Request & Registration Process

Steps to Request Internship Approval and Registration

The Experiences section in Handshake is the official system that most departments at Millersville University use to process internship requests for academic credit. Through this system, the Career Center guides students through the required approval and registration steps so academic departments can review the internship and determine whether it meets the criteria for academic credit.

REQUIRED STEPS IN HANDSHAKE 

If you have been hired for an internship and completing it for academic-credit, you must complete both of the following steps in Handshake:

Step1:   Internship Approval Request - your internship coordinator will confirm your academic eligibility.

Step 2:  Registration of Internship - After approved by the academic department, this step ensures the internship appears on your MarAUDIT.

HOW TO ACCESS AND SUBMIT THESE STEPS FROM HANDSHAKE

1. Login to Handshake with your Millersville credentials

2. Click Career Center in the left navigation menu, then select Experiences.

2.  Select Submit an Experience, located in the upper-left corner of the page, or click the blue Submit an Experience button.

3.  Choose your Experience Details by selecting the Experience Type and Term from the dropdown menu. Both of these fields are required.  

 STEP 1:  INTERNSHIP APPROVAL REQUEST

In this step, you are asking your academic department to confirm that you are eligible to move forward with a cedit-bearing internship.  Before completing this step, please speak with your Department Internship Coordinator to understand how internship credits will be applied to your degree requirements.

To begin, select Step 1:  Internship Approval Request from the dropdown menu in Handshake Experience.  Complete all required fields.

  • If you have not yet secured an internship, enter "TBD" for Employer and Job Title.
  • If a question does not apply to you, enter "N/A".

You will also need to review the Policies and Procedures for Millersville University's For-Credit Internship Program.

When prompted, list your Department Internship Coordinator as the approver.  Your request will be sent to them for review.  Once approved, you may continue with your internship search or move forward with the reporting and registration process

Additional Internship Documentation Required:

  • A fully executed Internship Affiliation Agreement must be in place before your internship can be registered, and your internship hours begin. An Internship Affiliation Agreement is a legal document that establishes a relationship between Millersville University and the employer organization hosting your internship.  It ensures both parties understand their roles and responsibilities related to your educational experience.
  • Internship Affiliation Agreements are initiated and processed by The Career Center and the standard Affiliation Agreement is a 5-year term.  The Career Center will need to work with the University’s legal counsel if your employer requests changes to the standard agreement. 
  • Your internship host organization should contact Patty Taggart, Assistant Director of Experiential Learning at patricia.taggart@millersville.edu or (717-871-7658) if they are requesting changes to the standard agreement or if someone different from your employer supervisor specified in your Step 2 needs to sign the Agreement.

During your interview or hiring process, please notify your internship host organization that a fully executed Internship Affiliation Agreement must be in place before your internship can be registered and you begin recording your hours. 

Additional Internship Documentation for International Students:

Are you attending Millersville University as an international student and planning to complete an internship for academic credit?  If yes, please connect with the International Programs and Services (IPS) department regarding Curricular Practical Training (CPT) before submitting your Step 2:  Registration of Internship.  You will need to provide IPS with an offer letter from the employer host site to receive CPT authorization.

How to Conduct your Internship Search: 

Use the targeted search tools in Handshake or Careershift by logging in with your Millersville credentials to search for internships.  Use our Resume Writing Guide to create or update your résumé. You may also use the Searching for Internships webpage for links to external job boards or schedule an Internship Seeking appointment with a staff member. Submit applications and employers will contact you directly to schedule an interview.  Employers may conduct in-person, phone, or virtual interviews. 

If you have already found and accepted an internship on your own, the organization must be an established, legitimate business or non‐profit organization, as evidenced by having a physical location, website, and a listed telephone number.  Internships may not be in an in-home business unless approved by the Department Internship Coordinator. 

Once you have secured an internship and have all the pertinent internship information (employer name, address, phone number, website URL, supervisor name, email address, phone number, start and end dates, internship title, job description which includes specific tasks you will be completing aligned to your major/minor, hours/week and pay rate) please complete Step 2: Report/Registration of Internship.

Step 2: Registration of Internship 
In this step you will provide specific details about your internship for approval by your academic department.  Select Step 2: Registration of Internship.  Complete all required fields, review the Expectations for Professional and Ethical Conduct for Millersville University Interns and the Internship Agreement - Academic Requirements.  You will need to enter your department internship coordinator to start the approval process.  

Once your Step 2 receives all the appropriate signatures and an Internship Affiliation Agreement is in place, The Career Center will process your registration and your internship course will be added to your academic record and MarAUDIT.

Once your Internship is Registered, you will then be contacted by The Career Center to attend a 10-15 minute orientation session.  These sessions are very important for you to attend as we will review all the academic requirements, deadline dates, policies and professional/ethical conduct for Millersville University.  

Internship for academic-credit require students to pay tuition as they would for any other credit-bearing course. 

NOTE: If you previously completed a credit-bearing internship and you want to receive credit for a second internship, you must complete Step 2:  Registration of Internship in Handshake.  If your internship is at the same organization, your job description will need to reflect an increase in responsibilities or different responsibilities.  Once approved, you must attend another orientation session, in order to receive academic credit.