FAQs

Economics Field Study Program Frequently Asked Questions

1. I secured an internship outside of the field study internship database. How do I get it approved by the field study coordinator?
   • Please reach out to the Field Study Coordinator letting them know that you have secured an internship. The internship site will need to complete the following two forms to describe their business/organization and the internship:
     • Field Placement Form (only need to fill out this form once at the start of partnership with UC Santa Cruz Economics Department)
     • Internship Description Form
   • Field Study internships must meet UC Santa Cruz Career Success Center's General Employer Policies and Experiential and Internship guidelines, which also follow the Department of Labor's guidelines and NACE's internship criteria.
   • The Field Study Coordinator will review the Field Placement Form and Internship Description Form that the company filled out and reach out if the business/organization is approved.
2. Can I get paid and receive units for my internship?
   • Yes! We encourage students to think long term about the benefits of field study but if you secure a paid internship, you are more than welcome to receive units for your position as well.
3. If I have taken ECON 100A and ECON 100B but am currently in ECON 113 (or have taken two out of the three in any order), can I still apply for field study?
   
   • Yes! You must have successfully passed ECON 100A, 100B, and 113 the quarter before you begin your internship but can still apply for the program. We would issue the permission code for enrollment after verifying you’ve passed each of the three classes. 
   • Please note that you must have at least two out of the three classes completed at the time of your application, with the third in progress. 
4. Can I still apply for field study if I'd be taking one or more of the three prerequisites (ECON 100A or 100B or 113) in the same quarter of my field study?
   • Sorry, no. You will need to wait to enroll until after you've completed and passed the three prerequisites or are in the process of completing and passing the prerequisites.
5. When should I apply to field study? 
   • You must apply the quarter prior to the actual field study. We recommend first attending a field study orientation (aka info session), which are normally held in weeks 3 or 4 of the quarter. Orientation dates are found on our field study calendar.
6. Are all of the internships local?
   • Most of the internships will be local (within the city of Santa Cruz) and are accessible by public and private transportation. Some of the companies though, are not within the city limits, and will require reliable transportation, such as a car. If you are currently living on campus and/or do not have reliable transportation, please do not apply to an internship that will be inaccessible to you.
7. Do I have to secure the internship on my own? 
   • Yes! You are responsible for submitting the necessary information to your company of interest, and successfully completing their application and interview process. When you have secured your internship, please email econintern@ucsc.edu so that we can give you the “next steps” information.
8. How many times may I enroll in field study with economics? 
   • You may enroll twice, not to exceed a total of 10 credits in economics field study. (Two 5-unit field study; one 5-unit + one 2-unit field study; or two 2-unit field study courses.)
9. If I applied for field study but did not find an internship or decided not to do field study, do I have to continue with it?
   
   • No, if you applied for field study and did not find the right internship for you at this time or decided to go another direction, you are in no way obligated to participate in field study.
10. Do I have to find my own faculty sponsor or is the sponsor assigned to me? 
    • You must secure your own faculty sponsor only for the summer quarter. For all other quarters (fall, winter, and spring), you will be assigned a faculty sponsor once you secure an internship.
11. I'll be starting on the campus next quarter and want to enroll in field study. How do I do that?
    • New students are not eligible to enroll in field study in their first quarter at UCSC; however, the campus's Career Center may have internships of interest. Some pre-requirements for economics field study enrollment include completing ECON 100A, 100B and 113 with passing grades; attending a field study orientation and completing the field study application by the deadlines in the quarter prior to the quarter of your field study. Orientation dates and application due dates are found on the field study calendar. More details about enrolling in field study, can be found here.
12. Do I have to be enrolled in ECON Field Study to intern while an economics student?
    • Yes and No. Yes, if you want to get course credit for the internship, you must apply and enroll in economics field study. If you are interested in interning independently of the university, we recommend consulting the internship pages on the campus's Career Center's site for internship leads, regulations, tools, etc. International students should also consult with their visa sponsor (i.e., for eligibility to intern).
13. I'm expected to graduate this quarter but am not certain I will be able to graduate. Can I apply for next quarter's field study?
    
    • Sorry, no. You can't have applied to graduate or graduate in a quarter prior to enrolling in field study. If you know you will need an extra quarter to graduate, then contact the Registrar's Office to reschedule your expected graduation quarter.