Defining an Internship

Nazareth considers employers to be educational partners: mentoring students, teaching real-world skills and preparing graduates to enter the job market.

To ensure that an internship is a "guided learning experience", and thus eligible to be considered legitimate for academic credit, the following criteria must be met. The National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE) gives us a great definition:

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 workplace setting (across in-person, remote, or hybrid modalities). Internships provide students the opportunity to gain valuable applied experience, develop social capital, explore career fields, and make connections in professional fields.

To ensure that an experience — whether it is a traditional internship or one conducted remotely or virtually — is educational, all of the following criteria must be met:

  • The experience must be an extension of the classroom: a learning experience that provides for applying the knowledge gained in the classroom. It must not be simply to advance the operations of the employer or be the work that a regular employee would routinely perform.
  • The skills or knowledge learned must be transferable to other employment settings.
  • The experience has a defined beginning and end, and a job description that details intern responsibilities and desired qualifications.
  • There are clearly defined learning objectives/goals related to the professional goals of the student's academic coursework.
  • There is supervision by a professional with expertise and educational and/or professional background in the field of the experience. Due to potential conflict of interest, direct daily supervision should not be completed by a family member or relative.
  • There is routine feedback by the experienced supervisor.
  • There are resources, equipment, and facilities provided by the host employer that support learning objectives/goals.

*Students earning academic credit for internships must be at sites that are not in a private residence or attached to a personal home.

Non-Traditional Internships

Unpaid Internships at For-Profit Companies

For-profit internship sites offering unpaid internships should construct their internship position so that it is primarily for the benefit of the student and focused on pre-professional tasks designed to increase student learning (and not predominately of administrative tasks).  All sites are encouraged to read the Guidelines for Internships: The Unpaid Intern Test and this position statement about compensation and student learning issued by the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE). 

Virtual/Remote Internships

If a virtual internship is established, here are some components that should be in place:

  • A clear, detailed position description which covers all expectations and which outlines what will constitute a "successful" internship
  • Use of an online project management tool ‐ Office 365, Google Docs, or a similar program.  This will allow the supervisor to go online and monitor the work which is supposed to be completed.  The work is stored in the "cloud" (not on a single PC) so it is always available to those who need it to work on or review.
  • A daily email report where the student provides information such as hours worked, challenges or problems encountered, results obtained, and any questions they may have.
  • A weekly virtual meeting on Zoom, Google Meet, or similar technology.  If that is impossible, then at least a phone conversation.  This meeting may be used to affirm the student, correct any issues, and catch up personally.
  • If the virtual internship is "local" (the site is not far from campus, but the employer says the student can work remotely) the employer must meet with the student in a public place or in the organization’s office at least once per week.  This face‐to‐face meeting is a time for project planning, review of progress made, feedback, etc.

*Standard requirements for earning three credits in the Nazareth internship course also apply.

student interns at news desk

Fast Facts

  • Nazareth student interns must spend at least 10 weeks (8 weeks in the summer) AND at least 120 hours of time at their internship site.
  • Sites will be required to complete a Site Agreement Form with the student prior to the start of the experience that captures supervisor contact information, intern responsibilities, a schedule, etc.
  • Students are enrolled in a course and complete a variety of academic assignments as a part of the internship experience.
  • Interns will request time with supervisors and colleagues to establish relationships, identify expectations, solicit feedback, use job crafting techniques to set goals and demonstrate initiative, and explore organizational culture.    
  • Supervisors will be asked to provide feedback near the mid-point of the experience through a course assignment or a site visit/virtual meeting/email check-in.
  • Sites must complete a performance evaluation with their intern at the close of the internship.