Internship Policies

In order to earn academic credit for an internship, students must meet the eligibility requirements and complete an Experience Learning Agreement. Please review each department's internship policies here. You can also email [email protected] for instructions for completing the Experience Learning Agreement (ELA). The ELA details every part of a student's proposed internship, ensuring that the student, the supervisor, and The New School are in agreement about the scope of the internship, its relationship to the student's education, start and end dates, hours of work, academic credit, and learning objectives. ELAs are submitted through Handshake.

Students are typically eligible to intern for credit in the second or third year of a four- or five-year undergraduate program or the second year of an AAS or graduate program. Students must have a minimum GPA of 2.5 and cannot be on academic probation. If in doubt, students should confirm their status with their academic advisor.

International Student Eligibility

Students attending The New School on an F-1 visa must receive school authorization for all off-campus work through curricular practical training (CPT). Students update CPT through the Experience Learning Agreement (ELA) process.

Students are eligible to receive academic credit for an internship for which they are also receiving compensation.

Parsons School of Design, Mannes School of Music, and the School of Drama

In order to maintain a balance between coursework and the internship experience, students cannot work more than 15 hours per week during the fall or spring semester without the approval of their success advisor. Certain programs may also require program director approval for interning more than 15 hours per week. Students can work up to 40 hours per week during the summer semester.

The following criteria can be used in determining whether it is appropriate to allow a student to intern more than 15 hours a week at an internship:

• Cumulative GPA of 3.0 or higher
• No disciplinary action
• Good academic standing (not on academic probation)
• Program eligibility (e.g., must be in second semester of an AAS program or at least a sophomore or junior for certain programs)
• Number of credits being taken this semester
• Degree of difficulty of classes
• Job duties at internship
• Class schedule (internships cannot conflict with classes)

Students must work a minimum of 60 hours total to receive credit for a zero- or one-credit internship and a minimum of 120 hours to receive credit for a two-credit internship. Supervisors will be asked on the final evaluation to verify that students have worked the agreed-upon number of hours for the semester.

The maximum number of internship credits students may earn in an academic year and the number of internship credits students may accumulate over the course of their academic degree are determined by their academic program. Students must consult with their success advisor for their program's individual policies.

A student cannot work more hours than the number specified on the Experience Learning Agreement. If there are questions about internship hours or there is a need for more interns (i.e., there is more than 15 hours per week of work), email [email protected] for assistance.

Eugene Lang College of Liberal Arts

At Lang, students can obtain zero to six credits (based on the level of the particular intern) for an internship experience during the fall, spring, or summer term. Internships are classified as non-liberal arts elective credit and do not count toward major requirements. Students who seek to have internship credits counted toward their major must receive written permission to do so from their department chairperson. Credit is awarded for internship hours completed between the start and end dates of each semester for which a student is registered with the program.

The maximum number of internship credits a student can earn in an academic year is 8; the maximum number of credits a student can accumulate over the course of their academic studies is 12.

During the fall and spring semesters, for students participating in the Internship Seminar or Advanced Internship, the internship must last a minimum of 12 weeks. During the summer session, the internship must last a minimum of eight weeks. This time requirement does not apply for the zero-credit internship option. Students may not intern for more than 35 hours per week. Any hours completed over 35 in a single week will not be counted for program requirements, nor will those additional hours be eligible for use at a later date in the semester.

School of Jazz and Contemporary Music

Students can obtain zero to three credits for an internship experience during the fall, spring, or summer session. At least 60 hours must be worked per credit. Internships are classified as non–liberal arts studio credits that count toward the music business requirement. Credit is awarded for internship hours completed between the start and end dates of each semester for which a student is registered with the program; no retroactive credit for previous hours or experiences will be granted.

School of Media Studies

Students can earn up to three credits per internship. Students can earn a total of six internship credits toward their degree: three research internship credits and three production internship credits. Research internships are typically more administrative, and production internships deal more with content creation, including production assistantship, graphic design, and audio design. There is no limit to the number of zero-credit production and research internships a student can undertake. Students registered for three non-internship credits can undertake an internship for up to 40 hours per week, students registered for six non-internship credits can undertake an internship for up to 30 hours per week, and students registered for nine non-internship credits can undertake an internship for up to 20 hours per week.

An internship must take place between the beginning and the end of each semester. For semester dates, please consult the University Academic Calendar for the appropriate academic year. If you are uncertain, please email [email protected].

An internship must be completed in the academic term in which the student expects to receive credit for the internship.

Students should be sure to take into account final projects and other coursework when planning their end date, so as not to be overwhelmed at the end of the semester.

Note: Students must work until the end date specified on their Experience Learning Agreement, even if they have worked the number of hours needed. Students who agree to work more hours than they are scheduled for or at special events are still required to work until the end date stated on their Experience Learning Agreement. Failure to work through the contractual end date could result in a failing grade (and would almost certainly be detrimental to any future relationship with the company and supervisor).

A zero-credit internship allows students to participate in an internship that requires university approval. Zero-credit internships are officially recognized by The New School and recorded on students' transcript. Students who participate in a zero-credit internship will receive a transcript notation after successful completion.

Learning objectives are goals and objectives that students hope to achieve through internships. The New School's Student Success, Internships, and Global Experience offices strongly recommend that students work with their supervisors to set useful, reasonable internship learning objectives. This process is formalized by requiring students to outline their learning objectives in the Experience Learning Agreement; their progress toward these objectives is documented by a mid-point review and a final evaluation.

Use the guidelines below to establish learning objectives with the student:

• Professional Skills: Students acquire professional skills by participating in a professional work environment. They should gain an understanding of office hierarchies, recognize effective and efficient work practices, develop a mentoring relationship and a professional network, accomplish tasks or participate in projects that showcase their skills and build their résumé and portfolio (when applicable), and observe professional etiquette, including dress code and proper methods of communication.
• Industry Awareness: Interns learn how an industry works and how various companies and consumer markets differ from one another.
• Relating Internships to Classroom Experience and Career Goals: Internships should relate to coursework.
• Communication Skills: During the internship, students should expect to exercise written and verbal communication skills, become comfortable talking to clients and co-workers, gain confidence in expressing ideas, and practice accepting both critical and positive feedback.

Parsons School of Design, College of Performing Arts, and Milano School of Policy, Management, and Environment

The supervisor must evaluate the student's performance on the basis of the goals agreed on in the Experience Learning Agreement. Evaluations provide qualitative feedback on the student's general level of preparedness, contribution to the work environment, and skill set. The student's internship grade will be determined on the basis of the evaluation completed by the supervisor and the hours the student has completed at the internship site.

Eugene Lang College of Liberal Arts

The work performed at the student's internship site and work performed through the internship seminar are both integral components of the student's final grade. Depending on the section, Eugene Lang College of Liberal Arts interns receive a letter grade or pass/fail grade. The internship grade is based on a combination of factors, including seminar attendance, assigned coursework, and hours on-site.

Bachelor's Program for Adults and Transfer Students and School of Media Studies

The student's internship grade is determined by a final paper in addition to the supervisor evaluation.

Parsons School of Design, College of Performing Arts, and Schools of Public Engagement

In addition to providing mentorship to students throughout the internship, supervisors are expected to hold a mid-point review to assess students' experience and performance. The mid-point review is required of all supervisors of New School interns and should be completed halfway through the internship. Mid-point reviews should take place face-to-face and involve the following:

• Engaging in open dialogue with the student about how they think the internship is progressing
• Assessing the student's work
• Reviewing the student's learning objectives and progress toward achieving them
• Establishing corrective measures to enable the student to accomplish their goals

Eugene Lang College of Liberal Arts

Eugene Lang College of Liberal Arts students are required to complete a mid-term self-evaluation via HireNew.

Parsons School of Design, College of Performing Arts, and Schools of Public Engagement

A student must be a junior or a senior or enrolled in an associate's program to be eligible to submit more than one Experience Learning Agreement in a single semester. Students must notify the supervisors at both of the internships by email (cc'ing [email protected]) that they are participating in more than one internship during the semester.

Eugene Lang College of Liberal Arts

Students can participate in up to two credit-bearing internships per semester provided at least one of the internships is registered in the zero- to two-credit internship course.

Companies that hire New School students as interns are expected to submit all requested documents by the indicated deadlines. Any supervisor who fails to do so will be required to provide justification upon request before any future agreements will be considered.

Experience Learning Agreements should be submitted before the start date of the internship; they will be reviewed by The New School. Experience Learning Agreements submitted after the fall or spring internship deadline will only be eligible to be registered for zero credit.

Supervisors must provide a company reimbursement policy in writing to students before they are asked to make any purchases on behalf of the company.

Internships provide students with an opportunity to broaden their academic knowledge and advance their personal and professional development through practical work experience. It is imperative that during students' participation in an internship, their academic responsibilities not be neglected or negatively affected. Any student or supervisor in need of assistance with establishing this balance is encouraged to contact Experience at [email protected].

Students cannot retroactively register an internship that took place in a previous semester. Students must register their internship for credit during the semester in which the internship occurs.