GENERAL
Undergraduate academic departments offer internship programs through which students can earn academic credit for practical work experience. The purpose of these programs is to encourage students to pursue opportunities where they can enhance and strengthen the knowledge they have gained in the classroom through applications in the business workplace. Internships for academic credit must be consistent with the student’s academic program and must contain specific learning objectives.

Each department administers its internship program in conjunction with the E. J. Ourso College of Business Undergraduate Program Advisors.

PS-38 is LSU's policy statement governing academic credit for internships, co-ops, and similar off-campus study. To read the document in its entirety online, click here.

What is an internship?
An internship provides practical work experience in a student’s chosen field. Its duration may be one semester, a summer, or an agreed-upon length of time between the student and employer. Internships are primarily single, planned educational experiences for students. Internships may or may not be for academic credit and the determination if an internship carries academic credit is made by the internship coordinator in the student’s major department and not with the employer or student.

What is a Cooperative Education (Co-op)?
A co-op is a full-time, in-depth, paid work experience directly related to a student’s major and completed during two to three semesters that alternate with academic semesters.

The difference between an internship and co-op is that a co-op is always paid and lasts over multiple semesters, alternating between coursework and practical work experience. An internship can be paid or unpaid and usually lasts for one semester.

Can a student maintain full-time status at LSU while participating in an internship or co-op?
Yes. To maintain full-time student status, however, internships and co-ops must be processed through Career Services. Contact Amy Caillouet in Career Services at amyc@lsu.edu for more information as there is a fee involved and paperwork that must be completed. Only full-time students retain benefits such as TOPS scholarships, eligibility for student rates on their parents’ health and automobile insurance, deferment of student loans, and student football ticket eligibility. Students participating in internships or co-ops do not have automatic UREC access and are not automatically eligible for Health Center benefits.

Before a student accepts an internship for a fall, spring, or summer semester, they should verify with an E. J. Ourso College advisor that their college coursework will remain on track for graduation. Students should pay special attention to when courses are offered, which could provide challenges for students who participate in a fall or spring semester internship. Some required courses are not offered every semester or in the summer. It is ultimately the responsibility of the student to remain on track for graduation.

FINDING AN INTERNSHIP

Who do I contact about an internship?
An internship coordinator is available in every academic unit of the E. J. Ourso College . For a list of advisors, please visit the internship advisor page online at http://www.bus.lsu.edu/academics/internships.asp

What is the process used in finding an internship?
There are no permanent or existing internships for which a student can register. Internships are established on a case-by-case basis, with the most internship opportunities occurring when:

1. LSU Career Services posts an internship opportunity in one of the methods listed under LSU Career Services in the resource section later in this document.
2. An unsolicited request for a student intern comes into a department or E. J. Ourso College.
3. A faculty member solicits an internship opportunity from a business and the company responds favorably to the solicitation.
4. A student approaches a particular company with a proposed internship and the company accepts the proposal. The proposal must meet all of the academic requirements for an internship and be approved by the academic department before the internship can carry academic credit.

Other unpredictable events may result in internship opportunities. For example, businesses occupying the E. J. Ourso College’s Louisiana Business & Technology Center may present an opportunity for an internship or an individual faculty member may have a particular project that fulfills the previously stated criteria. These opportunities present themselves infrequently.

 What resources are available in finding an internship?

1. Internship Coordinator - Students should visit with the internship coordinator of their major for assistance.
2. Friends, family, and business contacts
3. Networking with faculty, staff, and students
4. Career Services - Students may use the various resources listed below through PAWS:

MonsterTRAK
MonsterTRAK (better known as TigerTRAK) is LSU's online system for job postings and on-campus interviews. The job posting component of TigerTRAK contains listings for full-time, part-time, internship, co-op and volunteer positions with companies that are specifically interested in recruiting LSU students and alumni.

EmployOn
Job search resource that helps users identify jobs in their fields and learn about companies. EmployOn performs a real-time search of more than 7,000,000 jobs. It spiders job boards as well as individual company Web sites for job openings.

Going Global
Going Global provides users with access to more than 250,000 international job openings and internship opportunities. This online directory also features corporate profiles for 25,000 companies worldwide and includes such information as sales, revenues, brand officers, and key contact information. (Information from Going Global Web site)

Internship Leads Database
This tool can be utilized to pinpoint potential companies for which to intern. Visit the organizations' Web sites to find out how to land a dream internship. This is an excellent resource to find out everything about a company before interviewing.