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Career Center

Risk Management

Faculty members advising and leading internships classes should familiarize themselves with the following internship guidelines. Any questions on policies can be directed to the Career Center Internship Team at internships@csusm.edu.  

CSU and ÌÇÐÄÉÙÅ® Policies

Internship Pay Structure Policies

Students may work in a paid or unpaid internship for Academic Credit. For an internship to be allowed as unpaid, it must pass the which established that the student is the primary beneficiary of the internship experience.  

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  • Unpaid or Stipend Paid Internships
    Unpaid or stipend paid internships (including 1099 contractual work) require the University Community Partnership Agreement (draft here), as workers' compensation is not offered. This agreement establishes guidelines that allow for safe and positive learning environments where the risk and liability have been minimized for all parties.
  • W2 Paid Internships
    Paid internships require that students be hired as W-2 employees, compensated at or above minimum hourly wage, and covered under workers’ compensation and liability insurance.

Guidelines For Approving Internships

Things to consider when approving student internship placements

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  • Hour Requirements
    Internships must meet the hour requirement for the course, roughly 90-120 hours for a 3 unit course.
  • Clerical and Office Duties
    Clerical and routine office duties should be kept to a minimum (less than 20%).
  • 1:1 Work with Minors
    If the intern is not considered a W-2 employee, students cannot work 1:1 with minors without proper supervision.
  • Cannabis
    Internships associated in any way with cannabis, smoking, or vaping, or internship activities that violate campus policy or federal law will not be approved.
  • Transporting Clients
    Students may not transport clients/consumers of their field internship agency at any time for any reason.
  • Home-Based Businesses
    Home-based businesses may be approved once required criteria are met. Furthermore, a site visit may be required but does not guarantee approval.
  • Door-To-Door and Direct Sales
    Students are not permitted to participate in door-to-door sales, telemarketing, canvassing, or cold calling of any kind.
  • Internship at Current Place of Employment
    Students wishing to use their job as their internship experience must seek pre-approval from their course instructor to ensure that the experience is above and beyond the student’s regular work duties.
  • Interning for Faulty Supervisor
    To avoid a conflict of interest, students are not permitted to intern at businesses in which their current faculty supervisor has an ownership stake, nor may a faculty member be both a site supervisor and a faculty supervisor.
  • Interning for Family
    To avoid a conflict of interest, students are not permitted to intern in family-owned businesses (in other words, if a member of their own family owns the business) or to be supervised by an immediate member of the family (i.e., father, mother, sibling).
  • Retroactive Internships
    Internships cannot be approved retroactively.

Additional Topics and Resources

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Required Student Compliance Forms

The Career Center is the central point for ensuring student safety, compliance and all related paperwork.
Information collected and provided during the student placement process in S4 include:

  • Safety Orientation & Professionalism Video for Students
  • Student Participation Form
    (Emergency contact information, site supervisor information, learning outcomes and more.)
  • Liability Release Form