INTERNSHIP GUIDE

August 2020

Submitted by:
Catherine Cosgrove-Coordinator of Employer Engagement & Internships

With assistance from Career Development Team:
Karen James-Assistant Direct Career Planning
Genevieve Morse-Career Placement Coordinator

Introduction

Internships are widely recognized, best practices that support student engagement, persistence, and personal and professional development.  The hope with building a strong internship program at MCC is to have an impact on closing the achievement gap as well.  MCC desires is to expand this opportunity beyond the traditional career-oriented programs so that Liberal Arts and Sciences students can also benefit from this best practice.  This guide of policies and procedures can be applied overall while still maintaining flexibility to meet the requirements of individual programs. 

By providing a platform for expanded opportunities and ease of navigating for internships, more students will be able to gain the many benefits of having an experience working in a professional setting, gaining workplace skills, networking with potential employers, applying knowledge gained for their coursework and exploring career pathways.

This guide will:

  1. Outline policies and practices for students to follow to acquire internship opportunities
  2. Outline policies and practices for employers to follow to acquire and monitor interns
  3. Outline policies and practices for faculty to follow who may sponsor interns

Ultimately, this will lead to a more consistent and beneficial experience for students, faculty and employers, and will create a foundation upon which the college can expand these opportunities to students majoring in a variety of programs across the college.

Much of the content of this guide is based on the work presented in: Massachusetts Community Colleges Experiential Education: Internships and Cooperative Education; A Handbook for Practitioners and Administrators; published 2011. Throughout this guide, this publication will be referred to as the Handbook.  Much information in this guide is adopted from the Career and Internship Workgroup Proposal presented by a 2014 MCC Career and Internship Workgroup of faculty and staff. Throughout this guide, this publication will be referred to as the Proposal.

Part I. Definition (Handbook pg. 9)

  1. Internships:

An internship is a form of experiential learning that integrates knowledge and theory learned in the classroom with practical application and skills development in a professional setting. Internships give students the opportunity to gain valuable applied experience and make connections in professional fields they are considering for career paths; and give employers the opportunity to guide and evaluate talent.

Types of Internships at MCC

  • Academic Credit Internships
    • The institution shall ensure that credit is granted to students who have achieved the learning outcomes of assigned learning activities in addition to completing the required number of hours at the internship site. Activity design should match the institutional, program and course outcomes set forth in the academic catalog, departmental assessments, program review, or related institutional materials. Eligibility, credit hours, and approval of internship site will be determined by academic department.   Employers can post these opportunities on Career Development online recruiting platform, Handshake
  • Non-credit Internships
    • These experiential learning opportunities usually occur during the summer months lasting between 8-10 weeks. While some internships may continue part-time during the academic year or convert to full-time jobs, there is no requirement or guarantee by the employer for the internship to last longer than originally set forth during the posting process. Employers can post these opportunities on Career Development’s online recruiting platform, Handshake.
  • Micro-Internships
    • Micro-internships are short-term, paid, professional assignments that are similar to those given to new hires or interns. They are highly-specific, project-based positions that typically consist of 20 to 40 hours of work and can occur year-round. Students that participate in micro-internships are paid a fixed rate (at least $12/hour), can complete work remotely and are given a timeline to complete their projects; typically over a two to four week time period. MCC Career Development has partnered with Parker Dewey to promote these types of internships. Employer can post micro-internships on MCC’s Parker Dewey webpage.
  • Internships combined with financial scholarship
    • This is a unique opportunity for employers to provide financial assistance to student while offering them the opportunity to learn skills in a professional setting. Employer seeking to combine a scholarship with an internship opportunity should contact Middlesex Community College’s Foundation.

Part II. Learning Outcomes and Objectives

The institution shall ensure that credit is granted to students who have achieved the learning outcomes of assigned learning activities in addition to completing the required number of hours at the internship site. Activity design should match the institutional, program and course outcomes set forth in the academic catalog, departmental assessments, program review, or related institutional materials. The course syllabus must include learning outcomes, activities and an evaluation method to assess the quality and quantity of the learning achieved. Evaluative criteria should be held to the same academic rigor as courses in the traditional classroom setting. The importance of learning outcomes and assessment are pedagogical to the intrinsic “real learning” value of the student’s experiential education experience. (adapted from Handbook, pg. 24)

For-credit internships at MCC:

Associate
Degree		 Internship Required? Course Faculty Contact
Accounting Yes BUS 214 Business Internship Ashli Ree REEA@middlesex.mass.edu
Biotechnology Technician Yes BIT 200 Biotechnology Internship Mariluci Bladon 978-656-3092
BladonM@middlesex.mass.edu
Culinary Arts-Business Administration Yes BUS 214 Business Internship Ashli Ree Reea@middlesex.mass.edu
Communication Career No COM 223-Communication Internship Jennifer Bauer 781-280-3910
Bauerj@middlesex.mass.edu
Communication Transfer No COM 221/COM 222/ COM 223 Jennifer Bauer 781-280-3910
Bauerj@middlesex.mass.edu
Dental Assisting Yes DAS 150 Clinical Practicum Mary Jenny 978-656-3060
jennyt@middlesex.mass.edu
Dental Hygiene Yes DHY 101, DHY 151, DHY 201, DHY 251* Karen Townsend 978-656-3045
townsendk@middlesex.mass.edu
Dental Laboratory Technology Yes DLT 240 Apollon Bouzerdan 978-656-3056
bouzerdana@middlesex.mass.edu
Diagnostic Medical Sonography Yes SON 121/SON 122/ SON 221/ SON 222/SON 228 Jane Morrison 781-280-3985
morrisonj@middlesex.mass.edu
Early Childhood Education Yes EDU 251-Supervised Field Placement and Seminar Michelle Dobrin 781-280-3901
DOBRINM@middlesex.mass.edu
Early Childhood Education Transfer Yes EDU 251-Supervised Field Placement and Seminar Michelle Dobrin 781-280-3901
DOBRINM@middlesex.mass.edu
Fashion Merchandising Yes BUS 214 Business Internship Ashli Ree REEA@middlesex.mass.edu
Graphic Design Yes ART 185 Graphic Design Internship Joe Eiler 781-280-3744
Eilerj@middlesex.mass.edu
Health Care Administration Yes AHP 225 Health Care Administration Internship Angel Pepin 978-656-3040
pepina@middlesex.mass.edu
Hospitality Management Yes BUS 214 Business Internship Ashli Ree REEA@middlesex.mass.edu
Human Services Yes HUS 153 Supervised Field Placement and Seminar Paulo Barrio 781-280-3613
BARRIOP@middlesex.mass.edu
Human Services Transfer Yes HUS 153 Supervised Field Placement and Seminar Paulo Barrio 781-280-3613
BARRIOP@middlesex.mass.edu
Medical Assisting Yes MAS 201 Medical Assisting Externship Claudia Guillen 978-656-3024
guillenc@middlesex.mass.edu
Nursing (Day) Yes NUR 102/NUR 156/ NUR 206/ NUR 256 Carolyn Walsh 978-656-3037
walshc@middlesex.mass.edu
Nursing (Evening and Weekend) Yes NUR 102/NUR 156/ NUR 206/ NUR 256 (Veronica) Ann McDonough 978-656-3015
mcdonoughv@middlesex.mass.edu
Office Systems & Administration Yes BUS 214 Business Internship Ashli Ree REEA@middlesex.mass.edu
Paralegal Studies Career Yes PAR 199 Paralegal Internship Patricia Lemire lemirepa@middlesex.mass.edu
Halye Sugarman sugarmanh@middlesex.mass.edu
Paralegal Studies Transfer Yes PAR 199 Paralegal Internship Patricia Lemire lemirepa@middlesex.mass.edu
Halye Sugarman sugarmanh@middlesex.mass.edu
Radiologic Technology Yes RAD 103/ RAD 107/ RAD 108/ RAD 203/RAD 206 Bill Darmody 781-280-3942
darmodyw@middlesex.mass.edu
  Certificate 
Program		 Internship Required? Course Faculty Contact
Addictions Counselor Program (ACP) Certificate Yes HUS 153/HUS 154 Supervised Field Placement Joseph Gardner 781-280-3613
gardnerj@middlesex.mass.edu
Culinary Arts Certificate Yes BUS 214 Business Internship Ashli Ree REEA@middlesex.mass.edu
Direct Support in Human Services Yes HUS 153 Supervised Field Placement Julie Mirras 781-280-3613
mirrasj@middlesex.mass.edu
Early Childhood Education Certificate Yes EDU 251 Supervised Field Placement Michelle Dobrin 781-280-3901
DOBRINM@middlesex.mass.edu
Hospitality Management Certificate Yes BUS 214 Business Internship Ashli Ree REEA@middlesex.mass.edu
Medical Assisting Certificate Yes MAS 201 Claudia Guillen 978-656-3024
guillenc@middlesex.mass.edu
Paralegal Studies Certificate Yes PAR 199 Paralegal Internship Patricia Lemire lemirepa@middlesex.mass.edu
Halye Sugarman sugarmanh@middlesex.mass.edu
Phlebotomy Certificate Yes AHP Phlebotomy Externship Angel Pepin 978-656-3040
pepina@middlesex.mass.edu
Pharmacy Technician     Caitlin Campopiano campopianoc@middlesex.mass.edu


Part III. Legal Issues Regarding Internships

The information in this section was gathered in large part through consultation with MCC’s legal counsel and review of the Experiential Learning and Cooperation Education Handbook.

Liability Issues

The college may not sign off on any liability documents, but employers can draft their own waivers for students to sign.

Paid versus Unpaid Internships (from DOL Fact Sheet #71, http://www.dol.gov/whd/regs/compliance/whdfs71.htm )

The Fair Labor Standards Act includes criteria for distinguishing between internships and employment. These criteria apply to for-profit employers. An internship should:

  • Be educational
  • Have duties that reinforce the educational nature of the internship
  • Have a strong educational component to negate an employment relationship
  • Be structured like an academic course
  • Have a schedule that correlates with the school’s academic calendar, and have a fixed duration
  • Offer course credit
  • Teach general skills rather than skills particular to the one specific employer

Additionally, internships should:

  • Be for the benefit of the intern – interns should have duties that show they are teaching the intern, not just benefiting the employer
  • Be clearly defined in writing and in practice

Employers must not use interns to replace employees. Instead, interns should job-shadow and be closely supervised by employees. The level of supervision should exceed that given to an employee. Interns should not be supervised by other interns.

Employers should refrain from using any language that sounds like “employment” language. They should not “hire” interns; nor give them the impression that there will be a job for them at the end of the internship. The DOL views the hiring of interns as evidence that an employment relationship existed during the internship.

Payments (if any) should be distinguished from wages; and stipends or per diem reimbursements should be documented as such.

International and Undocumented Students (Handbook pg.22)

Generally international students cannot be approved for internship work authorization approval during their academic year unless it is tied to a course elective in their major of study.

For more information about authorization for international students’ participation in internships, please contact MCC’s International Student Office.

Part IV. Training and Preparation

To Support Students:

  • Prior to registering for an internship class associated with an internship course, students are required to complete and pass a one credit internship class (IDS TBD)

Learning strands to include in recommended MCC student internship orientation:

  • Review eligibility requirements. Complete all paperwork required for participation.
  • Professionalism: prepare to follow Massachusetts Community College Student Code of Conduct as published in MCC Student Handbook. 
  • Learn to use faculty as a resource.
  • Learn to use employer supervisor as a resource.
  • Learn how to conduct internship search. Learn to use more than one avenue to search for a position.
  • Develop and write a resume and a cover letter. Obtain references.
  • Prepare for interviews
  • Become familiar with internship program tasks.
  • Explore work interests, personality skills, values, and life goals to find purpose in academic curriculum.
  • Identify career paths resulting from major or program of study.
  • Identify career interests and internships of interest.
  • Learn how to prepare documents such as: portfolio, reports, journals, etc. to demonstrate learning in the internship and that can be used in grading.
  • Become aware of crisis intervention. Learn how to become a self-advocate, how to approach difficult topics professionally, how to access assistance from faculty and employer supervisor when necessary, how to speak up when given menial tasks to perform and how to request clear direction regarding what is expected and how to listen to frequent feedback.

Internship Search

  • Handshake - MCC’s recruiting platform.
    • Employer’s post opportunities using this site
    • Free to MCC students and alumni when using MCC student email
  • Career Shift
    • A comprehensive platform for opportunities sourcing from multiple online resources
    • Free to MCC students and alumni when using MCC student email

To Support Employers/Site Supervisors:

  • Handshake - MCC’s recruiting platform.  
    • Employer’s looking to recruit internship (paid or unpaid) at MCC can post their opportunities on this site.
    • Handshake User Guide

https://www.middlesex.mass.edu/careerservices/downloads/guide2020.pdf- downloadable version of the above guide.
Last Modified: 3/26/24