Penn State has instituted a new policy for internships during the period of remote learning. The policy is available for review on the University's Student Affairs site.

Internships are vitally important for today’s college students.

Nine out of ten employers indicate that they are more likely to hire a recent college graduate if they have had a successful internship; more than 40 percent of new college hires come directly from an employer’s internship pool.

But what is an internship, exactly? Is it the same as a job?

  • Practically and legally, internships differ from “employment” by emphasizing student learning.
  • An academic internship is a partnership between the college and an employer (or “host site”).
  • This academic partnership ensures that the internship is guided by the employer’s expectation of productive work and by the college’s expectation of meaningful, applied learning.
  • Through this partnership arrangement, the college promotes and protects the student’s interests as a student while facilitating professional work experience.

At Penn State Altoona, a full-time internship coordinator works one-on-one with students, with faculty members, and with community organizations and businesses to facilitate internships touching a wide range of professions. Several bachelor’s degrees require a senior-level internship; for others, an internship may count as the major’s “capstone” course. Exploratory internships are available for sophomores and juniors as well.