Maritime College                                                                                      June 20, 2009
State University of New York
Science Department

       Internship Standards for Marine Environmental Science Students

The information set forth in this document is intended to establish for students, faculty, and corporate sponsors the expectations and requirements for internships completed in fulfillment of the Maritime College Courses ES 505 and 515 (Environmental Science Internship I/II). This document does not supersede or alter any of the approvals rendered by the Maritime College Faculty, the State University of New York, or the New York State Education Department. It does set forth a guideline for consistent and fair acceptance of internship proposals and subsequent completed internship projects.

Internship: Definitions and Intent

Environmental Science Internships I and II (ES 505 and 515) are two three credit academic courses which should comprise a work experience of no less than twenty business days each.  ES 505 and 515 may be completed simultaneously and at the same company when the internship lasts forty or more days and/or the Faculty Supervisor assesses the workload to merit six credits.  The internship(s) should subject the student to an intense practical, professional learning experience in a setting outside of the College. The intent of an internship is that the student will, in the workplace, encounter and address situations where his or her technical knowledge is relevant and applicable, but at the same time will encounter situations where the knowledge that will be gained in the coming academic semesters will be placed in a recognizable, applied context.

An External Sponsor is a company, a government agency, or another organization external to the Maritime College Science Department, which has professional work opportunities available for students, and which is willing to accept Maritime College Bachelor of Science in Marine Environmental Science students in that role. External sponsors may choose to compensate students for their work as interns, but that is a matter to be negotiated between the sponsor and the student. The external sponsor must also designate an individual serving in a professional capacity to be the intern’s External Supervisor.
The Faculty Supervisor is a regular or emeritus faculty member in the Maritime College Science Department designated by the department chair to oversee the student’s internship experience from an academic perspective.

The Internship Proposal is a written agreement between the external sponsor, the College Science Department, and the student that is completed prior to the commencement of the internship. This document will specify the learning objectives, the nature of the work to be completed to satisfy those objectives, and the means for assessing the completion of those objectives, i.e., the deliverables.

The Internship Project is a written report that may contain a work log, work samples, or other materials prepared and submitted by the student, attested to by the external supervisor, for evaluation by the faculty supervisor in satisfaction of the Internship Proposal. This document, together with the external supervisor’s evaluations of the student’s performance, forms the basis for granting academic credit and for assigning grades for ES 505 and 515.

Internship Responsibilities
Three parties must participate to complete a successful internship: (1) the student, (2) the faculty supervisor, and (3) the external sponsor.

The responsibilities of the student are:

1.    To identify and arrange the internship opportunity with a suitable external sponsor. Although the College, through the efforts of the Science Department and the Placement Center, will make every effort to assist the student in finding a satisfactory internship, the College makes no guarantee that such an opportunity will be found.

2.    To make all necessary tuition and fee payments to the College, in accordance with the requirements prevailing at the time of registration for ES 505 and/or 515.

3.    To bear the expense of traveling, subsisting, commuting, and obtaining suitable business attire for the internship assignment. Some external sponsors may choose to compensate the student for his or her work, or to reimburse internship expenses, but failure to find a paid internship opportunity does not relieve the student of the academic requirement to complete ES 505 and 515.

4.    To develop an Internship Proposal in conjunction with the faculty supervisor and the external supervisor. This document becomes the performance contract between the student, the College, and the external sponsor.

5.    To work diligently, punctually, and creatively to provide the external sponsor with a valuable professional work product.

6.    To behave in an appropriate and professional manner, and to observe the external sponsor’s policies for employee behavior with respect to all of the external sponsor’s employees, clients, and vendors.

7.    To rigorously observe the external sponsor’s lawful requirements with respect to the protection of intellectual property, physical property, and proprietary information.

8.    To diligently prepare the internship report to fully and accurately represent the internship experience, and the fulfillment of the learning objectives stated in the Internship Proposal.

The responsibilities of the faculty supervisor are:

1.    To fully discuss the goals of the relevant course (ES 505 and/or 515) with both the student and the external supervisor, and to see that these goals are fully embodied in the learning objectives of the internship.

2.    To assure that the Internship Proposal is correctly and completely prepared, signed by all parties, and filed with the Science Department office.

3.    To sign the student’s registration form for the appropriate course(s).

4.    To verify that the student has started the internship experience.

5.    To periodically communicate with the external supervisor and the student concerning the progress of the internship.

6.    To receive and review the Internship Project and the external supervisor’s Evaluation Report, and to submit a grade for the student’s work in the relevant course.

The responsibilities of the external supervisor are:

1.    To fully and fairly represent the external sponsor’s goals and objectives for the work to be performed by the student intern.

2.    To fully explain company policies to the student.

3.    To provide the details of the financial arrangements to the student.

4.    To arrange that the student will be assigned to meaningful work, within his or her capabilities, and that the student will be given reasonable opportunities to observe and participate in activities as a learning experience.

5.    To provide a written evaluation of the student concerning (1) his or her science knowledge, (2) his or her skill and application in doing scientific work, and (3) his or her conduct, level of professionalism, and diligence.

Timeline

The student should expect to observe the following timeline:

  • Consult faculty advisor and Career Center – beginning of semester before internship is to begin

  •  Interview and obtain internship offer –  immediately following the consultation

  • Faculty advisor concludes contract with student and external sponsor – middle of the semester before start of internship

  • Start Internship – as soon as possible after final exams conclude

  • Internship Project due – end of the second week of the semester following the internship