours and turn in their Final Evaluation. Once they have turned in their Final Evaluation and any remaining assignments to you, you may assign a final grade by submitting a grade change to Registration and Records.  

The internship has fallen through

Internships may fall through for a variety of reasons—changes at the internship site mean they can no longer support an intern, poor student performance results in the student being terminated, etc.

First and foremost, it is important to reflect upon and process what happened with the student. This experience itself can be a useful learning tool. You can also refer students to the assistant program director of internships or career counselors in the CDC to reflect upon the implications this has for their personal or professional development.

In terms of salvaging academic credit out of the experience, the student has several options. If the event happened prior to the add/drop deadline or the withdrawal deadline for the term, they may choose to simply drop or withdraw from the internship experience. If it is past the add/drop deadline or the withdrawal deadline, they may choose to submit an Undergraduate Petition of Academic Policy or an Undergraduate Petition of Registration Deadline to request a late drop or withdrawal. Such petitions are subject to a $50 late fee, if approved.

If the student accrued enough hours at the internship site that they would like to salvage the experience for academic credit, they may find another internship site to complete any remaining hours. Students pursuing this option should notify the assistant program director of internships of this change and file a new LLA with the CDC. The assistant program director of internships is also available to assist students with finding alternative sites, as needed.  

The student is unhappy in the internship

Though not a crisis per se, students can experience distress if they realize during an internship that the field they were considering does not align with their skills or interests. Although this is difficult for students, it can be a valuable learning experience. First, process the feelings and experience with the student. Try to determine if this is a natural “low” that many students feel when they experience a challenge at their internship site, or if it may be due to a poor fit between the student and the organization. As long as the student is not in an unsafe or unhealthy environment, and they are being well-supported at their internship site, encourage them to continue with the internship and use the experience as an opportunity to explore what they do like about the field, as well as to explore other related careers that might be a better fit.

At the end of the internship, reflect on the experience as a whole. What did it teach the student about themself and the world of work? Even if the experience was not what the student hoped, what positive things came out of it (i.e. skills developed, networking contacts, etc.) that they can leverage for future opportunities? What does this mean for their future career trajectory? Would it be beneficial to try a similar internship in a different setting, or a completely different internship elsewhere?

Refer students to the CDC for further processing, career counseling or career exploration.

The internship is an unsafe space for students

If the student feels at risk or experiences harm at any time during the internship experience, contact the assistant program director of internships immediately. The assistant program director of internships will intervene on behalf of the student and the University as appropriate to terminate the internship and contact any relevant authorities.

During the academic year (fall to spring), faculty are not compensated for supervising individual interns. During the summer term, faculty receive a stipend for supervising students who register for internships.

Faculty who supervise interns through an internship seminar are compensated for teaching the course during the academic year as well as during the summer. Consult with the dean of your college for specific details on compensation for supervising internships. This process is not managed by the CDC.

• Cooperative Education and Internship Association
• Center for Teaching and Learning at Hamline
• Eyler, Janet, and D.E. Giles. A Practitioners Guide to Reflection in Service-Learning. Nashville: Vanderbilt University, 1996. 

The Hamline University internship program is designed to connect students with quality work experiences that deepen their academic, professional and personal development. Hamline interns seek to apply their learning in a workplace setting, test career interests, gain confidence in their abilities and obtain resume-building experience. At the same time, Hamline aims to connect local employers with student interns who have a strong work ethic, creativity, and a desire to learn and make a difference at an organization.

Interns bring energy and fresh perspectives to your organization, and they can contribute new ideas and skills. Internships can serve as pre-recruiting tools—a chance to see potential employees in action and allow you to develop a strong candidate pool for permanent staffing needs, now or in the future.

Interns who have been converted into permanent positions have higher retention rates because the internship has served as an extensive opportunity for both the student and the organization to assess long-term “fit.” Internship programs provide opportunities for newer staff members at your organization to gain hiring, supervision and leadership experience. Interns serve as great word of mouth marketing—for future interns, employees, and for your organization’s brand.

An academic internship is a form of experiential education that integrates knowledge and theory learned in the classroom with practical application and skill development in a professional setting. Students earn academic credit, or there is some other connection to a degree-granting, educational institution. This work/learning arrangement is overseen by a faculty or staff member of an educational institution and by a designated employee of an organization. The internship is usually the length or equivalent of an academic term, may be part-time or full-time, paid or unpaid. An integral component of the experience that distinguishes it from other types of work is one or more forms of structured and deliberate reflection contained within learning agendas or objectives.

Internship definition developed in 2002 by Mike True of Messiah College in collaboration with other internship professionals across the country.

In order to be eligible for credit at Hamline, internships must meet the following guidelines:

• The internship must be a minimum of 120 hours during the term a student wishes to register the experience. This equates to approximately eight to 12 hours a week in the fall, spring, or summer terms.
• Internships must provide substantive work experience that allows students to apply knowledge gained in the classroom to the professional world. Some job shadowing and observation may be built into the experience, but student interns should also be provided with a defined work plan or job description that includes daily responsibilities and projects.
• The experience should have a defined beginning and end, and have specific outcomes or objectives that the intern is expected to achieve. When seeking credit, students are responsible for filling out the LEAP Learning Agreement (LLA) from the CDC at Hamline and having it approved by their internship site supervisor.
• Interns should be supervised by a professional with expertise and educational and/or professional background in the field of experience.
• Interns should receive routine feedback and evaluation from their supervisor. The CDC at Hamline provides two evaluations for students and site supervisors to complete throughout the internship, a Midterm and a Final Evaluation.
• Interns should be provided with resources, equipment, and facilities to support the internship objectives and the student’s learning goals.
• If students are interested in seeking credit for their internships, they are responsible for registering the internship at Hamline, finding a faculty supervisor, and ensuring that the LEAP Learning Agreement and the two evaluations are completed and turned in on time. This process cannot be completed retroactively.

Student intern

The student intern is responsible for securing an internship, finding a faculty supervisor, formally registering the experience, and completing the LEAP Learning Agreement in consultation with the faculty and site supervisors by the due date for the term. Students must also meet the work expectations of the internship employer, complete any academic and reflective work as agreed upon with the faculty supervisor, arrange meeting times to complete the Midterm Evaluation and the Final Evaluation and ensure they are submitted to the CDC in a timely manner.

Site supervisor

The site supervisor is a professional staff person at the internship site who has expertise in the intern's work area. The supervisor is responsible for orienting and training the intern as well as guiding and evaluating their work at the internship site. Supervising requires taking time to discuss the intern's work, providing background information and resources, giving coaching and feedback, and providing opportunities for new learning. The site supervisor also provides formal feedback on the intern’s performance through the Midterm Evaluation and the Final Evaluation. The site supervisor may contact the faculty supervisor or the assistant program director of internships for feedback and assistance if problems arise with the internship experience.

Faculty supervisor

The faculty supervisor is a Hamline professor who oversees the academic components of the internship experience. This means helping students develop learning goals, structuring academic reflection for the internship, and monitoring the student’s growth and learning. Faculty are encouraged to monitor the student’s progress at the internship site by communicating with the site supervisor and reviewing copies of the Midterm and the Final Evaluation forms. The faculty supervisor may also schedule a visit to the internship site to meet with the student and their site supervisor to discuss the internship experience and observe their work. Faculty are expected to provide students with guidance and feedback on navigating the internship experience when needed and assign a final grade for the internship at the end of the term.

Assistant program director of internships

The assistant program director of internships is a staff member in the CDC who coordinates the undergraduate internship program at Hamline and provides resources and assistance to students, faculty and site supervisors. The assistant program director of internships meets with students to advise them on the internship program requirements and registration guidelines, provides assistance with the internship search, and oversees the administrative aspects of the internship program. The assistant program director of internships is a good first-point of contact for internship sites who are considering developing an internship program, and serves as an ongoing resource for students, faculty and internship site supervisors throughout the internship process.

Establishing clear objectives and structure to your internship program is critical for its success. Your organization will need to have clear procedures and ongoing support to successfully establish, maintain and grow a strong program.

• Identify your unique goals for the internship. What is your organization hoping to get out of having an intern, and what do you hope to be imparting to the intern? Ideally, it should be a mutually beneficial relationship. 
• Determine what the focus of the internship will be. Will the internship be a project-based experience, aimed at helping you complete a specific project, or will it be a position that contributes to the day-to-day functions of the organization on an ongoing basis?
• Where will the intern fit into the organization with regard to the reporting structure or staffing flowchart? And in a literal sense, where will the intern work? Having a designated workspace is important because it helps the intern feel like a part of the organization, and provides them with the tools necessary to complete their work.
• Identify the key players. Who is in charge of hiring, supervising, and supporting the intern? This may be a collaborative effort between several staff members, or it may be one main person who is working with the intern. In either case, buy-in from everyone in the department or the organization is critical to make the intern feel like a part of the team, and for all parties to get the most out of the experience.
• Create a hiring process and timeline. Plan to advertise your internship at least two to three months in advance of when you want the internship to start. Since many interns are interested in getting academic credit for their experience, it is helpful to align your internship with the academic terms: Fall internships typically run from September to mid-December, spring internships run from January or February to mid-May and summer internships run from June to mid-August. Posting two to three months in advance of when you would like the intern to start gives you time to collect and review applications, conduct interviews and extend an offer.
• Provide a strong start for the intern by giving them a thorough orientation. This should include an overview of the organization’s purpose, structure, organizational chart, and policies (hours, dress code, communication avenues, etc.). Introduce the intern to all of the staff and provide a tour of the space.
• Determine clear performance criteria and provide consistent feedback throughout the internship. This contributes to the professional growth of the intern and ensures high quality on-the-job performance. Ask your intern if there are specific requirements they must fulfill in order to get credit for their experience, and support them to the extent you are able in fulfilling their learning objectives.
• Make time to formally wrap-up the internship. Schedule an “exit interview” to collect feedback on the intern’s experience, and share final thoughts and advice on the intern’s performance and professional development. Provide a letter of reference or discuss potential future opportunities with your organization, if appropriate.

Hamline University considers it a best practice to compensate interns for their work. Doing so allows internship sites to attract a broader, more competitive pool of candidates. It also protects internship sites from liability, and creates a more professional relationship between intern and internship site. However, there are some circumstances in which unpaid, volunteer internships are acceptable under the law. For more information on federal laws regarding the difference between unpaid interns and paid employees, see the following resources and consult with legal counsel and/or professional accountants about these issues.

• US Department of Labor Handy Reference Guide to the Fair Labor Standards Act (dol.gov)
• Internship Programs Under the Fair Labor Standards Act (dol.gov)

Wages are negotiated between the internship site and the intern and are typically between $12 to $18 per hour. Stipends are an option as well, although you may wish to check with your human resources department to explore any legal issues regarding alternative forms of payment.

The CDC at Hamline can help you develop and advertise your internship program. Get information about our free job and internship posting system, Handshake, and other recruitment opportunities.

Sample internship posting*

Public and Media Relations Intern

Purpose

The Public and Media Relations Intern for the Office of Strategic Communications will be a member of a dynamic, professional team focused on conceptualizing, pitching, developing and completing projects for Hamline and outside businesses and nonprofit organizations through strategic public relations, social media, video production, media relations, and communications.

Responsibilities

• Craft, pitch, manage, and create PR and media relations plans and/or projects for local businesses and nonprofits, as well as for Hamline University
• Assist in enterprising media pitch opportunities
• Write and assist with news releases, media advisories
• Create written and visual content for Hamline’s digital signage across campus
• Update the Inside Hamline website with announcements
• Maintain the university’s online experts guide for news media sources
• Track and analyze success in media and public relations efforts, clips, content
• Maintain the “In the News” page on Hamline’s website

Timeline, hours, and pay

Positions could begin in late spring or early summer and would continue throughout mid August. 10-12 hours/week desired. Compensation starts at $15/hr.

Qualifications

• Excellent written and verbal communications skills
• Interest in developing social media content, including blogs, and an emerging understanding of utilizing social media such as Twitter, YouTube, Facebook, LinkedIn, and other sites for marketing purposes.
• Excellent interpersonal skills; ability to work with a diverse clientele
• Strong organizational skills and demonstrated attention to detail
• Ability to work as part of a communications team in a dynamic environment
• Ability to manage simultaneous projects
• Video shooting and editing skills, while not required, are a plus!
• Interest in journalism, communications, social media, video production, public relations, computer science/IT, or marketing preferred, but not required.

Application instructions

Apply online through Handshake. Submit a resume and cover letter by March 1. 

*Fields required by Handshake include but are not limited to: Position name, work location, number of available positions, pay rate, position start and end dates, and additional requirements based on qualification specifications

To get started in Handshake, visit joinhandshake.com and select "Log in" in the upper right hand corner to enter your information into the Employers/Career Centers section. The following process will request information about a contact person for your company and about your company itself. If you have questions, please contact us at 651-523-2302 or visit the Handshake Help Center for more information.

• Internship Best Practices (naceweb.org)

Q: What should I know about Hamline students?
A: Hamline students are diverse, (from 37 states and 42 countries; 39% are students of color and indigenous students with 52% of the 2020 incoming class being First Generation students) smart, (more than two-thirds receive academic scholarships) and involved in 80 student organizations, 20 intercollegiate athletic teams, and six music ensembles. Our students are hard-working, conscientious, community-builders, and have a strong sense for volunteerism with more than 150,000 combined hours of community service in 2016.

 Q: What recruiting services does Hamline offer?
A: Hamline offers a variety of services for employer such as free online job posting, on-campus interviewing, information sessions, and tabling.  

Q: How do I post a job or an internship opportunity for Hamline students? 
A: All our job posting and on-campus recruiting activities are done through Handshake. Register for a Handshake account to post jobs or request on-campus recruiting activities. For employers using Handshake for the first time, Handshake's support articles may be helpful. 

Q: Are internships paid or unpaid?
A: Students tend to respond better to paid positions. About 2/3 of our internships are paid. Offering a paid internship tends to bring a more productive pool of applicants. For information on the Department of Labor's guidelines regarding internship programs and compensation, see the Department of Labor's internship fact sheet.

Q: Do internships count for academic credit?
A: A student will decide whether or not to use an internship for academic credit. If you are currently or are interested in supervising a Hamline intern, please visit the Employer Internship Guide page for more information.

Q: Is it possible to present in a classroom?
A: Generally, faculty members do not consider their class time to be appropriate for employer presentations. However, you can contact us at workshop@hamline.edu or 651 523 2302 to inquire about your own information session.