Internships

Internships

Our internship is designed to give students practical on-the job technical and cooperative work experience and to develop competencies in any of the many facets of agriculture or related industries.

We offers internship credit under the course, AG 410. You may apply online here. You can also ask your academic advisor for more information about internship credit during a regular scheduled advising appointment.

The department does not place students in internships, however, we will work diligently with you on internship ideas and resources while you progress through the Agricultural Sciences major. There are many ways to search for internships at OSU, including specific College based resource through OSU Handshake.

The Career Development Center offers Career Expos each year and various levels of support to students including: tips on resumes and cover letters, resources around career options within a field of interests, and career counseling, to name a few.

Interested in enrolling in AG 410? See below for internship guidelines and to view or fill out the application materials, go here. Please allow several weeks before the start of the term in which you wish to intern to process your application. 

Quick Facts about AG 410 credits:

  • Internship credit through AG 410 is available and encouraged as an Agricultural Sciences major.
  • Credit is available each term, and summer is often a great term to maximize the credit potential.
  • The internships are variable credits which are mainly based upon hours at your site. 12 credits is the maximum allowed per term, and you can repeat the course with a new experience for an additional 4 credits based upon new learning outcomes.
  • Internships must be pre-approved via our department’s application. Once approved, you will receive a registration over-ride and a follow up email alerting you to how many credits approved, and next steps.
  • There is a class component coordinated on Canvas for both Corvallis and Distance Education students (no separate class time required).
  • If you currently work within industry are curious about the potential for credit, please speak to your advisor or the instructor of the AG 410 course. Credit is possible in these scenarios with the development of intentional learning outcomes over the course of the term.
  • Yes, you can accept a paid internship.
  • Internships make a difference! We hear over and over, how a student internship helped to shape career direction, and regularly assists our students in selecting meaningful coursework within the agricultural sciences major.

 

AG 410 Internship 

 

Internship Guidelines

AG 410 INTERNSHIP

An internship is to give students practical on-the job technical and cooperative work experience and to develop competencies in any of the many facets of agriculture or related industries.

INSTRUCTIONAL PURPOSE

Agricultural education trainers and interns will develop occupational and instructional competencies that can be utilized in the student’s particular specialty area.

PREREQUISITES

  • Have appropriate health and liability insurance coverage provided by the intern’s employer/host.
  • Made application to the internship program (Coop Ed Intern Approval & Learn Agreement).
  • Obtained coordinator approval to enroll.
  • Have a placement site located and approval prior to enrollment.

ACADEMIC AND PLACEMENT SITE SCHEDULING

It is the mutual responsibility of the intern and coordinator to organize the intern’s academic and placement schedule so that conflicts do not occur.

The placement site is expected to accommodate the intern’s academic needs by providing a work schedule consistent in hours and infused with meaningful activities.

CREDIT HOURS

  • Based on the anticipated numbers of hours worked, students may enroll for 1-12 credit hours per term.
  • In total students may earn a maximum of 16 credit hours in the internship program.
    • Additional credits over the 12 credit hours allowed per term to reach the max of 16 allowed must be taken in a new experience and in a different term.
  • A minimum of 10 hours of relevant and related seminar activities may be provided each term.

The coordinator reserves the right to make the final determination regarding the number of credits for which an intern may enroll. This determination should be generally based on the number of hours the intern will work during the term and the quality of the learning activities available to the intern at the placement site.

The general guideline for receiving Internship credits based on average hours worked per week during their term are:

Average Work

Hours/Week credits

10-12

13-15

16-18

19-21

22-24

25-27

28-30

31-33

34-36

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

11

37-40+ 12

For example, if Julie averaged 15 hours of work per week for the entire 10-week term, she would be eligible for 4 credits. Total hours equal 150 hours.

LAYOFFS/TERMINATIONS

In the event that an intern is terminated from a placement site due to economic conditions, illness, poor performance, etc., the internship coordinator will be responsible for determining whether the learning objectives for the placement site element have been met. If the requirements have been met, a grade will be issued. If they have not been met, the coordinator may issue an incomplete (I) or a failing (N) grade.

PAY/NON-PAY PLACEMENT SITES

Whenever possible, the intern should be paid for the Internship experiences; however, viable, no-pay experiences may be utilized.

TRANSPORTATION

All interns are required to make arrangements for their own transportation and transportation insurance to and from the placement site.

GRADING SYSTEM (see additional information on procedures and grading rubric).

It is the responsibility of the internship coordinator to make the final decision regarding interns’ grades. Grades will be based on timely submissions of weekly reflections/reports, and a final-visual presentation and accomplishment of chosen competencies.  Graded A-F.

Timeline

BEFORE THE INTERNSHIP

1)      Have a site/experience in mind: You can discuss proposed internship site or related ideas with your department academic advisor, or instructor(s) for the internship course. Once you secure a site, proceed with the required internship learning agreement/application.

2)      Fill out/Submit Application: Submit your completed and signed Internship Learning Agreement to the department.

3)      After your internship is reviewed and approved, the internship coordinator and/or other office staff member will email you when the registration override permission is in place for you to register for the course (AG 410).

4)      Registration for AG 410: Once you receive confirmation, register for the course, and be sure to change the number of credits to the appropriate/approved amount of credits. Note, it is variable, and you must register for your approved number.

 

DURING THE INTERNSHIP

You will be added to an AG 410 Canvas course during the term that you are registered for the AG 410 credits. This is where you will find and submit weekly assignments, supervisor evaluation and end of term final report on your internship. If you do not see the course in your Canvas dashboard after the start of the term, please contact our office.

1)      Weekly Reflections: At the first day of the term, log-on to the AG 410 Canvas site. There will be weekly reports to submit via Canvas (unless other arrangements have been made). Specific requirements and due dates for weekly reports will be on this site. Reports must be submitted weekly, and are a part of your graded experience for the course.

2)      Midterm Evaluation: an evaluation must be completed and turned in at the middle of the internship.

3)      Any Additional Requirements: if you and your Internship Supervisor or Faculty Supervisor have agreed upon any other requirements for your internship these should also be completed during the internship.

 

AT THE END OF THE INTERNSHIP

1)      Supervisor Evaluation: At the end of your experience, you will turn in a completed final evaluation (completed and signed by your site supervisor). This evaluation is needed in order to issue a final grade for your internship. Please submit the completed form via Canvas by finals week. We suggest arranging this meeting with your agency supervisor in advance. If there are circumstances which prevent the evaluation from being submitted on time, please discuss with your internship coordinator and/or advisor. (example evaluation)

2)      Final Evaluation & Presentation: In addition to the final evaluation form, you will submit a visual/final presentation due the last week of your experience (or Wednesday of finals week if completing your internship hours within a typical 10 week quarter). For this presentation, select 3 of your original learning objectives and create a PowerPoint or acceptable alternative (Prezi, Google Docs presentation). You will not have to present in person, rather we want to review this presentation as a way for you to demonstrate to reviewers that you accomplished what you set out to do. 

 

Insurance and Safety Information

For Student and Site

Worker’s Compensation: All student interns must be covered by an Employer/Organization’s Workers’ Compensation insurance when the student intern is defined as a “subject worker” by Oregon Workers’ Compensation Law. A “subject worker” includes any worker for an Employer/Organization where an exchange of “remuneration for services” occurs. Remuneration is not explicitly defined; however, it may include lodging, stipends, gifts, etc. If student interns do not meet the definition of a “subject worker”, the Employer/Organization may be able to add the student intern to its Workers’ Compensation Insurance coverage by contacting their insurance agent or carrier. Oregon State University (OSU) only provides Workers’ Compensation insurance coverage for student interns defined as OSU “subject workers” while performing duties for OSU. OSU does not provide Workers’ Compensation insurance coverage for student interns performing duties to non-OSU Employers/Organizations.

Occupational Safety & Health Administration (OSHA): All Employers/Organizations shall maintain a safe working environment for student interns. This includes complying with all OSHA rules and providing an initial safety orientation, any precautionary safety instructions, training, and ongoing supervision for assigned duties. An experienced professional who has expertise in the content area of the internship shall be assigned to supervise the student intern throughout the internship and shall be available to the student intern in the event of any employment related accidents.

Hold Harmless or Indemnity Agreements: Because of the concern over liability during student internships, some Employers/Organizations may require Oregon State University and/or the student intern to sign a hold- harmless or indemnity agreement. Student interns are PROHIBITED from signing an Employer/Organization’s hold-harmless or indemnity agreement on behalf of Oregon State University.  If an Employer/Organization  desires to enter into an on-going internship arrangement, all agreements between the Employer/Organization must be signed by one of the 16 authorized signators for Oregon State University through the Procurement and Contract Services Office.

In some cases, Employers/Organizations have asked students to sign a release of liability as a condition to accepting an internship. Student interns are recommended to NOT sign personal hold-harmless or indemnity agreements that assume liability as a condition to accepting an internship.

Statement of Expectations for Student Conduct

 

Final Presentation

Organizing the Presentation: Per selected objective, create presentation style slides (minimum of 2 slides per objective) and expand upon how you specifically met or did not meet your original learning outcome/goal. Please include visual aids/pictures to enhance your “presentation.” TIP: It can be convenient to take and save targeted photos throughout your internship for this purpose (not just at the end). Photos should focus on you at your site (not external participants). Please see grading rubric for further explanation. If you are concerned about the use of photos example: photo of children, please consult with course instructor for alternative ideas.

This final presentation will be submitted directly to Canvas and/or emailed to the instructor if your internship falls outside of the typical 10 week term.

AG 410 - Internship Final Presentation

Grading Rubric

Grading & Notes:
A – acceptable
N—not acceptable

Ideas and Content

1. Select 3 of your original learning objectives and describe how you effectively met these objectives in a visual presentation style format (eg: PowerPoint, Prezi, Google Docs). Each objective selected should have a minimum of 2 slides. Please use a “notes” function if you need to supplement or expand with additional text.

 

Organization & Inclusion of visuals

2. Presentation is well organized, with use of visuals/photos. Please note, photos should focus on you performing tasks at your site. Use of photos are solely for educational evaluation purposes.

 

Conventions (grammar, mechanics, punctuation)

3. Grammar, spelling, and capitalization are correct.

 

Timely submission

4. Due Wednesday of finals week, unless otherwise arranged with instructor. Submit via blackboard.

 

 

 

 

Comments/Feedback: