“Macaulay has given me all the resources I need to land an internship. My professors, my peers, and the Macaulay staff and advisors have helped me gain the confidence needed to ace an interview and network efficiently.” – Maria Tsampas ‘19, CCNY
One of the goals of Macaulay Honors College is to prepare you for leadership in your chosen field. Internship and research opportunities will enrich your study, expand your horizons, and provide valuable practical experience to prepare you for potential careers. Resources for exploring these opportunities include the Office of Career Development at Macaulay, Handshake (Macaulay’s online job portal), your Macaulay Advisor, the Career Centers on your campus, departmental listings and internship courses, and individual faculty members.
Macaulay Honors College Definition of an Internship
An internship is a carefully monitored, substantive preview of a career or profession with clear learning goals. To reach these learning goals, an internship encompasses: defined expectations, orientation and training, supervision and mentoring, evaluation of the experience by the student and the supervisor, and meaningful work (less than 35% clerical). Internships are also learning experiences; tasks should be varied, involve decision-making and engage and develop your abilities as an intern. Macaulay students are required to complete an internship or study abroad but many go on to complete more than one internship during their tenure at Macaulay.
To qualify for the internship portion of the internship/study abroad requirement, the internship must meet the following criteria:
Summer/Fall/Winter/Spring Semester Internships: minimum of 100 hours
Students may use internships for which they are receiving payment/compensation or academic credit to satisfy the requirement.
Some internships may not provide financial compensation but nonetheless offer significant learning experiences. The Opportunities Fund may be used to cover the cost of an experience that meets the Macaulay Honors College definition of an internship but is unpaid and for which you do not receive academic credit. In some cases, the Opportunities Fund may be used to finance travel expenses associated with internships outside New York City.
- Internships must meet the internship definition above.
- Internships may include research assistantships and arts apprenticeships.
- Political campaigning may occur during internship hours so long as a CUNY campus did not choose the position for the student.
- Internships with religious organizations may qualify, if they meet all other criteria.
- For family-owned businesses, the supervisor cannot be a family member.
- Student-run organizations, charters, or student club activities will not qualify as internships.
Throughout the academic year, Macaulay Honors College announces internship opportunities specifically for Macaulay Scholars, on our online job portal: CareerPath, in Macaulay Monday student news, and through on-campus recruiting events. Macaulay also organizes visits to major companies so you can learn more about various careers and existing internship programs and requirements.
To work towards satisfying the Macaulay requirement for completing an internship, you should:
- Prepare for internship experiences through resume, interviewing, networking, and other workshops through your home campus and/or Macaulay Honors College.
- Conduct informational interviews with professionals to learn more about a field you are considering.
- Attend all one-on-one and group interactions with employers, alumni and other professionals (including interviews, information sessions, employer site visits, and fairs) that you have scheduled. Be sure to give advance notice if you must cancel.
- Create and maintain a professional online presence (e.g. using LinkedIn or creating a portfolio of your work).
- Search for internships and research assistantships through the variety of resources listed above in addition to your own networks. Pursue internship opportunities that advance your academic and professional goals.
- Identify a possible internship as early as possible, ideally, three months prior to the beginning of the term in which you will intern. Please note that some industries have specific recruiting seasons that could be earlier than expected.
- Discuss the potential internship with your Macaulay Advisor and submit an Internship Learning Agreement once you secure the internship. IMPORTANT: You can submit the internship/research experience up to two weeks after the start date. We highly encourage students to submit the form as soon as they accept the offer so that the Career Development Office has ample time to review it and notify you of any issues.
Please note that approvals are not guaranteed and the experiences must meet specific requirements. - Withdraw from internship search activities once you have accepted an offer for that particular semester.
- Report all internship experiences, even those undertaken subsequent to meeting the Macaulay Honors College requirements.
- Contact the Office of Career Development at Macaulay or your Advisor during the internship if you have any concerns about the position or need assistance.
- Once you have completed your internship, you must submit an online Internship Evaluation Form which can be found as part of their Internship Learning Agreement record on CareerPath.
For more information on internships offered by Macaulay Honors College, forms, and policies, visit the Internships site.