»Faculty Advisor Internship Guide

This is a great opportunity to mentor up to 15 students per semester!

Faculty Internship Advisors are paid $50.00 per credit.

For additional information about compensation and to see if you qualify to serve as a Faculty Internship Advisor, please contact Faculty Affairs or your Dean. 

• Internship: An internship is a form of experiential learning that integrates knowledge and theory learned in the classroom with practical application and skills development in a professional setting. Internships give students the opportunity to gain valuable applied experience and make connections in professional fields they are considering for career paths. Internships also give employers the opportunity to guide and evaluate talent.  
• Faculty Internship Advisor: (You!) At Chapman University, this may be a faculty advisor or a faculty in the academic department from which the students seek internship credit. Faculty internship advisors are expected to meet with the student 2-3 times throughout the semester and contact the internship site within the first 6 weeks of the internship. Faculty internship advisors review and approve internships through the Internship Portal, assign an academic component to the internship and assign a grade to the student based on the academic assignment, hours completed and employer evaluation of student performance. Part-time faculty members are not eligible, by policy, to be faculty internship advisors. Faculty are compensated for a maximum of 15 students per semester.
• Site Supervisor: The individual at the Internship Site, who is designated to supervise the student intern’s work, evaluate performance and provide feedback to the student and to the educational institution.
• Internship Site Approval Form: This form outlines the student’s accountability to the internship program and employer. It is signed by the student and kept on file by the Office of Career and Professional Development. Preview the Internship Site Approval Form here.
• Internship Responsibilities Agreement: The agreement is to be reviewed and signed by the student intern to ensure compliance with university policy and understanding of disqualifying factors that would make an internship site ineligible. Link to agreement.
• Internship Site: Any business, government agency, educational institution, social service agency or other organization that operates within the United States with a United States address and accepts college interns.
• Internship Coordinator: Serves as the liaison between students, employers and Chapman University. Manages the program on a semester basis including student registration, employer postings and new program development.
• Evaluation of Student Performance: A survey sent to the internship site supervisor at the end of the internship to offer feedback on the students for their professional development. The questions align with the National Association of Colleges and Employer's Career Competencies as a standardized measure of career readiness.

There are various methods commonly used by faculty to evaluate/grade the student intern: term paper, daily log or journal, project, portfolio, presentation or other assignment. It is up to your discretion as the faculty advisor to determine the exact assignment(s) and learning objectives for this internship course/experience with the student at the beginning of the semester.

In addition to the work you may assign to the student, their site supervisor will also sign a timesheet and complete an evaluation on the student’s performance toward the end of the internship. Both of these may be taken into account when determining the student’s grade.

Contact Chapman University's Internship Coordinator in the Office of Career and Professional Development. 

Internship Coordinator: internships@chapman.edu (714) 744-7688

Office Front Desk: career@chapman.edu (714) 997-6942