• Require a single, limited duration (usually a semester or summer), curriculum-related work assignment.
• Are either:
  • part-time positions allowing students to take a full load of classes during the internship, and usually involve 10-20 hours work/week for at least 12 weeks,
  • or full-time during the summer for at least 8 weeks.
• Have fewer formal requirements; can be arranged within the college.
• May be paid or unpaid.
• Typically give students an opportunity to earn academic credit.

Note: Positions which are primarily clerical in nature do not provide a vehicle for quality learning at the university level, and are inappropriate for internships and co-op experiences. However, these jobs do provide valuable financial support to students who are trying to fully or partially support themselves while obtaining an education.

Co-Ops:

• May be up to 7 months in duration.
• May involve either:
  • an alternating plan (students participate in full-time work alternated with full-time school),
  • or a parallel plan (students combine concurrent part-time work with full-time school).
• Require a contract between the employer and NMSU and must be registered with and approved by NMSU Career Services.
• Career Services provides a code that goes on the student’s transcript.
• Require compensation of the student.
• Require a written job description.
• In some co-ops, students can return for another work cycle with increased responsibilities and activities.
• Enable students to be considered “full-time students” in order to maintain financial aid and scholarships even though they are not enrolled in classes during the work phases of their co-op.
• May give students the opportunity to earn academic credit.

Contact: Daniel James, Associate Dean-Academics.

Responsibilities:

In addition to commitments made directly to a student:

1. Provide the college with a job description for the student position which explicitly identifies the learning activities, responsibilities and opportunities the student will encounter during the work experience.
2. Designate a company staff member as a liaison with the college or NMSU.
3. Select and notify the student to be awarded. The college will assist you in identifying appropriate students for the position.
4. Communicate your expectations with respect to the student’s job performance to the student and provide supervision and appropriate feedback to the student.
5. Complete a written evaluation of the student’s performance at the conclusion of the internship. A form will be provided by NMSU or the college. Discuss the evaluation with the student and provide a copy to the faculty member supervising the internship academic component.

How to participate

Employer: Internship Proposal Form. Instructions are provided on the form.

1. Identify situations in your organization where a business student could provide a service to your organization and a significant learning opportunity related to the student’s field of study could be provided.
2. Develop a position description.
3. Submit your proposed internship or co-op on the Employer: Internship Proposal Form with the position description attached.
4. The college will submit the form to the appropriate academic department to evaluate the proposal and determine whether the work experience (when combined with academic assignments supervised by faculty) is sufficient to justify academic credit.
5. Once the college has made that determination, as well as the amount and type of credit, we will notify the contact person on your form to finalize arrangements for selecting your student intern(s).