Get an Internship or Co-op

Internships & Cooperative Education

Internships and Co-ops are designed to provide MiraCosta students with workplace experience and new or improved skills. Students must have an internship placement or have a job to be eligible to enroll. The Career Center can help students find internship placements and jobs.

The Student

• Finds an internship. See available opportunities in CareerPoint (guest access: username: gstudent, password: w1234567) or come to the Career Center.
• Develops workplace learning objectives with the instructor.
• Meets with the instructor at the internship site twice during the semester. (At the beginning of the internship and at the end of the semester)
• Completes monthly hours reports on Blackboard verifying time worked. For each unit of credit, students must intern a minimum of 60 non-paid hours or 75 paid hours.
• Completes required assignments.
• Adheres to the program requirements as outlined in the Syllabus (PDF).
• Submits assignments and monthly hours reports via Blackboard. Please contact the Student Help Desk or the Career Center if you need assistance.
• Completes the Student Orientation.

The Employer

• Provides a learning environment and appropriate tasks for the student.
• Offers training and guidance to the student.
• Meets with the student's instructor at the beginning and end of the semester to set goals and to evaluate the student's progress.
• Verifies that required hours have been completed by the student.
• Complies with expectations outlined in the Employer Letter (PDF).

The Instructor

• Serves as the teacher of record and faculty mentor for the enrolled student.
• Develops workplace learning objectives with the student and signs the Training Agreement with the intern site supervisor.
• Meets with the student twice during the semester.
• Reviews the student's work, evaluates accomplishment of learning objectives, verifies that required hours have been completed, assigns a grade, and documents SLO's.
• Completes a faculty mentor orientation.
  • Faculty Mentor Orientation Materials (PDF)

Course Credit

• Internship Credit - 292 can be earned in any discipline listed in the college catalog as Internship Studies 292.
• Occupational Work Experience Education - 299 is available in most disciplines for students whose job IS related to their major or career goal. (e.g.,. BUS 299, HORT 299, DRAF 299).
• General Work Experience Education - WKEX 233 is for students whose job is NOT related to their major.

Internship Studies and Cooperative Work Experience Education courses are transferrable to the CSU System. Credit options vary based on the number of hours the student is interning/working and the availability of courses during any given semester.

HOURS	= PAID	HOURS	= UNPAID
3 unit	= 225 hours	3 unit	= 180 hours
2 unit	= 150 hours	2 unit	= 120 hours
1 unit	= 75 hours	1 unit	= 60 hours
4 unit	= 300 hours	(Available in Paid Occupational Work Experience Only)

Students are not able to enroll in Internship Studies, Occupational Work Experience or General Work Experience concurrently. A maximum of 16 units may be earned during community college attendance. Only 6 units of General Work Experience Education may be earned. It is advised that students do not exceed 6 units of Internship Studies credit during community college attendance.

Enrollment Information

• Students seeking an Internship must be recommended by a faculty member in the discipline in which they are seeking the internship. They must have been enrolled in the faculty member’s class and must have performed well. Guidelines for enrollment and obtaining faculty recommendations vary by discipline and are available at the Career Center. Please call 760.795.6772, or stop by for more information.
  
  
• Students interested in enrolling in Occupational Work Experience Education must be employed and apply to the program by contacting the Career Center or by submitting an Occupational Work Experience Data Form which includes worksite contact information. Once the data form is received, students will be contacted with enrollment information.
  
  
• Students working in a job not related to their major may enroll in WKEX on SURF. WKEX offers late start 15 and 8 week classes. Students may enroll at Admissions & Records or on SURF.
  

Course Content

• Syllabus (PDF): This is a model syllabus and will vary depending on the course in which you enroll.
• BlackBoard: Students are required to submit assignments and monthly hours reports via Blackboard. Please contact the Student Help Desk or the Career Center if you need assistance with Blackboard.

Benefits

Student Benefits

• Learn or improve employability skills under actual working conditions.
• Gain perspective on career goals.
• Apply classroom theory to work situations.
• Test personal abilities in work environments.
• Develop a better understanding of human relations.
• Refer to work experience education on future job applications.
• Benefit financially while learning.

Contact Career Services

The Career Center BLDG. 3700, Oceanside Campus can provide additional information and assistance or call for more information: 760.795.6772.

Videos on this Topic

• Student Lingo: a series of interactive on-demand workshops, action plans and valuable resources focused on helping students achieve their academic, personal and career goals. You will be prompted to enter your first and last name.  Be sure to do so if your instructor will be granting you extra credit.
  
  
• CareerSpots