Internships

Are you interested in developing an internship position at your organization? Think of internships as an opportunity for a student to complete a special project for your CBO – for little or no cost!

There are two types of internships - 1) existing and 2) individualized. Many of our students come to SOURCE seeking existing internships– these are available to them immediately, have already been developed (see How to Develop an Internship below), and are advertised. This type, which you, the CBO, develop before recruiting a student volunteer, differs from an individualized internship, in which the student and the CBO work together – “starting from scratch”- to reach mutual goals. Both types of internships are valuable, but the individualized internship development process takes a little extra time and energy, for both our students and you. Thus, due to the intensity of their studies and other personal obligations, our students often turn elsewhere to find advertised, available, existing internships.

While we believe that some of our students will continue to create individualized internships specific to their interests, we have seen many students abandoning individualized internships, for the convenience of advertised existing internships. Thus, we encourage you to follow the following guidelines on developing an existing internship, so you may get an edge on the recruitment pool.

Additionally, there are both optional and required internships at our Schools. Most students look at internships as a great way to gain experience or to earn academic credit through a “special studies” or independent study with a faculty member. At BSPH, there are several degree programs that require internships (or field placements). Typically, students that are required to complete an internship work full-time for 3 months - 6 months (depending on departmental requirements). Most of these internships occur in the summer and/or fall. Payment is not required for the students. However, there are many students that do seek funding because they are still required to pay for tuition during these terms. So, if your organization has the ability to pay an hourly rate or give a stipend, recruitment will be much easier for the internship.