Unpaid Internships

Students may NOT work for Texas A&M University-Commerce as a volunteer, with the exception of unpaid internships which are part of their degree requirements and for which the student will receive course credit. Further details and criteria regarding unpaid internships are:

1. The experience must be an extension of the classroom: a learning experience that provides for applying the knowledge gained in the classroom. It must not be simply to advance the operations of the employer or be the work that a regular employee would routinely perform.
2. The skills or knowledge learned must be transferable to other employment settings.
3. The experience has a defined beginning and end, and a job description with desired qualifications.
4. There are clearly defined learning objectives/goals related to the professional goals of the student’s academic coursework.
5. There is supervision by a professional with expertise and educational and/or professional background in the field of the experience.
6. There is routine feedback by the experienced supervisor.
7. There are resources, equipment, and facilities provided by the host employer that support learning objectives/goals.

FURTHER DETAILS AND CRITERIA REGARDING UNPAID CREDIT COURSE INTERNSHIPS:

1. The experience must be an extension of the classroom: a learning experience that provides for applying the knowledge gained in the classroom. It must not be simply to advance the operations of the employer or be the work that a regular employee would routinely perform.
2. The internship is part of the student's degree plan, they are assessed, and they earn course credit.
3. The student is not paid in the internship.
4. There is no guarantee of permanent work once the internship completes.
   1. The key to whether or not these zero-hour internships can be unpaid or if they have to be paid is whether the student's input, etc. will be graded at the end of the internship and will appear on their official transcript.
   2. If yes, it can be unpaid and will be treated as any other unpaid internship. If not, they must be placed in a paid internship position (Student Intern) and paid at least the minimum wage.

Paid Internships

Departments may hire interns on a paid basis using the same process for hiring a student worker position. Interns must track hours and are paid bi-weekly.

Duties of Student Interns should be beyond those of typical student employee positions. Your position description should illustrate the level of duties and the required education and experience for the intern title. There should be specific goals listed for the student to achieve throughout the duration of his/her employment that are related to the student's career path. The objective of hiring a student intern should be for the employer to have a skilled worker and for the intern to gain valuable experience directly tied to their field of interest. It may be necessary to work with academic advisors to allow the intern to earn academic credit for their experience.

New hire paperwork, criminal background check and an hourly wage relative to the work performed are all required.

For more information, please reach out to the Office of Student Career Preparedness, you can either call 903.468.3223, emailing hirealion@tamuc.edu or go online by clicking schedule an appointment.