Internships can offer students extremely valuable opportunities for learning outside of the classroom.  They supplement what students learn about finance and economics in their courses, and can help them define their career goals more clearly.

These guidelines explain how undergraduate students may earn academic credit for an internship. 

To qualify for an internship for academic credit, a student must meet several minimum requirements.  He or she must:

1.  Have completed 45 credits;

2.  Have an overall 2.0 GPA or better;

3.  Have officially declared Finance (BBA) or Economics (BBA or BA) as his or her major.

Part 1: Setting the Internship Up for Academic Credit

It takes 12 steps to find and set up an internship for academic credit.  Please print a copy of this page so that you can make sure you follow all of the steps in sequence. 

Steps 7 and 11 below apply only to International Students.  It is extremely important for International Students to comply with the special requirements that are outlined in these steps.

1.  Find the Internship

The Career Development Center (CDC) website is the best place to start. Any job requests sent to the Economics and Finance Department are immediately forwarded to the CDC.

The CDC is located in Room 2-150 in the Vertical Campus. Click here to visit their website: Internships in the Career Development Center.

Many employers require that you earn academic credit for your internship. Only students who wish to earn academic credit for their internship need to proceed further on this page. 

2. Decide which course you want to enroll in

You will need to register for one of these internship courses:  BUS 3001, BUS 3002, BUS 3003, FIN 5610, FIN 5611, ECO 5010, or ECO 5011.  These alternatives and their requirements are explained in detail in this guide: The Internship Courses in Finance and Economics.

3. Verification of Eligibility

Some employers require a letter from the College stating that you will be eligible to register for academic credit for your internship.  This is only needed if the firm that has invited you for an interview specifically requests it.

Please click here to download the Verification of Eligibility form and submit it for signature by one of the internship coordinators. To do this, bring your completed form to the the main office of the Department of Economics and Finance, Room VC 10-225.  Please leave it in the Internship Inbox at the Reception Desk.  The office is open during normal business hours.  You may return to the reception desk two business days later to pick up the signed form.  At that time, you will be asked to show your student ID.  Signed forms can only be given to the student him- or herself for basic security reasons.

4. Obtain an "Offer of Employment" Letter

As part of his or her offer to you of an internship, your employer should provide you with a written "Offer of Employment" Letter.  This should include:

• Your supervisor's name, title, and phone number
• The firm's name and mailing address
• The start and end dates of the internship (International students, please see step 11 below.)
  
• The number of hours per week
• If paid, the rate of pay
• A brief description of your responsibilities and duties as an intern.  These duties shall not include any cold calling, and are not to be confined to administrative and clerical work. 

5.  Complete Our "Internship Agreement" Form

Our "Internship Agreement" form outlines the various responsibilities of your employer, the College, and you as a student intern.  To start this, please click here to download this form: Internship Agreement

Note that the Internship Agreement requires three signatures:

1. Yours.  By signing this Agreement, you agree to follow all of the requirements of the internship.
   
2. Your supervisor’s.  By signing, he or she agrees to abide by the terms of the Agreement. 
   
3. The Faculty Internship Coordinator's.  He or she will sign after you and your employer have already signed it.

At this stage, fill the form out, sign it, and have your supervisor sign it.   The  faculty Internship Coordinators will sign it after submission, as per step 8 below.

6.  Complete the "Request Permission to Register" Form

In order to register for your internship course, you will need Departmental permission.  To obtain this, please download this form:  Request Permission to Register, and complete it except for the faculty Internship Coordinator's section. 

7.  If You Are an International Student, Complete the "CPT" Form

If you are an International Student, you must also complete this special form: Curricular Practical Training (CPT) Form.  This form is administered by the International Student Service Center (ISSC) and reflects requirements imposed by the federal government.

Please complete this form except for the faculty Internship Coordinator's section. 

8.  Submit Your Papers to the Faculty Internship Coordinators

You must submit to the faculty Internship Coordinator for review or signature: 

(1) The "Offer of Employment" Letter;

(2) Our "Internship Agreement" Form;

(3) Your employer's own "Internship Agreement," if there is one;

(4) The "Request Permission to Register" Form;

(5) If you are an International Student, the CPT Form.

In the main office of the Department of Economics, Room VC 10-225, there is an Internship Inbox at the Reception Desk where you may leave your papers for signature.  You may return to the reception desk two business days later to pick up the signed forms.  At that time, you will be asked to show your student ID. Signed forms can only be given to the student him- or herself for basic security reasons.

9.  Register for Your Internship Course

Once you have picked up the signed "Request Permission to Register" Form, you may finally go to the Office of the Registrar to register.

Important internship registration deadlines:

October 1^st for the Fall 2006 Semester
March 1^st for the Spring 2007 Semester
No exceptions to these dates are possible.

10.  Do you need a letter to your employer stating that you have registered for an internship course for credit?

If so, please leave proof of registration for academic credit along with Letter of Credit Form in the Internship Inbox at the Reception Desk in Room VC 10-225.  

If you will be working for Merrill Lynch, they have their own form for this purpose.  Please leave a copy of your proof of registration for academic credit along with Merrill Lynch's form in the Internship Inbox at the Reception Desk in Room VC 10-225.

A faculty internship coordinator will sign it and will mail the letter directly to the supervisor at the address you write on the form.

11.  A Special Requirement for International Students

You need to take these documents and completed forms to the ISSC : 

(1) A copy of your "Offer of Employment" Letter;

(2) A copy of your "Internship Agreement" Form;

(3) Proof of registration for academic credit; and 

(4) The CPT Form. 

The ISSC will process these documents and inform you directly of any problems.

International students must understand that their internships have to coincide with the class schedule for the semester.  For example, for the Spring 2007 semester, the internship must begin on (or very close to) January 29 and end on (or very close to) May 17, 2007.

12.  Does your employer require a "Hold Harmless" Agreement?

Some firms require a "Hold Harmless" Agreement.  In this agreement, the College agrees to hold the employer harmless in case that the student feels that he or she should have been paid for work done in an upaid internship.  This is a legal form that can only be signed by Baruch College's attorney, Mr. John Dugan.  Your employer will give you its own form to you for his signature. 

To have this form signed, please submit it to Ms. Heather Krasna in the CDC along with proof of registration in one of the internship courses.  She will arrange for it to be signed, and then for it to be returned to you.

Congratulations! 

You have successfully registered your internship for academic credit. 

Part 2:  Academic Reporting Requirements

Student's Academic Reporting Requirements

Students must provide several written reports to the faculty Internship Coordinators.  The requirements are slightly different for the one-credit internship courses (BUS 3001, 3002, and 3003) than for the three-credit courses (FIN 5610 and 5611, and ECO 5010 and 5011). 

After you have registered, you will have access to the Blackboard site for your course.  Please be sure to enter that site to find the academic reporting requirements, and note the various deadlines very carefully.  Your final course grade will depend on your completion of those reports on a timely basis.

Employer's Confidential Evaluation of the Student's Performance

Please make sure that you give a copy of the Employer's Evaluation form to your supervisor when you have finished your internship.  Your supervisor needs to mail the completed form directly to the faculty Internship Coordinators at the address shown on the form.

You will not be given a grade for your internship course -- and therefore cannot earn credit for it -- until this form has been received by the faculty Internship Coordinators.

You may want to request a separate meeting with your supervisor to get his or her feedback on your performance.

Faculty Internship Coordinators

Professor Ashok Vora

BUS 3001, 3002, and 3003: 

Professor Gwendolyn Webb