Frequently Asked Questions

Go to the following: General Policy Information • New Partner Proposal Form • University Organization Agreements (UOAs) • Students • Faculty

General Policy Information

• What are internships for academic credit?

  • At SJSU, an internship for academic credit is an internship for which a student receives course credit.

    An internship for academic credit is “a paid or unpaid, closely monitored, highly structured, strategic, well-defined, project-related program that provides professional work experience outside of the classroom environment for students; it merges academic, personal development and career exploration in one."

• What is the SJSU policy on internships for academic credit?

  • The SJSU policy on internships for academic credit is laid out in University Policy S16-14 [pdf]. This policy, written in compliance with Executive Order 1064, stipulates that departments and/or colleges must secure a University Organization Agreement (UOA) from the host organization when an unpaid internship for academic credit is taking place at a non-SJSU organization, or, at an SJSU auxiliary (e.g., Associated Students, Student Union, etc).
    
    Students who are paid with a stipend/grant are also required to secure an UOA. Moreover, the policy stipulates that students doing an internship for academic credit need to complete both a Learning Plan [pdf] and the Participation Guidelines [pdf] (regardless of whether the academic internship is paid or unpaid). 

• How are internship placements determined?

  • SJSU departments use different approaches — or a combination of approaches — towards placing students in internships for academic credit. In some departments, students are responsible for finding and securing their own internships. Other departments have arrangements with specific organizations and place their students in preselected sites. Overall, it is the instructor (in cooperation with other departmental personnel, as determined by that department) who determines what internships may count for course credit.

    All unpaid internship placement sites (except for non-auxiliary SJSU departments/organizations), must have a University Organization Agreement (UOA) approved before students can enroll an internship course and begin the internship.

    Students who are paid with a stipend/grant are also required to secure an UOA prior to enrolling an internship course and beginning the internship.

• What is a Leaning Plan?

  • The Learning Plan [pdf] is an agreement between a student and the instructor of record for the internship units. The Learning Plan ensures that a student has clear and achievable learning objectives, and it helps all parties see the connections between the internship and the student’s foundational coursework within the department.

    All SJSU Learning Plans must contain the basic components listed below. Beyond that, departments may add additional components and/or format the Learning Plan as they like:

    1. Student’s name and contact information
    2. Student’s emergency contact information
    3. Name of the internship organization
    4. Name and contact information of primary contact person at the organization
    5. Brief description of the student’s proposed internship duties
    6. Student’s learning objectives
    7. Number of internship hours that the student commits to completing
    8. Start/end dates
    9. Student signature
    10. Faculty signature
    11. Signature of student’s supervisor at the organization (strongly recommended)

     

    Download a Learning Plan Template [pdf].

• What is the Participation Guidelines?

  • The Participation Guidelines [pdf] inform students of their rights and responsibilities while engaged in their internships, and includes information on professional conduct, health and safety, and what to do in case of harassment, discrimination, injury, and/or illness.

    The Participation Guidelines is effectively a waiver of liability. When properly signed by the participating student, the Participation Guidelines indemnifies both the internship organization and SJSU from liability.

    All SJSU Learning Plans must include the Participation Guidelines as the final page. The Participation Guidelines page cannot be changed or modified in any way; rather, it must be an exact copy of the SJSU Participation Guidelines template (linked below). 

    Download the Participation Guidelines template [pdf].

• What is an University Organization Agreement (UOA)?

  • The University Organization Agreement (UOA) is a legally binding agreement between SJSU, and any outside organization or SJSU auxiliary, of which an SJSU student is doing an internship for academic credit.

    All unpaid internship placement sites (except for non-auxiliary SJSU departments/organizations) must have an UOA approved before students can enroll the internship course and begin the internship. Students who are paid with a stipend/grant are also required to secure an UOA prior to enrolling an internship course and beginning the internship.

    The UOA describes the roles and responsibilities of SJSU and the host organization, provides both parties with information about insurance, and addresses the issues of confidentiality and liability, among other things.

    When properly signed and executed, the UOA releases SJSU from liability and ensures that the CSU-organized insurance policies (SAFECLIP and SPPLIP) can be used, as needed, by internship for academic credit students.

    The UOA is not specific to any student, department, or college; rather, it covers all SJSU students who are receiving academic credit for an internship in the signee’s host organization.

    The UOA is typically valid for a period of 5 years, but may be valid for a shorter period of time at the host organization’s request.

• What are the differences between an unpaid and paid academic internship? 

  • Unpaid academic internships require a completed University Organization Agreement (UOA) from the host organization when the internship is taking place at a non-SJSU organization or SJSU auxiliary. A UOA is fully complete only when a site is approved by the SJS4 team and subsequently posted to SJS4.

    An University Organization Agreement (UOA) is not required if a student is being paid (not with a stipend or grant) for an internship for academic credit. The liability lies with the employer when the internship is paid. (This does not apply to teacher preparation placements or clinical placements, such as nursing, counseling, physical therapy, or occupational therapy.)

    Internships independent from degree program and/or graduation requirements, where a student may participate in an internship or work study program on his/her own, are not held to the provisions outlined in EO 1064 and does not require an UOA.

New Partner Proposal Form

• What if a Request for a New Site was initiated, but the organization never received an email to fill out the New Partner Proposal Form?

  • If an organization never received an email to fill out the New Partner Proposal Form, please do the following:

    1. Ensure that the email address was entered correctly on the Student/Faculty Request for a New Site; and 
    2. Ask the partner organization member to check their spam folder.
    
    

    If the email was not in the spam folder, or the address was entered incorrectly, simply submit a new Student/Faculty Request for a New Site to generate another email to the organization.

• What if an organization completed the New Partner Proposal form, but hasn’t heard anything back from SJSU?

  • Email the SJS4 team at s4support@sjsu.edu and ask about the status of the organization’s New Partner Proposal Form.

University Organization Agreements (UOAs)

• When is an UOA required?

  • An UOA is needed when an SJSU student is doing an unpaid internship with an off-campus organization or SJSU auxiliary, and is receiving academic credit (i.e. units) for that internship. Students who are paid via a stipend/grant are also required to secure an UOA.

    Entity / Situation	UOA Required?
    Off-campus organization	YES
    SJSU auxiliaries (Associated Students, Student Union, etc.)	YES
    SJSU affiliated departments/organizations	NO
    Academic internship being paid via stipend or grant	YES
    Virtual/remote academic internship (unpaid or paid via stipend/grant)	YES

     

• When is an UOA is NOT required?

  • An UOA is not needed under the following circumstances:

    1. A student is doing an internship, but is not enrolled in any course or units associated with that internship (i.e., the internship is not for academic credit). 
    2. A student is being paid (not via stipend/grant) for an internship for academic credit. (The liability lies with the employer when the internship is paid.)
    3. The internship for academic credit is with a non-auxiliary SJSU department/organization.
    4. The internship for academic credit is classified as a teacher preparation placement, or a clinical placement, such as those for nursing, counseling, physical therapy or occupational therapy. (Clinical and teaching placements require a different agreement than the UOA because they have other types of liabilities to consider.)
    
    

    In all other cases, an active UOA is required for each partner organization hosting an internship for academic credit.

• Are UOAs required for virtual/remote academic internships?

  • Yes, UOAs are required for virtual/remote academic internships that are unpaid. UOAs are also required for virtual/remote academic internships that are paid via stipends/grants.

• What if an organization never received an email to sign the UOA?

  • Please email the SJS4 team at s4support@sjsu.edu and ask for another UOA email to be sent to the organization. 

• How does an organization modify an UOA?

  • To request a copy of the UOA for modification, please email the SJS4 team at s4support@sjsu.edu.

    Organizations requiring modifications to the UOA must submit a request in writing (email acceptable) to the S4 Support Team (s4support@sjsu.edu) or relevant instructor. 

    The S4 Support Team or appropriate department administrator will forward the requested changes to a Contract Analyst in SJSU Strategic Sourcing - Contracts & Procurement Services by using an one-dollar requisition to generate a Purchase Order that will allow the UOA to be modified. 

    Once the requisition is submitted, a Contract Analyst will work directly with the organization to modify the UOA. 

    Once the UOA is modified and signed by SJSU (and additionally the New Partner Proposal Form is approved by the SJS4 team), the placement site will be published on SJS4. The student can then enroll in the internship course and log internship hours in SJS4.

• How does an organization renew an UOA?

  • UOAs expire after 5 years (unless modified to be valid for a shorter period of time by an organization). Partner organizations that worked with an SJSU department for an academic internship placement should contact that particular department to renew an expiring UOA. In all other cases, partner organizations should email the SJS4 team at s4support@sjsu.edu to inquire about renewing an UOA.

• What if an organization wants to view the UOA before signing it?

  • You may view a copy of the UOA template below.

    SJSU University Organization Agreement Template [pdf]

• What if an organization refuses to sign the UOA?

  • If an organization refuses to sign the UOA:

    1. The student can do the internship, but they cannot receive course credit for it.
    2. The student could try securing an internship at a different organization, whether it is one that already has a UOA on file (i.e., is already listed in SJS4), or one that is willing to sign the UOA.
    3. The student could try securing an internship at an SJSU department or organization, for which an UOA is not needed.
• What if an organization completed the UOA, but still isn’t listed in SJS4?

  • Email the SJS4 team at s4support@sjsu.edu and ask about the status of the organization’s UOA submission.

Students

• I landed an internship at an organization. Can I receive course credit for my internship?

  • Students cannot receive course credit unless the internship has been approved from an appropriate department personnel who can determine if the internship is acceptable and may count for course credit within that department.

    Please contact your faculty, internship program director, or major department to inquire if you can receive course credit for your internship. 

• I want to intern at a specific organization, but it's not listed in SJS4. What do I do?

  • If the organization is not listed in SJS4, please submit a Student/Faculty Request for a New Site to invite an organization be registered on SJS4. 

    Once submitted, this request will automatically send the main contact person at the organization a New Partner Proposal Form (intake form) to complete. After the New Partner Proposal Form is submitted, a follow-up email will be sent to the organization to electronically sign the University Organization Agreement (UOA).

    After an organization submits the New Partner Proposal Form and UOA, they are reviewed by the SJS4 team. If the organization is approved by the SJS4 team, the organization's listing will then be published in SJS4 and the student may sign up for the placement site.

• I'm an undergraduate/graduate student at SJSU and have my own business/organization. I would like to register it on SJS4. How can I do this?

  • Matriculated undergraduate or graduate students at SJSU may not register their own business/organization on SJS4. This situation presents a conflict of interest so it is not allowed. 

• How do I enroll in a placement site on SJS4?

  • Please view How to Make a Placement Guide for detailed instructions on how to enroll in a placement site on SJS4.

• What if I can't enroll in a placement site on SJS4?

  • Have you fully enrolled in the class that you are trying to place for? 

    1. If you haven't, SJS4 will not recognize you as being a part of a course or program that needs a placement. You will need to fully enroll in your course via MySJSU to be able to sign up for a placement site.
    2. If you have fully enrolled in your course, it may take 1-2 business days for that course to appear in SJS4, after which you may then sign up for a placement site. 
    
    

    Are you already enrolled in another placement site?

    1. If you have not successfully deleted a previous incorrect placement, SJS4 will show that you have already placed and cannot place again. You will need to delete your enrollment in the incorrect placement site in order to place with the correct one.
• I accidentally enrolled in the incorrect placement site, how do I cancel the placement?

  • If you haven’t clicked the green "Finish Placement" button, then you can click "Start Over" to clear your placement details and pick a new site.

    If you completed your placement and clicked "Finish Placement", you will need to contact your instructor. The instructor may be able to delete the placement for you. 

• Can I enroll in the same placement site across multiple courses?

  • SJS4 will not allow students to enroll in the same placement site for multiple courses. Please contact your faculty (or relevant department administrator) so that they may authorize and enroll you at a placement site more than once (for different courses) in the same term. 

Faculty

• What if one of my students isn't listed in SJS4, but the student is enrolled in my class?
  • 1. Please make sure that the student is officially enrolled in your class. The student will not show up in SJS4 unless fully enrolled in a course. 
    2. If a student just recently added your class, it may take 1-2 business days for the student to show up in SJS4.
    3. If you are still having issues, please email the SJS4 team at s4support@sjsu.edu and ask the team to make a manual data import.
• What if one of my classes isn't listed in SJS4?

  • SJS4 only lists classes that have been appropriately tagged in the SJSU Catalog as having an internship component. 

    If your class isn't appearing in SJS4, you will need to tag the course as "internship". Please see Identifying Internship Courses on the Faculty/Staff page for instructions on how to tag a course with an internship component.

• How do I see what my student sees when they log into SJS4?

  • You can masquerade as a student in SJS4 to see how your course appears to students. Please view the Masquerade as a User guide for step-by-step instructions.

• How do I add placement sites to my course in SJS4?

  • Please view the Cal State S4 Faculty Guide for instructions on how to add placement sites to your course in SJS4.

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