Internship Resources

Receiving Academic Credit
Some employers may require you to receive academic credit, particularly for an unpaid internship with their organization. It is very important that you determine whether academic credit is required early in the application process. If academic credit is required and you are not able to obtain academic credit, most likely the employer cannot take you on as an intern.
The Career Development Center does NOT grant academic credit to students for internships.

Below are options to receive academic credit:
Option 1
Make arrangements with an academic department and a faculty sponsor for a directed reading or independent study. Please check with academic departments for specific information on this.

Option 2
Enroll in a Cooperative Education Program or course at a community college program for one semester or quarter. Click here to find out about programs in the Bay Area (near Stanford), Los Angeles, and New York. If your internship will be outside these areas, check community college and state university extended education programs near your internship site.

Option 3 (After you have tried Options 1 and 2)
Request a letter from the CDC that states that you are a student in good standing and the internship experience is considered relevant and applicable to the degree program. This does NOT constitute academic credit for an internship, but MAY satisfy an employer's requirements.

To request this letter, send the following information via email to Kathy Campbell
• Your name
• Year
• Major (or state "undeclared")
• Internship company or organization name
• Company or organization address
• Name and title of a contact person at the internship
• How you would like the letter sent (by fax, regular mail, or email, providing the needed contact information) and to whom (to you or your supervisor)