How to Register for an Academic Internship

Seaver College defines an academic internship as a structured, supervised, professional work experience within an organization. The internship is guided by learning goals and reflective assignments. It is supervised academically by a faculty member and professionally by an internship supervisor. All academic internships must be approved in advance, and students must be concurrently enrolled in academic internship units (0 or more units). Students who have completed 25% or more of their total internship work hours and have failed to register may no longer enroll in units related to that particular internship. Individual majors or internship courses may have additional requirements.

It is important that you have confirmation from your faculty member that they are able to oversee your internship before you begin this form.

Students studying on an F-1 visa status must additionally be authorized for curricular practical training by the Office of International Student Services (OISS) in order to participate in an internship.

Seaver College does not grant academic credit for:

Remote or online internships
Internships occurring at a home-based business
Internships where the student's supervisor or the head of the organization is a family member.

Internships must adhere to labor laws. As such internships occurring in the State of California must abide by California overtime regulations. If a student is required to intern for more than 40 hours in a week, 8 hours in a day, or more than 6 days in a row, the student must be paid overtime. Internships occurring in other states must abide by those regulations.

COVID 19 Accommodation: Due to the impact of COVID 19, Seaver College will allow remote internships to be eligible for academic credit through the Fall 2023 term.

Here's how to get started

Step 1: Secure an Internship

Seaver College Career Services offers resources to assist with résumé preparation and your internship search. Be sure to take advantage of this valuable resource.

International Students: If you are an international student with an F-1 visa, the Department of Homeland Security regulations stipulate that you must have been lawfully enrolled full-time for one full academic year under the same SEVIS number before engaging in an internship (Curricular Practical Training - CPT.) Please visit the Office of International Student Services (OISS) website for important information and instructions. You may not begin any work until you have completed the Seaver Dean's internship registration process and then finally been authorized to work by your Designated School Official (DSO).

Step 2: Find an internship professor

In order to receive academic credit for an internship, you must have an internship professor. This professor must agree to oversee your internship. The professor will provide a syllabus, academic assignments, and oversee the academic portion of your experience. There is a drop-down menu of professors in the internship form. Once you have a professor, the two of you will collaborate to develop learning outcomes which you will include on the e-sign form.

How to find a professor:

Ask professors you know.
Ask the office manager for the names of professors who regularly supervise internships.
Be sure to have the professor's agreement to oversee your internship before you select their name on the form.
Note: if you are seeking credit that will be applied to your major, you must select a professor in that major.

Step 3: Complete the forms

Click here to begin the e-sign form: https://appdev.pepperdine.edu/SeaverInternshipAgreement/
Complete the form. At the bottom click "Please Send My Request to the Office Manager."
The office manager will review your form and may contact you with questions.
You will receive an email from Pepperdine eS asking you to sign the form. Follow the instructions and sign the form.
It will then automatically route to the various parties for signatures.
You will receive an email from Leslie Seah or Lori Miller stating you have been registered. Please review your WaveNet account to make sure your registration is correct.
If after 5 business days you have not received a registration email, please contact Dr. Dana Dudley at dana.dudley@pepperdine.edu.
To be eligible for the appropriate units of academic credit, a student must complete the minimum number of hours listed per academic credit(s) below:

1 unit = At least 45 hours internship/field work

2 units = At least 90 hours internship/field work

3 units = At least 135 hours internship/field work

4 units = At least 180 hours internship/field work

Important Deadlines: Students must begin their online form by the schedule below in order to meet the Add/Drop Deadline.

Fall 2023: September 1, 2023

Spring 2024: January 19, 2024

Summer 2024: Session 1 May 8, 2024

Summer 2024: Session 2 June 5, 2024

Summer 2024: Session 3 July 3, 2024

Late Registration: You must petition the credits committee to request registration after the deadline. Submit your completed internship registration form along with your petition. The petition form is available online.

Step 4: Confirm your registration on WaveNet

You will receive an email from Leslie Seah or Lori Miller stating that you have been registered. Please go to WaveNet to confirm your registration.

Division Contacts

Business

Divisional Dean: Reagan Schaffer

Office Manager: Rhonda Huddleston

Communication

Divisional Dean: Sarah Stone-Watt

Office Manager: Lori Miller

Fine Arts

Divisional Dean: Bradley Griffin

Office Manager: Danah Sanders

Humanities and Teacher Education

Divisional Dean: Stella Erbes

Office Manager: Genny Moore

International Studies and Languages

Divisional Dean: George Carlson

Office Manager: Helen Tangalos

Natural Science

Divisional Dean: Joseph Fritsch

Office Manager: Stephanie Adler

Religion and Philosophy

Divisional Dean: Daniel Rodriguez

Office Manager: Tiffany Ferguson

Social Science

Divisional Dean: Robert Williams

Office Manager: Bob Escudero

Funding Opportunities

Internship Scholarships

To help offset costs such as travel, parking, and tuition incurred by students participating in internships during the fall and spring terms, the Randall family has generously donated money to assist students.

Eligibility: Enroll in at least one graded unit before week 7 of the term. Additional units may be taken credit/no credit. Students interning in D.C. are eligible for this scholarship.
Distribution: Beginning Spring 2024 and as long as funds are available, each eligible student will receive a $500 scholarship toward their student account.*

* It is possible that some students may not be eligible even when enrolled in one graded unit of scholarship. This level of eligibility is determined by financial aid policies.

Summer Internship Scholarships

To help offset the tuition costs incurred by students participating in internships in the summer, Seaver College offers a scholarship of up to 2 units. Note: Max 2 unit scholarship for the summer.

Eligibility: Enroll in at least one graded unit. Additional units may be taken credit/no credit.
- It is possible that some students may not be eligible even when enrolled in one graded unit of scholarship. This level of eligibility is determined by financial aid policies.
- This scholarship is not available for students participating in an internship through International Programs.
Process: Simply mark the "Summer Scholarship" box on the internship/field work agreement.
The deadline for receiving the summer scholarship is the same as the summer session 3 registration deadline. All paperwork must be submitted and the student must be registered by this deadline in order to be eligible for the summer scholarship. No late registrations will be considered