Thank you for your interest in posting an internship with the PPPM Internship Program. Internships provide students with relevant and meaningful learning experiences that contribute to their professional development. They also provide organizations with academically trained students who are eager to learn and accomplish real-world projects and tasks.

What is an internship?

Internships are supervised work-like experiences that offer students opportunities to:

• Explore and clarify career goals
• Apply academic learning
• Strengthen one or more Career Readiness Competency
• Develop and enhance skills
• Gain experience
• Network with professionals

Minimum Requirements

• Students who register for internship credit are expected to develop learning goals and supporting tasks and responsibilities in collaboration with their site supervisor and the Career Services Director or Undergraduate Internship Director.
• Academic internships must be a minimum of 3 credits (9 hours/week for 10-week term). Project-based internships give students the added benefit of ownership, although all learning experiences will be considered.
• Administrative duties are a part of many positions, but it is important that organizations balance such tasks with projects or assignments that allow students to develop their skill sets. PPPM students are prepared to conduct research, analyze data, write grant proposals and reports, make presentations, and interact professionally with clients or customers. Administrative duties should take up less than 30% of the intern’s time.
• Internship site supervisors must be paid staff members at the organization; they are required to sign a PPPM Internship Agreement and evaluate students twice during the academic term.
• The internship site must be a business location and not a home office. Students may not receive academic credit for an internship at an all-volunteer nonprofit.
• Interns are expected to have an on-site workspace and be integrated as part of the team and organization. Fully remote and “hybrid” internships are strongly discouraged and require additional approval.

Are all internships paid?

While internships may be paid or unpaid, the PPPM Internship Program has set an expectation that interns receive financial compensation (stipend or hourly wage) for their time and efforts. You may consult Fact Sheet #71: Internship Programs under the Fair Labor Standards Act for further information. See the value of internship and volunteer work released by Independent Sector and the Do Good Institute and the unpaid internship position statement from the National Association of Colleges and Employers for additional context.

How many hours/week is a typical internship?

Internships may be full-time or part-time. Internships may be one term or extend over multiple terms. Summer internships are often full-time. A student who registers for internship credit is required to complete 30 hours of internship experience for each credit hour during the 10-week term. For example, a student who registers for 3 credits of internship must complete 90 hours of internship experience during the term. The number of credits depends on a student's degree or certificate program.

What is the process for posting an internship?

If you are interested in posting an internship, please first review our reference document for community partners, PPPM Internship Program: Information, Goals, and Requirements. If you have questions about your proposed internship ideas or wish to clarify any program requirements, you will find our contact information at the end of this document. 

As mentioned in the reference document, we use a Qualtrics survey to gather details and draft your internship posting. We strongly suggest you first review this PDF of the Qualtrics survey so you can gather and sketch out your thoughts prior to completing the survey. 

Once you are ready, please complete the Qualtrics survey. We will take your survey responses, craft a draft posting, note any additional questions or points to clarify, and then send everything to you for review. Once we finalize the posting, we will share it with students so they may begin applying for the opportunity.

Students who register for credit must secure their internships in the academic term before the internship begins. The following deadlines ensure students have time to apply and complete the selection process prior to the beginning of the academic term. Postings received outside of these deadlines will either be held until the next academic term or be considered as non-credit opportunities.

Thank you for your interest. If you have any questions about the PPPM Internship Program or posting an internship, feel free to reach out via email.