Students may earn academic credit through either a paid or unpaid internship. All
internship compensation arrangements must comply with applicable federal and state
labor laws and University requirements.
To qualify as unpaid, an internship must meet the criteria established under the Fair
Labor Standards Act (FLSA), which ensures the experience is primarily educational.
Unpaid and stipend-paid internships also require a University Community Partnership
Agreement, as workers' compensation is not provided.
Paid internships require students to be hired as W-2 employees, earn at least the
applicable minimum wage, and be covered by the employer's workers' compensation and
liability insurance.
Things to Consider When Looking for an Academic Internship
Internships associated in any way with cannabis, smoking, or vaping, or internship
activities that violate campus policy or federal law will not be approved.
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鈥檚 regular work duties.
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.
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).
International Students or Domestic Students in an International Experience should
consult with the Office of Global Education for work authorization. Please also contact
our office at internships@csusm.edu at least 6 months in advance of the internship experience to start the process of
onboarding an international internship site. *Note: Dependent on agreement of terms,
not all sites may be approved.
TB tests are the responsibility of the student if required by the site. SHCS provides TB tests for a fee; call 760-750-4915 to schedule an appointment.