Internship Support

Preparing Students for Internships
Many internship coordinators now require students to complete CAPE Job Search Workshops or meet with a counselor to review their resumes and cover letters. This enhances students' professional preparation and helps them present a more polished image during internship applications. If you implement requirements, contact the CAPE to arrange verification. Some departments use forms signed and dated by CAPE counselors to confirm attendance.

Alternative to workshops, CAPE staff can present to your interns during class sessions or other designated time. Topics include resumes, cover letters, LinkedIn, and more. Complete the Workshop Request Form to arrange a presentation.

Working with Organizations
Organizations seeking interns may ask for student referrals or help promoting opportunities. Keep these tips in mind when working with new organizations:

  • Ensure it’s a learning experience, not free labor.
  • Establish legitimacy and request a detailed internship description, qualifications, and any other relevant information.
  • If unsuitable for your majors or intended for multiple majors, refer the organization to the Career and Professional Education Center. We will connect them with the appropriate coordinators and post the opportunity on BengalLink.
  • For concerns about an organization and to request a vetting process, contact Lynn Rogers for assistance.

For unpaid credit-bearing internships at for-profit organizations, follow federal guidelines, including the "Primary Beneficiary Test." Refer organizations to the link below if they may seek interns instead of hiring employees.

Once you confirm the site is suitable for credit-bearing internships, complete the required documents, such as the affiliation and learning agreements.

Paid interns are considered employees. Internship Coordinators determine, per departmental policy, if credit should be awarded. Please share paid opportunities with the Career and Professional Education Center to ensure they are posted on BengalLink for all students to access. Paid interns are considered employees. Internship Coordinators determine, per departmental policy, if credit should be awarded. Please share paid opportunities with the Career and Professional Education Center to ensure they are posted on BengalLink for all students to access.

The Career and Professional Education Center develops internship programs and partnerships with Buffalo State. We assist organizations in recruiting and identifying students while collaborating with appropriate departments. Internships are posted on BengalLink for student and faculty access. For questions, contact the Career and Professional Education Center.

Affiliation Agreements

An affiliation agreement is a written document between the campus and an internship site that lists the college's academic expectation of the site and the student while they are interning or training at the site. SUNY offers insurance coverage to host sites for liability protection associated with intern duties and actions at approved programs upon execution of a standard Affiliation Agreement administered by the Buffalo State Financial Operations/Comptroller's Office. SUNY students are not covered by the NYS Court of Claims Act or Public Officers Law Section 17 for defense and indemnification of their negligent acts while serving internships at these off-site locations. Therefore, SUNY procures a commercial liability insurance policy to cover the defense and indemnification of these students.

Affiliation agreements cover clinical and non-clinical disciplines. In order to qualify for insurance coverage, a student must be serving a non-paid credit bearing internship at a site that is covered under an agreement with SUNY and be in an academic program on the approved list of academic programs covered by SUNY affiliation agreements.

If you do not see your academic program/major listed, please consult with the Buffalo State Financial Operations/Comptroller's Office for procedures to have your program added.

The procedures for completing Affiliation Agreements with sites are listed below:

Clinical and non-clinical agreements require a copy of the Internship Course Syllabus be attached to the Agreement document as Exhibit A.

Current required SUNY documents for Clinical and Non-Clinical placements for credit bearing internships:

For Clinical host sites:
Affiliation Agreements must be executed by all parties and filed with the Buffalo State Financial Operations/Comptroller's Office before the Internship begins. (It is not necessary to re-execute an Affiliation Agreement should the signatory site supervisor change, as the Agreement will continue to apply to the organization.)

For Non-Clinical host sites:
For non-clinical sites that do not request such liability protection (typically large corporate entities, e.g. Disney, Sony), a Letter of Agreement suffices.

For additional information please consult the University Faculty Senate Internship and Co-ops: A Guide for Planning, Implementation and Assessment.

For information regarding additional policies and procedures, please refer to the Faculty Handbook for Internships.

Bengal Internship Award

The Bengal Internship Award provides a stipend to students completing an unpaid/underpaid internship related to their future career goals while attending Buffalo State College. The stipend covers expenses related to unpaid/underpaid internships, including housing, food, transportation, and other incidental costs and expenses.

NACE Competencies

With feedback from employers and career centers, the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE) developed a definition of career readiness and they identified eight related competencies.