There are two mandatory meetings students must attend prior to internship. The specific dates and time of the meetings will be announced through signs posted in Spidle Hall and the HDFS student listserv.

1. The first mandatory meeting (called the Internship Orientation Meeting) is held at the beginning of Fall and Spring semesters. Students should attend this meeting at least two semesters in advance of the semester they expect to complete internship. Guidelines for preparing for internship and the required paperwork for placement will be provided
2. The second mandatory meeting (called the Internship Preparation Meeting) is held at the end of Fall and Spring semesters. Students should attend this meeting the last semester before they complete internship. Course requirements and the Internet component of the course will be reviewed.

Please note that no mandatory meetings will be held during Summer semester. Students should plan accordingly. Students completing internship Spring semester, for example, will need to attend the first mandatory meeting (Internship Orientation) at the beginning of the preceding Spring semester. Students completing internship Fall semester will need to attend the second mandatory meeting (Internship Preparation) at the end of Spring semester prior to their internship.

There are mandatory deadlines all prospective internship students must be aware of and adhere to. All students must turn in their Internship Application and Graduation Check two semesters in advance of the semester they expect to complete internship. The Internship Commitment Form and signed Student Internship Agreement must be turned in the semester before they complete the internship. Fingerprint/Background Check Clearing Letters need to be on file with the HDFS office before the student can begin the internship. No exceptions.

The deadlines for turning in the Internship Application materials and the Internship Commitment Form materials are:

• October 15 for a Summer Internship
• March 15 for a Fall Internship
• June 15 for a Spring Internship

After the Internship Application has been submitted, it is the student’s responsibility to select his or her internship site. Please review “How do I find an internship site?”

Once the student and site reach an agreement about the internship, the student should contact the HDFS Internship Director to discuss the placement. After receiving preliminary approval from the HDFS Internship Director, the student should submit their Internship Commitment Form and their signed Student Internship Agreement to the HDFS Internship Director by the appropriate deadline. Near the end of the semester prior to beginning the internship, students also should attend the mandatory Internship Preparation Meeting.

There are several things to think about when selecting an internship site. Most importantly, the student should consider his or her interests, career goals, and academic background. It is expected that students will select an internship site that is consistent with their prior coursework as reflected on the Internship Application. Students also will find the internship more rewarding when it fits with their interests and long-term goals.

Potential internship sites can be identified through a variety of sources, including Auburn University faculty and the Career Development Center, community referral services, telephone books, the Internet, fellow students, and hometown contacts. The HDFS department also maintains a collection of binders in 206 Spidle Hall that contain information on potential internship sites. An internship site can be within the United States or abroad.

Students should arrange to interview at least three prospective internship sites to discuss potential placement. This interview provides the student with an opportunity to explore the quality of experience and mentoring available at the site, and it allows the site to consider the fit of the student with its programs. The student should send the organization a copy of his or her resume prior to the scheduled date of the interview. If time does not permit, the student should present a copy of his or her resume at the interview along with information about the HDFS Internship. Information about the HDFS Internship can be obtained during the Mandatory Internship Orientation Meeting.

Once the student and site reach an agreement about the internship, the student should arrange to meet with the HDFS Internship Director to discuss the placement. Final approval of the internship site will occur after the student submits two copies of the Internship Commitment Form and two signed copies of the Student Internship Agreement to the Internship Director on or before the appropriate deadline one semester in advance of beginning the internship.

Internship placements should provide for educational direction, professional mentoring, qualified agency supervision, and other safeguards that encourage student learning. For the intern, the process of choosing a placement reflects such considerations as his or her Internship Track and future goals, as well as the location of a site and the type of client population served. One of the most important factors for a student to consider, however, is the person who will be serving as the agency supervisor. Based on the personalities of the supervisor and the intern, their specific areas of interest, the qualifications of the supervisor and his/her willingness to give adequate supervision, a student should ask, “Is the person who will be supervising me someone I want to work with and have mentor me?”

The Commitment Form is required for finalizing students’ internship placement. The form is used to convey information to the HDFS Internship Director about the student’s internship placement and the student’s contact information during the internship. The information from the Commitment Form is used to prepare the Agreement of Cooperation between the HDFS Department and the selected internship site. The HDFS Department will mail the Agreement of Cooperation and materials outlining internship objective and evaluation procedures to the internship site supervisor. It is mandatory that representatives of both the HDFS department and the Internship Site sign the Agreement of Cooperation before the student begins the internship.

Commitment Forms will be distributed to students during the first mandatory Internship Orientation Meeting that is held at the beginning of Fall and Spring semesters. Students should attend the Internship Orientation Meeting at least two semesters in advance of the semester they expect to complete internship.

If you will be away from the Auburn University Campus during your internship, you will want to complete the Away from Campus Dining Accommodation request process. The accommodation provides you a waiver for the mandatory dining fees. Your dining accommodation request must be completed no later than the 10th class day, but sooner is better! Follow these instructions

While it is the full responsibility of the student to initiate and complete the internship process, the HDFS Internship Director is available to support the student’s efforts and serve as an advocate for his or her success during the internship placement. More specifically, it is the role of the HDFS Internship Director to:

• Provide an internship orientation meeting prior to the application deadline
• Provide an internship preparation meeting prior to the start of internship
• Assist students in identifying, selecting and choosing an internship site
• Negotiate learning agreements between the HDFS department and the internship site
• Promote the personal and professional growth of intern students
• Facilitate the web-based learning component of the internship
• Provide student and site support during the internship
• Assign the final grade for the course

Undergraduate students in the Department of Human Development and Family Science (HDFS) at Auburn University are required to complete a 12 credit hour internship that is related to their course of study and their long-term career goals. Students are expected to complete a minimum of 450 placement hours over the course of a semester. In addition to the minimum number of hours, students are expected to work at the internship site for the full number of weeks in a semester. The actual day and times worked by the student at the site should be arranged between the site supervisor and the student.

Internship placements should provide for educational direction, professional mentoring, qualified agency supervision, and other safeguards that encourage student learning. It is the responsibility of the internship site to commit itself to follow through with the intern in the prescribed manner until the end of the placement. Assignments with the organization should be easily understood, visibly accomplished, helpful to those receiving services, and of educational value to the student.

If you decide to work with an HDFS student, it is anticipated that the person who most closely supervises the student will do the following:

• Provide the student with as much direct, hands-on experience with clients and services as possible and appropriate.
• Help the student to become acquainted with the staff, physical characteristics, and operational methods of the site.
• Supervise and facilitate the student’s development by regularly observing his or her work, and providing him or her with constructive feedback.
• Complete a mid-semester and final evaluation on the student, and provide opportunity for the HDFS Internship Director and site supervisor to consult about the student’s progress via telephone, and/or a site visit

Organizations that choose to work with an HDFS student will be asked to sign an Agreement of Cooperation with the HDFS department. A copy of the agreement and a detailed outline of the HDFS internship objectives and evaluation procedures will be mailed to the site supervisor after the student informs the HDFS Internship Director of their placement. In addition, the student should be prepared to provide the site with information about the internship, agreement, and evaluation procedures during the initial interview.

The internship is a very important component of the student’s college education and professional development. The HDFS department appreciates that it is the cooperation of the internship sites that makes this experience possible. To this end, the HDFS Internship Director is available to answer questions and support site supervisors’ work with students anytime during the internship process.