Academic Internship Program
How to Find an Internship
- Find opportunities through your own professional network.
- Search positions on Handshake.
- Connect on the Carson College of Business LinkedIn.
If you have questions about finding an internship, contact the advising team at van.cbadvising@wsu.edu.
An internship for academic credit must contain a faculty sponsor, an assigned internship site supervisor, and a supervisor-assigned project with learning goals.
- Your faculty sponsor ensures the internship has an academic component and connects with your major.
- Your site internship supervisor agrees to directly supervise you at their place of business. Your supervisor cannot be another student or a family member.
- Handshake is where all information about your internship is entered and recorded.
- You are responsible for bringing this together and ensuring all parts of the registration process are completed by all parties.
How to Register Your Internship for Academic Credit
Registration for all internships begins with submitting an Experience application in Handshake, which you will access with your WSU ID and password.
Important Deadlines
- Internship applications: Due by noon the first Friday of classes starting each term.
- End of internship hours and paper: Due by 5 p.m. the end of closed week each term.
- Employer and student evaluations: Due by 5 p.m. the end of closed week each term.
Internship Checklist
You are responsible for managing the following steps and ensuring all parts of the registration process are completed by all parties.
1. Find an Internship
- Find opportunities through your own professional network.
- Search positions on Handshake.
- Attend career events.
- Check the Carson Career Connections LinkedIn group.
2. Secure the Position
- Secure an internship with an assigned internship site supervisor and a supervisor-assigned project with learning goals.
- Note: Your supervisor cannot be another student or a family member.
3. Determine Your Faculty Sponsor
- Identify a faculty sponsor to ensure the internship has an academic component that connects with your major.
- Requirements: Faculty sponsors must be full-time Carson College of Business faculty members who teach in your major concentration. Not all faculty members are able to serve as a sponsor.
4. Contact Your Faculty Sponsor
Be prepared to share the following information with them:
- Name of company
- Name of internship supervisor
- Location
- Your internship schedule and time frame
- Job description
- Draft of learning goals
- Any additional pertinent information regarding your internship
5. Submit the Handshake Experience Request
Register your internship for academic credit by filling out the Experience Request in Handshake.
- Completion: You must complete all application questions and required learning objectives prior to submitting.
- Policy: Requests must be completed in full by the deadline to be reviewed for credit. Incomplete or late applications will not be processed.
Important Deadlines
- Internship Applications: Due by noon on the first Friday of classes of the starting term.
- Hours & Final Paper: Due by 5 p.m. on Friday of closed week each term.
- Employer & Student Evaluations: Due by 5 p.m. on Friday of closed week each term.
Once you have completed the Handshake Experience Request, an email will be sent to your faculty sponsor and site supervisor for approval.
Note on Summer Internships: The faculty sponsor for all summer internships is Academic Director Jenni Sandstrom. You may connect with a faculty member in your area of discipline to discuss specific learning goals for your major, though this is optional.
At the conclusion of your internship:
- Submit your documents to your faculty sponsor and van.cbadvising@wsu.edu.
- Learning Goals paper: Write a two to three page paper describing what you learned. Divide this paper into sections, using each of your learning goals as a heading.
- Excel log: Submit an Excel log (.xlsx) of internship hours from the start of the term to the Friday of closed week, which is tracked on the academic calendar.
- To fill out the log, write your learning goals in the top row of the Excel file and track the weekly hours for each learning goal. Any work that does not fit into a specific learning goal can be logged under Miscellaneous. The bottom row of the Excel document automatically calculates your total hours in each category as well as your total hours for the internship duration. You need at least 100 hours to earn two credits and 150 hours to earn three credits.
- Complete the student evaluation in Handshake.
- Have your site supervisor complete the employer evaluation in Handshake.
Carson College of Business Internship Expectations
As a student working through this program, you serve as a representative of Washington State University. Present yourself in a professional manner for special projects, the clients with whom you work and other students who may be interning with you.
Responsibilities of the student in a field placement:
- Set your work schedule, be reliable, consistent and on time.
- Dress appropriately for your assignment.
- Use appropriate language.
Responsibilities of the employer and internship site:
- Offer a true career-related experience that enhances academic learning. Hiring a student to perform busywork, such as data entry, filing or answering phones, is appropriate for an internship experience only when balanced with meaningful professional responsibilities. Internships serve as a link between classroom learning and practical application. Students should be involved in making decisions and learning about a field through hands-on experience.
- Provide a position description that describes the internship. Students earning academic credit must complete an Internship Learning and Participation Agreement form on Handshake. This agreement document is an opportunity for you and the student to define the job duties they perform during this time-limited employment period. Include the name of the organization, position title and description, duration of employment, compensation information, qualifications required, location and application process.
- Appoint someone to act as a mentor or supervisor during the experience. Introduce the student to the organization, employees, physical layout and order of responsibility. Be sure the student intern knows the general philosophy and procedures of operation for the organization as a whole. Inform the intern of rules and expectations to be followed.
- Provide the intern with feedback and assessment information. Be sure that the mentor or supervisor has the time to oversee performance and offer constructive feedback. At the conclusion of the internship, a Final Employer Internship Evaluation is due by the last day of closed week. If you have questions about the evaluation, email van.cbadvising@wsu.edu.
Program Notes:
- If a student is performing services for a business or organization, regardless of academic credit, the student must be paid for their work.
- Equal Employment Opportunity and Affirmative Action laws, as well as most overtime and minimum wage laws, protect paid employees, including student interns.
- Schools are not allowed to disclose student information, including individual student disabilities, to potential employers.
- States generally prohibit state agencies from entering into Hold Harmless or Indemnification agreements with employers. Students cannot sign away their personal rights to sue for unforeseen harm or discrimination. It is also not appropriate for students to sign non-compete agreements with employers.
Academic Requirements for each Concentration
Explore the specific internship criteria and academic expectations required for each business concentration to earn academic credit.
An accounting internship consists of work at a professional level in the field of accounting. It may be a highly structured, project-oriented position officially titled internship or a part-time position of an ongoing nature. Internships for academic credit must show evidence of new learning or learning experiences that connect with the accounting curriculum.
Key criteria include:
The job content is beyond clerical or bookkeeping duties.
The student works with or for a professional accountant.
The new responsibilities gained from the accounting internship must be significantly different from current jobs.
The student must be able to demonstrate the additional accounting skills and knowledge gained from the internship.
A finance internship consists of work at a professional level in the field of finance. Internships for academic credit must show evidence of new learning or learning experiences that connect with the finance curriculum.
Key criteria include:
The student is supervised by a professional in the field of finance.
The responsibilities associated with the internship advance the student’s practical experience in finance and are distinct from current job duties.
The student must be able to demonstrate the additional finance skills and knowledge gained from the internship.
A marketing internship consists of work at a professional level in the field of marketing and sales. This includes marketing research and analysis, social media and digital marketing, branding, pricing, new-product introduction, advertising, promotion, sales, distribution, retail management, e-commerce, sales management, negotiations, and business-to-business marketing. Internships for academic credit must show evidence of new learning or learning experiences that connect to the marketing curriculum.
Key criteria include:
The job content is beyond clerical tasks.
The student works with or for a professional marketing or sales professional or organization.
The new responsibilities gained from the internship must be significantly different from current jobs.
The student must be able to demonstrate the additional marketing or sales skills and knowledge gained from the internship.
A management internship consists of work at a professional level in the field of management. Internships for academic credit must show evidence of new learning or learning experiences that connect with the management curriculum.
Key criteria include:
The job content is beyond clerical tasks.
The student works with or for a professional or organization.
The job responsibilities include at least one of the following: the planning, structuring and controlling of organizations; leading and motivating employees; managing teams; resource allocation and utilization; or the control of quality.
The new responsibilities gained from the internship must be significantly different from current jobs.
The student must be able to demonstrate the additional management skills and knowledge gained from the internship.
A Hospitality Business Management internship consists of work at a professional level in the field of Hospitality Business Management. Internships for academic credit must show evidence of new learning or learning experiences that connect with the Hospitality Business Management curriculum.
Key criteria include:
The job content is beyond clerical tasks.
The student works with or for a Hospitality Business Management professional or organization.
The new responsibilities gained from the internship must be significantly different from current jobs.
The student must be able to demonstrate the additional hospitality business management skills and knowledge gained from the internship.
A Management Information Systems internship consists of work at a professional level in the field of Management Information Systems. Internships for academic credit must show evidence of new learning or learning experiences that connect with the Management Information Systems curriculum.
Key criteria include:
The job content is beyond clerical tasks.
The student works with or for a Management Information Systems professional or organization.
The job responsibilities include the application of technology, such as identifying information needs and managing organizational change associated with the implementation of technology.
The new responsibilities gained from the internship must be significantly different from current jobs.
The student must be able to demonstrate the additional Management Information Systems skills and knowledge gained from the internship.
Sample Learning Goals
Counting your internship for academic credit requires identifying three to five learning goals. Learning goals serve to explain professional development activities you will accomplish by the end of your internship. Develop these in conjunction with your faculty sponsor and employer. You will track your learning goals and hours worked in your internship log. Use the sample log to track your three to five learning goals over the term. The log automatically calculates the hours worked.
Remember that you must work 100 hours to earn two credits or 150 hours to earn three credits during the term. Review examples of learning goals to help build your application
Carson College of Business Internship Program Sample Learning Goals
Please choose one learning goal per category in relation to your major for a total of five learning goals
- (ACCTG) Learn about internal monthly reporting (sales reports, expenditures report), month end and year-end procedures, including closing the books.
- (ACCTG) Obtain proficiency in preparation of account reconciliations, journal entries and account analysis.
- (ACCTG) Identify, understand and propose resolution for discrepancies in account reconciliations, journal entries and account analysis.
- (ACCTG) Document a cycle for an entity.
- (ACCTG) Analyze an internal control system using the COSO framework.
- (ACCTG) Gain an understanding of the audit of a city through fieldwork.
- (ACCTG) Gain an understanding of the audit of a school district through fieldwork.
- (ACCTG) Learn to analyze and research client issues to complete income tax returns.
- (ACCTG/FIN) Analyze all firm accounts and prepare a trend line (or forecasting) of accounts.
- (FIN) Grow an understanding of how capital markets work and how they relate to and shape the economy.
- (FIN) Research and gain awareness and understanding of the financial services competitive landscape and apply it to daily calls/emails/communications/etc.
- (MIS) Examine variation of employee efficiency using monthly metrics in order to build a report using graphical representation via excel.
- (MKTG) Develop a “marketing orientation” based on fulfilling needs, rather than a “production orientation” based solely on company capabilities.
- (MKTG) Learn how consumer behavior principles apply to marketing.
- (General) Analyze and draw conclusions from large amounts of data by providing a reports/presentation.
- (General) Attend business meetings within the firm.
- (General) Attend professional development events within the firm or in the community.
- (General) Maintain professional contacts outside of the firm.
- (General) Train new employees and/or interns.
- (ACCTG) Understand the audit procedures for an area and be able to complete assigned audit tasks.
- (ACCTG) Understand the Washington State tax system and be able to complete the relevant tax forms.
- (ACCTG) Further develop individual tax return preparation skills for high net worth individuals.
- (General) Understand how the budgeting process works for my company by shadowing managers and forecasting for the next fiscal year.
- (MIS) Acquire analytical skills by extracting raw data, transforming and loading data into the firm’s internal data warehouse using Access and other reporting applications.
- (MIS) Apply critical thinking practices to develop an analysis of information while using the firm’s internal information system to generate results and provide a report/spreadsheet/etc. with the findings.
- (MKTG) Learn the math of marketing such as calculating markups at various stages of the distribution channel, average cost pricing, gross margin return on investment (GMROI) for retailers.
- (MKTG) Develop sales skills to be used in sales calls.
- (MKTG) Determine how marketing creates values for customers and the firm, and identify relevant marketing metrics.
- (General) Learn how to use the firm’s software _____ (list the software).
- (General) Analyze business transactions to report to a supervisor.
- (MGMT) Renewing old procedures and make them more efficient with new technology for the company and provide a report with the results/findings.
- (MKTG) Develop communication skills to be able to identify a potential client’s needs and articulate how or if we would be able to add value.
- (MKTG) Develop emotional intelligence to deal with the pressures of sales positions.
- (General) Phone and office communication skills. Learn how to communicate with management in a professional setting through agendas for meetings/emails/phone calls/one on one meetings/etc.
- (General) Learn to communicate with clients with professional tools such as email, phone calls, or other professional documents.
- (General) Edit training manuals for future employees and/or interns.
- (General) Learn how to prepare projects for supervisors.