St. Cloud State University

Employer

Thank you for your interest in our students and in the G.R. Herberger College of Business (HCOB) Internship Program.  Outlined below is some of the basic information about the internship program, the students who participate, and how you can be involved in the process.  The next section contains answers to some of the frequently asked questions.  If you don’t find the answers to your questions, don’t hesitate to contact the Internship Office directly.

Participants:

Students in the COB who are interested in receiving academic credit for their internship must be admitted to their major and be a senior at the time they intern.  Our general rule is that they not take any other classes during the internship.  We want them to be entirely focused on the internship and give it 100% of their attention.  In addition, we require that they return to campus for at least one semester after the internship.  During this semester, they will be writing their internship paper and doing a class presentation in order to receive a grade for the internship experience.

Three general requirements:

The three general requirements of all credit-bearing internships are that the students work full-time (35-40 hours per week) for as close to 15 weeks as possible, and they must be paid.  At the current time, the minimum wage for these internships is $8 per hour.  We have made some limited exceptions to the salary requirement for non-profit organizations, so please feel free to contact the Internship Director directly if you need to discuss that issue.

Job Description:

We have an Internship Proposal form which we ask employers to fill out.  This form is essentially a job description and can be found below.  Please fill this out as completely as possible, and forward it to the Internship Office.  This form is reviewed by both the Internship Director and the appropriate department chair within the HCOB.  Once this is approved, you will be contacted by the Internship Director.

If this internship is being set up for a specific student, please provide that student's name in the appropriate place on the Intership Proposal form.

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Frequenly Asked Questions

CAN INTERNSHIPS BE DONE ANYTIME DURING THE YEAR?

Yes.  Most of our internships track with the semesters, but this isn’t an absolute requirement.  Fall semester typically starts just after Labor Day and ends right before Christmas.  Spring semester starts around the middle of January and usually ends the second week in May (around Mother’s Day weekend).  Summer interns should be available from around the middle of May to the end of August. 

IS ONE TIME OF YEAR BETTER THAN ANOTHER?

Our feeling is that the timing of the internships should be dictated by employer need.  We are seeing many more students looking for summer internships.  Since we do not allow them to take other classes during that internship semester, summer is probably the one time of year when they are best able to fit in an internship.  However, in certain industries (i.e.; public accounting), internships are more realistic during the school year.  Regardless of time, we should have students interested in the opportunities available.

CAN STUDENTS WORK PART-TIME EITHER BEFORE OR AFTER THE INTERNSHIP?

Yes.  We oftentimes find companies which need to either have a student start before the next semester, or continue after the internship.  Our primary concern is that the student work full-time during the internship semester.  If they start early and work part-time, or continue working part-time after the internship semester, this is entirely up to the employer and student involved.  Our hope is that the longer the student can stay on the job, the better the overall work experience for both parties.

IF WE OFFER THE SAME INTERNSHIP YEAR AFTER YEAR, DO WE NEED TO GO THROUGH THE PAPERWORK EACH TIME?

No.  If an internship is approved for credit once and the employer wishes to offer the same internship in future years, there is no need to renew the paperwork each year.  The Internship Office will try to check with the employer every 3-4 years to make certain that the job description on file continues to be current.  In some cases, an updated job description is called for so that both the school and the students know what is expected of the intern.

WHAT ABOUT EMPLOYEE BENEFITS?

Interns are temporary employees and we rarely see them offered any fringe benefits.  Some employers have included them in offering pay for holidays, such as the 4th of July, that are typically available to the permanent employees.  These types of additional incentive are up to the employer.

WHAT IF WE DON’T MEET THE REQUIREMENTS FOR A CREDIT INTERNSHIP?

While we have many students who are specifically looking for academic credit for their internship, we also have students who don’t need the credit and are simply looking for work experience in their major prior to graduation.  The Internship Office is happy to work with all employers to determine the best way to advertise whatever positions are available.