The Human and Organizational Development Internship

The internship is the culminating event in the students' undergraduate experience. The ultimate active learning technique, the internship allows the students an opportunity to apply and strengthen their skills in an organizational setting. The HOD internship, a semester-long, 32-hour-per-week commitment, is a requirement for graduation and must be completed in the second semester of the junior year or during the senior year.

During the internship semester, interns also participate in a weekly three-hour seminar designed to help them process and connect the work experience to their earlier classroom learning.

Additional details about the internship program are provided below:

Payment
Most of our internship opportunities are unpaid, and we do not promote paid internships. We encourage students to seek out internships that offer them the best learning experiences. Paid internships tend to be less flexible in allowing interns to set and pursue their own learning goals. If you choose to pay your interns, the internship office will not enter into any negotiations regarding remuneration.

Work Schedule
Students are required to be on-site a minimum of 32 hours a week. The internship supervisor and the student have the flexibility to establish any work schedule as long as it does not conflict with the weekly internship seminar. Students have deliverables associated with the seminar that can be very time demanding.

You should manage your student as you would an employee, so your intern should follow established organizational policies and procedures to address necessary personal time off, emergencies, and sickness. Internships typically last 15 weeks in the fall and spring semesters and 11 weeks in the summer.

Housing & Transportation
Students are responsible for their own housing. Organizations are not expected to provide housing allowances, obtain temporary housing, or provide transportation for student interns. Many organizations provide travel or parking stipends, but organizations should not feel obligated to do so. Like the issue of payment, if you choose to provide any of these benefits, the internship office will not enter into any negotiations.