Academic Internships
Internships are a form of experiential learning where students are on assignment with an organization for a limited period of time to gain real-world work experience that is either directly related to their major field of study or to their career interest. Having an internship is like creating a road map for career success. Studies show that 7 out of 10 internships may turn into full-time jobs. We encourage all undergraduate and graduate students to complete at least 1 internship experience prior to graduation.
The student registration timeline can take several weeks to complete due to the required online forms and internship site registration process. We HIGHLY encourage students to begin their internship registration process the semester prior to enrollment if possible. Follow the Academic Student Guide process to secure your internship for academic credit. Please view the Important Dates page for information on the start and end date for every semester.
Internships for Academic Credit
All departments offer courses that enable students to obtain academic credit for their internships. Courses are typically taken concurrently with the internship and supplement the experience with reflection and a substantial research project as course requirements. Depending on the department, it may be mandatory for your internship to be directly related to your major. Be aware that course offerings change from term to term and policies differ greatly from one department to the next.
Make sure you are eligible to enroll in the internship class (i.e. MGMT 498, CMGT 698, etc.) by checking the course prerequisites and enrollment criteria. Contact the class instructor and/or your major advisor to confirm the process of class enrollment. NOTE: Class enrollment is not granted until you get to Step 4 - Internship Placement.
There are many ways to find an internship! These include searching job aggregators (Handshake, LinkedIn, etc.) and company websites, using personal contacts, and attending career events. We recommend using our Get Hired website for resources.
Best Practices:
- Start your internship search early and be consistent. Some opportunities are posted a year in advance!
- Ensure your profile on job aggregators is complete
- Check CalStateS4 for current/past internship opportunities
- Research company websites for opportunities. Note application deadlines.
- Attend a Virtual Resume Workshop
Once you have identified an internship opportunity, you need to get the internship approved. Cal State East Bay uses CalStateS4 to approve internship sites and track students seeking an internship for academic credit. Check the CalStateS4 "Sites" page for your potential internship site. If your internship site is already listed on the CalStateS4 "Sites" page, please click here for more information.
If the employer is not listed, please complete the Student Internship Site Request form:
https://app.calstates4.com/
This form allows CalStateS4 to send a request to your internship site and instructor teaching your internship course. After completing the form, your employer contact will receive an instructional email requesting that they register through the CalStateS4 system to become an approved site. This is done by the employer completing the Request to Initiate Partnership (RTIP).
In most instances, processing takes 3 - 5 business days after receipt of the RTIP submitted by the employer. Check the CalStateS4 "Opportunities" page for your internship opportunity. Most opportunities are posted within 5 business days, but if the opportunity is not listed after 5 business days, send an email to internships@csueastbay.edu to check on the status. Include the company name in the email communication for faster processing.
Once your internship site has been approved in CalStateS4, complete the Internship Intake Process:
- Go to https://app.calstates4.com/csueastbay/ and log in
- Click the Internship button at the bottom of the page to request for enrollment in an internship course for academic credit. Complete the short form and click submit (this step only needs to be completed once).
- On your Home screen, click Place and follow the on screen instructions. When selecting the opportunity, ensure you click Search by opportunities.
- Once all forms have been completed, click Finish Placement
You will receive an email confirmation once your intake request has been processed.
NOTE: You will need to upload an offer letter with the following information: on company letterhead, start and end date of the opportunity, employer contact information, job description, paid or unpaid, # of hours/week, etc. If your offer letter was sent via email you can print it as a PDF.
INTL students are required to have the offered letter approved. Please send to internships@csueastbay.edu and include your major.
The faculty teaching the internship course for academic credit will review your request for enrollment and will approve or deny the request. If you do not receive an email confirmation within a week of completing your placement, please reach out to the faculty teaching the course. Once your intake request is successful, your final step is to complete placement.
- Go to https://app.calstates4.com/csueastbay/ and log in
- Click View My Placements
- Select your internship placement (eg. Placement #140000)
- Click the green Assign Course button
- Under Course , select the internship course
- Click Save Changes
After assigning the course, you have successfully completed all the registration and placement steps for your internship.
NOTE: You have to be enrolled in the course for at least 24 hours before attempting to complete this step.
INTL students: The Center for International Education (CIE) will receive an email notification once you complete this step. You can schedule to meet with CIE regarding your CPT at this time.
All students are required to complete the forms below in CalStateS4 during/after the internship. The forms expire at the end of the semester.
- Time Log
- Student Evaluation of Academic Experience Form
- Site Supervisor Evaluation Request
FAQs
- Obtain a new offer letter or ask the internship site to send an email to internships@csueastbay.edu and include pertinent information about the opportunity: internship dates, compensation information and hours/week, job description and point of contact for the company. Please review the Important Dates page to ensure your internship opportunity does not start before the term date and does not extend past the last day of finals for the term.
- If the internship opportunity is not already listed in CalStateS4, the internship site will need to add a new opportunity in CalStateS4. Instructions can be found here. Processing time is 2 - 3 business days.
- Once approved, complete the Internship Course Intake Forms in CalStateS4 (step 4 in the Internships for Academic Credit process).
- Questions? Send an email to internships@csueastbay.edu.
NOTE: Please consult with your major advisor for internship approval and course enrollment.
Summer internship opportunities are viewable to students in CalStateS4 at the time of summer class enrollment. You will be unable to view the opportunity prior to this date. If you are unsure if your opportunity was submitted, check with your internship site before emailing the Internships Office.
Information on adding a new point of contact for your internship site can be found here, under Adding New Contacts. Send this information to your internship site if the site contact needs to be updated.
If you need to find the site contact for your internship site, follow the steps below:
- Login CalStateS4
- Select SITES
- Enter the Site Name, and select Apply Filter
- Select the site. If the site is not listed, please check the spelling.
- The Site Contact information will be listed
During the Fall and Spring semester, Cal State East Bay students are allowed to work up to 20 hours/week. In the Summer, students can work 40 hours/week. If the internship site offers overtime (more than 40 hours/week) over the summer, the student can elect to work more than 40 hours. The internship site is required to follow California Labor Laws (benefits, pay, breaks, etc.) if offering overtime to interns.
No. Please double check your responses prior to submitting. Common errors include: total hours reported and internship class selection. If you notice an error after submission, please send an email to internships@csueastbay.edu for assistance.
Please consult with your supervisor and explain the concerns. If unresolved, please send an email to internships@csueastbay.edu outlining the issue.
California State University East Bay (CSUEB) is committed to building partnerships with employers that choose to host an internship experience at their job site with the intention of connecting academic content to career experience, and learning specific career skill sets needed for their profession. All sites wanting to partner with CSUEB must abide by the U.S. Department of Labor's description of Internship Programs Under The Fair Labor Standards Act.
At CSUEB, we are required to collect information about the positions employers wish to offer our students for academic credit. We use the CalStateS4 system to collect this information. In conjunction with Handshake, we provide a streamlined workflow that allows you to offer our students both pre-approved credit-bearing internships or report internship information necessary for us to award credit after you have selected a student to fill your internship position.
CPT/OPT is processed through the Center for International Education. For more information, send an email to cie@csueastbay.edu.
NOTE: Internship dates must align with federal guidelines. Please review more information about applicable dates at the Center for International Education website.
Send an email to internships@csueastbay.edu. Include the correct hours and placement number in your email communication.
- Completed on company letterhead
- Dates of employment (Start date cannot be before the start of the term and the end date cannot be after the last day of finals for the term)
- Compensation details
- Job title and description of duties
- Supervisor contact information
- Location of internship
- Internship type - remote, in-person, hybrid
- Number of hours expected to work/week
Right To Work
DACA / AB540 / Undocumented
Students may use their work authorization (or a valid ITIN to be paid as an independent contractor. If student has an ITIN, make sure it has not expired. Find information on ITIN expiration and renewal here: IRS. If student has work authorization, check status to ensure it has not expired. Work authorizations through DACA are renewable every two years. If you need to renew your DACA, contact the Undocumented Student Resource Center (USRC).
Not sure if you have an ITIN? Consult with your parents - If they claimed you as a dependent on their income taxes, you may already have one. If you do not have an ITIN, you can learn how to obtain one through the ITIN Guide, IRS or the Independent Contractor Forms video from Immigrants Rising.
International Students
International students (F-1 visa holders) must obtain work authorization, such as CPT, OPT or Economic Hardship, before beginning any off-campus employment.
If you are a current international student at CSUEB, please confirm your off campus employment eligibility with CIE before applying for internships. If you have already completed your program of study, you must have OPT approval and your internship must meet the OPT requirements. Contact the CIE: Center for International Education for more information.
Disclaimer:
- Cal State East Bay does not recommend students accepting an unpaid, non-credit internship experience for safety and liability reasons. Cal State East Bay requires all partners to abide by our Federal, State laws, and Executive Orders and regulations.
- To report an incident please email: internships@csueastbay.edu