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Pepperdine is committed to preparing students for lives of service, purpose and leadership. To that end, we seek to provide our students with real-world experience in settings where they can develop a commitment to service, a life of purpose and a vision for leadership.
Our students are eager to take advantage of the real-world workplace opportunities afforded by an internship experience. Pepperdine University encourages students to pursue internships throughout the academic year and grants academic credit based on established criteria. Internships may be paid or unpaid. Our calendar is divided into three terms:
Fall--late August through early December
Spring--January through April
Summer--May through mid-August (Most students seek paid positions full or part time)
Roles and Responsibilities
Each party has responsibilities to and expectations for each of the other parties. At Pepperdine University, we strive to facilitate appropriately balanced internships, where each party is aware of and capable of fulfilling their responsibilities. In this setting, internships can be rewarding and mutually beneficial.
Balance Learning and Labor: Perhaps the most unique aspect of an internship is its dual nature: it is both an exercise in learning and in labor. For an internship to be optimally successful, a balance between learning and labor must be maintained. Employers need to actively participate in providing learning opportunities for their interns. This can be facilitated through training sessions, job shadowing, attending strategy meetings, and other such activities.
Job Description: Developing a job description provides both the employer and the intern with a clear vision of the internship requirements and responsibilities and serves as the tool to help clarify expectations.
Learning Agreement: This document explains and develops the job description. Students identify specific and measurable learning objectives that meet both the job description and their academic requirements.
Instruction and Assessment: Hosting an intern requires making an organizational commitment to invest time and energy in educating the intern about the organization's culture, procedures, goals, and priorities. Initial and ongoing training as well as regularly scheduled assessments are integral to good internship management.
Physical Resources: For an intern to be a productive learner and worker, the space and tools necessary for a professional job must also be available. Typically, interns have office space, including furniture, supplies, and access to a telephone and a computer. They may of course share these resources with other interns and staff.
Benefits
Internships are a beneficial relationship between three parties: the University, the Employer, and the Student. Each party benefits from the relationship.
Benefits for the Student Intern:
gain experience in the marketplace
engage in career exploration and preparation
apply academic learning in a professional environment
contribute to an organization in a meaningful way
Benefits for you the Employer:
gain innovative staff assistance at low cost
opportunity to impact the lives of students
flexible method for helping meet short and long term goals
projects a favorable image in the community
provides a vehicle to screen potential employees
Benefits for Pepperdine University:
facilitates student learning in a non-traditional atmosphere
allows the University to establish partnerships within the business community
integrates academic and professional spheres
Academic Internships
Academic Internships should include the following:
Authentic, structured and meaningful work experience with increasing responsibility
Participation in a planned learning environment
Well-defined learning objectives, which are measurable and can be completed over the course of the internship. Learning may be creative in nature, project-oriented, facilitate the acquisition of new knowledge, and/or personal development.
Students hired as academic interns must be enrolled in a Seaver College internship course. Employers may not require interns to work during class times.
Employers must meet the standards required by the internship faculty.
Academic internships for Seaver students must be with employers who provide work space in professional settings as well as the tools to complete the assigned internship learning projects. Students requesting registration in internship courses must intern at sites that are deemed public (not associated with private residences or attached to private dwellings).
IMPORTANT DEADLINES!
Academic internships must coincide with the semester schedule. Employers must meet academic hiring deadlines.
FALL TERM: Last week of August
SPRING TERM: First week of January
SUMMER TERMS: First week of May
Strategies for Successful Internship
Determine the functional areas within the organization that would best be served by interns
Designate, train, and reward intern supervisors
Provide specific and meaningful responsibilities for the intern that increase over time
Conduct an evaluation of student performance at regular intervals and hold an exit interview
File mid-term and final evaluations with the University
Posting an Internship
Academic internships for Seaver students must be with employers who provide work space in professional settings as well as the tools to complete the assigned internship learning projects. Students requesting registration in internship courses must intern at sites that are deemed public (not associated with private residences or attached to private dwellings).
