Choose One

• Prospective Students
• Current Students
• Faculty & Staff
• Alumni
• Parents
• Community & Friends

• Graduate Programs
• HOD Undergraduate Program
  • HOD Core and Career Skills
  • HOD Orientation
  • HOD Track Summaries
  • HOD Undergraduate Program of Studies Checklists
  • Liberal Education Core Requirements
  • Internship Program
    • Information for Students
    • Information for Parents
    • Internship Sponsors
    • Internship Sites
    • Important Internship Dates and Deadlines
    • Internship Office
      • Internship Advising
      • Policies
      • Distance Learning Internships
      • Scholarship Opportunities
      • HOD Internship Faculty and Staff
    • Internship Resources
    • Internship Applications and Forms
• Faculty and Staff
• Center for Community Studies
• Fieldschool in Intercultural Education
• Newbrough Graduate Award

Policies

Scheduled Appointments
If you are unable to attend a scheduled meeting with the internship staff, or will be late, call us in advance to let us know. We will be happy to reschedule. By calling us as early as possible, we are able to adjust our schedule accordingly and use the time to help other students. Remember, this is a transition course and missing an appointment or arriving late are inappropriate workplace behaviors that will negatively affect your professional reputation. If you miss a scheduled appointment and do not notify us, you will have to submit a written explanation for your behavior. Repeated offenses could jeopardize your internship eligibility.

Search Strategy Process Steps
Students must complete all required steps as outlined in the Internship Search Strategy Process. Once all steps have been completed, the Internship Office will register students for HOD 2900-30. Failure to complete all steps by the deadline will jeopardize your internship registration. Students may be denied the opportunity to register for internship in that semester or altogether.

Confirmation Deadline
It is essential to confirm your internship by the deadline in order to secure your place in the internship class and be registered for HOD 2900 - 30. Students will not be able to register themselves on OASIS. Failure to submit a confirmation form by the deadline will jeopardize your registration. If you do not have a confirmed placement by the confirmation deadline, you still must submit a confirmation form and request an extension, checking the appropriate box and providing requested information. You must meet with the internship staff member, who will review your request. If an extension is approved, they will help you outline your next steps. Students will be required to submit a weekly update to the internship staff. You will have up to 30 days following the confirmation deadline to confirm an internship placement and may only seek out pre-approved placements. If the city in which you are seeking an internship has reached capacity, you will be wait-listed for that city or redirected to another city.

Taking Additional Courses
The internship office has no formal restriction on taking courses in addition to the internship. However, we strongly advise our students not to take additional courses during this time, as the internship is a very demanding experience. You will not have time for additional course work and both the internship and the additional course will suffer as a result.

Time Off
Time away from your internship is treated the same as any employee's time away from work. You should request from your supervisor time away in advance. To avoid any confusion, we recommend that the request be written, dated, and signed. As you will not accrue any personal leave time, you will be required to make up any hours missed. In case of illness, you are not expected to make up those hours. However, you must contact your supervisor by phone at the beginning of the day you need to be out due to illness. Students are not required to be on-site during Vanderbilt sanctioned breaks, e.g. Thanksgiving, Spring Break. Extended time away for family vacations will not be approved, as the 12- or 15-week commitment to the organization must be fulfilled within the University's academic calendar.

New Internship Sites
The internship office must approve all new sites. The new site information must be submitted to the Internship Office by the confirmation deadline. At that time, the potential site will be contacted by the HOD office and asked to complete a site information form. The internship staff will review the information and determine whether the site will provide an appropriate learning environment. Students may use their own contacts to secure an internship, but we will not approve an intern working at a family business. We also discourage accepting an internship in an organization where you've previously worked.

Paid Internships
The internship office does not encourage or sanction paid internships. Earning money is not the focus of the internship. Students should seek out the internship that will offer them the best learning experience, and realize that most of the positions are unpaid. Paid internships tend to be less flexible in allowing interns to set and pursue their own learning goals. If you choose to accept a paid internship, the internship office will not enter into any sort of negotiations regarding remuneration. Before accepting a paid internship, you need to be sure it will not be in conflict with your student role and responsibilities.

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. As with the issue of payment, if organizations choose to provide any of these benefits, the internship office will not enter into any negotiations.