Internships & Community Engagement
Expectations of Agencies
In order to be considered a suitable internship site, the agencies must meet the following expectations:
- The agency should provide supervision by a professional with expertise and educational
and/or professional background.
- The agency should provide a meaningful learning experience that entails applying knowledge
gained in the classroom. It must not simply advance the operations of the employer
or be the work that a regular employee would routinely perform.
- The skills or knowledge learned should be transferable to other employment settings.
- The dates of the internships should correspond to the academic calendar and have a
defined beginning and end.
- The agency and faculty mentor should reach clearly defined learning objectives/goals
related to the professional goals of the student’s academic coursework and career
aspirations.
- The agency should provide routine feedback by the experienced supervisor.
- The agency should provide resources, equipment, and facilities necessary to support
learning objectives/goals.
- The agency, faculty mentor, and student should reach the same understanding about whether monetary compensation will be provided, and whether the internship could lead to employment.