Internship Requirements

Internship Guidelines

All students who plan to graduate from Penn State Lehigh Valley campus are required to complete an academic internship. Academic internship requirements vary by major. Please contact your Internship Coordinator for details.

Internship Registration Forms

Whether earning credit or not, all students are asked to complete an Internship Registration Form once officially hired.

Academic Internship Registration Form - Complete this form if you are enrolling in an internship course during your internship.

Non-Academic Internship Registration Form - Complete this form if you are not enrolling in an internship course during your internship.

Criteria for an Experience to be Defined as an Internship

To ensure that an experience—whether it is a traditional internship or one conducted remotely or virtually—is educational, and thus eligible to be considered a legitimate internship by the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE) definition, all the following criteria must be met: 

  • The experience must be an extension of the classroom: a learning experience that provides for applying the knowledge gained in the classroom. It must not be simply to advance the operations of the employer or be the work that a regular employee would routinely perform.
  • The skills or knowledge learned must be transferable to other employment settings.
  • The experience has a defined beginning and end, and a job description with desired qualifications.
  • There are clearly defined learning objectives/goals related to the professional goals of the student’s academic coursework. 
  • There is supervision by a professional with expertise and educational and/or professional background in the field of the experience.
  • There is routine feedback by the experienced supervisor.  
  • There are resources, equipment, and facilities provided by the host employer that support learning objectives/goals. 

If these criteria are followed, it is the opinion of NACE that the experience can be considered a legitimate internship.  

To learn more, view the U.S Department of Labor Wage and Hour Division Fact Sheet>> 

Job Posting/Company Verification Disclaimer

Read the full disclaimer which describes the shared responsibility among Penn State Career Services (including University Park and Commonwealth Campus career offices) and internship/job seekers in researching and identifying potential concerns about the legitimacy of employers and their respective postings.