Internship Policy
| Sponsor: | Office of Academic Affairs |
| Contact: | Office of the Provost |
| Category: | Academic, Graduate Studies |
| Number: | TBD |
| Effective Date: | 9/2/2025 |
| Implementation History: | New Policy |
| Review Date: | |
| Key Words: | Internship |
| Background Information: |
Purpose
The purpose of this policy is to provide a policy for student participation in credit-bearing internships.
Definitions
Internship: applied learning experience for which a student earns college-level credit in an agreed-upon, one-term, supervised workplace activity as part of the student’s degree program.
Faculty Supervisor: the faculty member responsible for supervision of the academic activities related to the internship, including the course syllabus.
Internship Host Supervisor: individual responsible for supervising the student. Some programs may have specific requirements regarding who can serve in this role.
Policy Statements
All internships must be credit-bearing. The required ratio of internship hours worked to credit hours is 40 hours of work per 1 credit hour.
Students at SUNY Empire may participate in internship experiences either within the university or with an external host site. To be eligible for an internship, students must meet the following criteria:
- Be a matriculated student.
- Have completed at least one term.
- Must be an active student enrolled in one of the two prior terms
- Be in good academic standing.
Internship participation is subject to mentor/academic advisor approval, which will ensure the internship aligns with the student’s degree program. Some academic programs may have more restrictions on the internship, and some academic programs may not allow internship credits.
Internships may be pursued during the Spring, Summer, or Fall terms and must be registered for prior to the start of the term. Generally, internships are not undertaken during express terms.
Students participating in an unpaid, credit-bearing internship must have an affiliation agreement and there should be a certificate of liability in place. The student certificate of liability is to cover State University of New York enrolled students who are participating in clinical or non-clinical internships/experiential learning experiences at an outside organization or at SUNY facilities.
All procedures pertaining to this policy are administered through the Office of Career and Experiential Learning Services.
Applicable Legislation and Regulations
Related References, Policies, Procedures, Forms and Appendices
