Internship Assignments

The internship assignment should be a quality professional development experience that will enable students to make more educated career choices. Most interns perform some administrative duties. However, HACU requests that the majority of intern time be devoted to substantive work that will enhance the students’ skills in their area of study. The agency or corporation should seek to expose the student to its mission and how it carries out such missions by providing a brief overview of the organizational infrastructure and major initiatives or objectives. The internship assignment should complement the intern's academic background and/or career interests.

HACU strongly recommends that a ten or fifteen-week plan be developed and shared with the intern at the beginning of the internship. Collaboration between the intern and the supervisor in designing a work plan provides a solid foundation for a mutually beneficial internship experience. A work plan typically includes specific tasks of a project, an anticipated timeline, and guidelines on priorities throughout the internship period.

Supervisors will be asked to complete a mid-term and final evaluation grading their interns professionalism, quality of work, and interpersonal skills. We ask that supervisors closely monitor their intern's progress and communicate areas of improvement throughout the internship session.