Recruiting Academic Interns

Thank you for your interest in hosting a Titan as an academic intern. Academic Internships are a form of experiential learning that integrates knowledge and theory learned in the classroom with practical application, training, and skills development in a professional setting. Academic internships give students opportunities to gain valuable applied experience and make connections in professional fields they are considering for career paths; and give employers the opportunity to guide, train and evaluate talent.

Below you will find all the information you need to know to start hosting CSUF students for academic internships. You should read through this before you begin recruiting to ensure you know all the requirements and regulations.

On-campus partners (CSUF faculty and staff): Please review the information in the Employer/Site ManualPDF File Opens in new window  and complete the On-Campus Academic Internship Registration Opens in new window form instead of the steps below. 

 

New partners: Register to host CSUF students

Follow these steps to get started hosting our students.

  1. Read the information in the Employer/Site ManualPDF File Opens in new window to learn hosting requirements and how to plan and run an academic internship.
  2. Register and post by clicking Titan Connection.Opens in new window When the new window opens, click on the “Sign up and Post Job” button to complete the online forms.
  3. If you are offering an unpaid position you will receive an email requesting you to complete an online Learning Activity Placement Agreement. (Sample agreementPDF File Opens in new window )

The system also allows you to recruit students, and provides access to other resources offered by the CSUF Career Center.Opens in new window

IMPORTANT: We strongly advise you develop your internship position using the Internship Design WorksheetPDF File Opens in new window before proceeding to step 2 (provides more detailed instruction and minimizes risk of data loss due to connection issues or timing out).

 

Already registered? How to post a new position

Employers/sites with log in credentials may log in to the returning host pageOpens in new window to post a new position.

 

Recruiting International Students

Students from outside the U.S. studying at CSUF on an F-1 student visa may be eligible for academic internships if authorized by a CPT issued by the University. Work authorization details and procedures are outlined in the Host Organization Instructions.PDF File

 

NEED HELP?

Call our office on (657) 278-3746 if you need any assistance recruiting academic interns.

Resources for
Placement Sites

HOURS & LOCATION

Langsdorf Hall 206
Hours:   Mon-Fri 8am - 5pm
Phone:   (657) 278-3746
Fax:   (657) 278-1217
Mail:   P.O. Box 6830
Fullerton CA 92834-6830

From our partners:

CSUF Career Center

Frequently Asked Questions

Please also see the Employer/Site Manual.PDF File Opens in new window

I am looking for help for my business. Can I hire an unpaid academic intern for this?

Academic internship duties may include assignments that support a business, but if that is the primary motivation for recruiting a student, then an unpaid internship is probably not right for you. For-profit organizations can only offer unpaid internships that are in compliance with the Fair Labor Standards Act. Department of Labor, Fact Sheet #71Opens in new window  describes seven parameters which, when met, allow an internship to be unpaid. At CSUF, we are concerned with ensuring our students receive learning experiences relevant to their academic majors, and are placed in safe work environments. In order for students to earn academic credit, employers should design the internship as a learning experience and be prepared to dedicate staff resources to train, teach, mentor, and guide the intern. If you wish to recruit an intern purely to help your business you should provide compensation of minimum wage or above, per State regulations.

I’ve decided who I am hiring. How do I ensure the student gets academic credit? Why do I need to post a position description if I don't want to recruit any other students?

In order for a student to receive for academic credit, the employer must be registered with us and the academic internship position must be approved in our system. Follow the directions above for new or exsiting partners.

Employers can choose whether a position is visible to students seeking opportunities: select your preference when filling out the posting form.

Timekeeping: How do I report a student has completed internship hours?

Interns are responsible for recording their hours and reporting them to their academic departments. They should provide you with a timesheet for your signature as verification of their hours. With instructor approval, students may submit a copy of your company's timekeeping record in lieu of our timesheet.

Home-based business: Can I host a student for an academic internship at my home-based business?

Academic Internships with home-based businesses can be approved under two circumstances:

1. Internships can be designed as Remote Internships if the students conduct their duties at a location other than the business address, such as the student's home or campus. Remote Internships must adhere to the following directives:

• Meetings between you (or your agents or employees) and interns should take place in a public setting (such as a coffee shop) or using teleconferencing (eg. Skype).
• Interns may commute to work at a public site such as an event location.
• Interns may conduct interviews or client visits provided they are accompanied by a representative of your organization. Interns may NOT conduct these activities alone or unsupervised at any time.

2. A site visit is conducted. However, site visits will only be conducted if the opportunity offered is sufficiently rare to warrant a site visit. A site visit is no guarantee of approval.

Can a student travel as part of an academic internship?

Yes. We welcome opportunities that allow students to travel to other parts of the United States for professional purposes. International travel is permitted if interns are covered with appropriate insurance while the travel occurs. Travel to attend conferences and other professional development opportunities is highly encouraged wherever possible.

How many hours does a student serve in an academic internship?

Most three-unit academic internship courses require students to serve 120 hours (40 per unit) over a 16-week semester. In some cases students can enroll in less than three units of internship credit, but this is not typical. Child and Adolescent Studies students complete two 60-hour practicums over two semesters. Contact CICE for requirements of the majors you are targeting for your recruitment.

Can interns drive as part of their academic internship duties?

CSUF students are permitted to drive as part of their duties for an academic internship or service-learning experience ONLY IF the host organization ensures sufficient personal injury, third-party and liability insurance is provided to cover the student while driving as part of their duties in an academic internship. You will be asked to affirm this when posting an academic internship position.

When to recruit: What is the best time to post my positions?

The best time to recruit is during the weeks just prior to the start of a semester. While these dates can differ during any calendar year, target early August (for fall), early December (for spring), and mid April (for summer).

How many students are too many to oversee?

We recommend limiting the number of positions at your site to three interns per supervising staff member during a semester. Requests for additional students will be evaluated on a case-by-case basis at the discretion of the CICE staff, and will depend on the nature of the position and the number of hours scheduled for each intern.

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Last Updated 3/17/23

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