Frequently Asked Questions

Academic Internships 

• Are students allowed to use their job as internship experience?
  Per the CSUSM Student Internship Policy, students using their job as their internship experience must seek pre-approval from the course instructor to ensure the experience is above and beyond the student’s regular work duties and meets the content for the internship course.
• Are students allowed to intern at 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.
• Are students allowed to intern for a family member?
  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).
• Can a faculty member supervise a student intern?
  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.
• Can a student receive credit for an past internship they have completed?
  No.  Internships cannot be approved retroactively.

Database Course Setup

• Where do I access the Internship Database?
  The  Internship database is found in the Internship website.
• How do I work with a community partner that is not in the database?

  Complete the Faculty Request Community Partner Form  and an application automatically will be emailed to the organization.

  PLEASE NOTE: Deadlines to submit new requests are August 1 for the Fall semester, May 1 for the Summer sessions and December 15 for the Spring semester.

• How can I learn more about the database (S4)?
  The Faculty User Guide has detailed instructions for navigating the internship database (S4).
• Are students allowed to intern at a site if it is not in the internship database? It depends.
  • If the internship is unpaid (or paid via stipend or 1099 employment) students may not intern at a site that is not in the database because there is no University Community Partner Agreement. A University Community Partnership Agreement is important because it ensures students are covered by the University’s liability coverage, as well as establishes guidelines and policies for a quality internship experience.  The organization will start the process by completing our partner application.
  • If the student intern will be a W2 employee paid at least minimum wage, students may intern at a site without a University Community Partner Agreement as workers’ comp and professional liability is the employer’s responsibility.  The organization will still complete our partner application.