What is (and isn’t) an internship?
An internship is a limited-duration, supervised, learning experience in a professional environment. The work a student performs as an intern is educational and intended to reinforce their academic training.
According to the National Association of Colleges and Employers: An internship is a form of experiential learning that integrates knowledge and theory learned in the classroom with practical application and skills development in a professional setting. Internships give students the opportunity to gain valuable applied experience and make connections in professional fields they are considering for career paths; and give employers the opportunity to guide and evaluate talent.
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Internships may be paid or unpaid depending upon the employer (e.g.: private or public sector). In either case, the student experience is equivalent to vocational training, and if desired by the student, would be approved for academic credit through a faculty member from the department associated with the student’s major area of study.
The following are specific examples of positions that would not qualify as internships:
- Commission-only sales positions
- Situations in which all of the work is unpaid and is done remotely or virtually without supervision or regular interaction with a professional
- Unpaid positions that require cold-calling, petitioning, or canvassing
- "Independent contractor" relationships that require the intern to set up his/her own business for the purpose of selling products, services, and/or recruiting other individuals to set up their own business.
- Positions in which the student is required to pay the employer for any part of the experience
- *Volunteer positions that do not specifically emphasize an educational component (*Some volunteer positions may qualify as internships if approved and guided by designated PSU staff or faculty).
Please note the following:
Guidelines for Unpaid Internships with For-Profit Employers:
- An internship is highly educational and will primarily benefit the Intern
- Learning objectives are established with the intern before beginning the internship and are revisited regularly to ensure ongoing objectives are being met
- An intern is supervised and mentored throughout the internship experience
- An unpaid intern is not a consultant or on-site expert for any project or task that your professional staff is not able to perform (e.g. create a website, write a grant, develop a marketing campaign)
- An unpaid intern should not displace a paid employee
- The employer derives no immediate financial advantage from the unpaid intern (i.e. no selling)
- No more than 30% of the unpaid intern's time should be spent on clerical or repetitive tasks
- The internship is a substantial learning experience, such that a faculty member would approve the internship as worthy of academic credit
- Unpaid/non-credit internships are limited to one academic term or approximately 12 weeks