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Field Study Internship Employer Information

Equal Opportunity Employer

What is field study?

This program is a great way for organizations to find quality interns who are serious about pursuing their career interests! UCSC economics majors can earn course credit while gaining valuable firsthand experience in the workplace in fields such as accounting, administration, events, marketing, management, research, sales, and more! The internships can be paid or unpaid and can range from 6-28 hours per week. Note, UCSC economics department does not accept 100% remote internships.

Organizations that work in partnership with our program are called 'field study supervisors'. The field study supervisor defines the student's position and responsibilities, provides training, and evaluates the student's performance at the end of each quarter. The field study supervisor agrees to pprovide orientation and training, meet with students every week for 30 minutes of individual supervision or 60 minutes of group supervision, and submit an evaluation of each student’s performance at the end of the quarter.

Interested in collaborating with us?

Please review the U.S. Department of Labor Wage & Hour Division's information on Internship Programs Under The Fair Labor Standards Act.  If your internship meets the standards, either download the Internship Description Form or send a PDF of your internship posting to econintern@ucsc.edu.

How it works:

STEP 1:  
Students apply for our program. Once accepted, they receive access to our Economics Field Study Database to search for internships. It is the student's responsibility to search and seek out interviews. They will be prompted to contact employers listed in the database. You will have students apply and interview at your discretion. Please make your intern selection prior to the start of the quarter (see dates below) so students can enroll in their field study course in a timely manner.

STEP 2:
Once a student has secured an internship with you, they need to notify us and we'll provide them with the Field Study Contract. This is an agreement between the student, field study supervisor (that's you), faculty sponsor, and field study coordinator that determines the intern's responsibilities, time commitment, and agreement that you will provide training.

STEP 3:
Student begins internship with you! Typically, students work at their internship either 5-6 hours per week (for 2 units) or 12-14 hours per week (for 5 units). Students are limited to 10 units total of field study credit during their time at UCSC. Internships take place during time periods corresponding to UCSC's 10-week quarter system (see "Internship timelines" below). 

STEP 4:
At the end of the quarter, you will be emailed a Field Study Supervisor Evaluation form. This evaluation is designed to provide feedback on job performance and related issues. It is required so the student can earn a grade.

Internship quarterly (10-week) timelines

Winter 2024: January 5-March 15

Spring 2024: April 1-June 7

Summer 2024: June 24-August 30

Fall 2024: September 21-December 13

Questions?

If you have questions or would like to schedule a phone or Zoom appointment, please contact our field study coordinator at econintern@ucsc.edu.