Compensation

Students are required to register for credit to participate in the College of the Liberal Arts internship program. In addition, many employers compensate interns; others do not. Students who work part-time to assist with their financial needs may focus their internship searches primarily on paid positions. You may wish to consider paying interns by the hour. A typical hourly internship wage ranges from $7.00 - $12.00/hour depending on the level of responsibility and skill required.

According to the Fair Labor Standards Act, non-profit and government agencies are not required to pay interns. The Act requires, though, that for-profit organizations pay interns at least minimum wage. In practice, the law is generally very liberally interpreted, and legal experts have come to accept the following circumstances for permitting unpaid interns:

  • The work must benefit the intern.
  • The work must be educationally relevant.
  • The intern must receive academic credit.
  • The intern and site supervisor must submit a report/evaluation to the faculty supervisor.
  • Both employer and student know that the monetary compensation during the internship is optional.
  • The intern cannot do work also performed by employees (thus serving as an unpaid employee); about half-time is the limit, though, for similar duties.
  • The intern is not guaranteed a job upon completion.
  • The intern cannot displace a regular employee or directly take on the duties of a fired or laid-off employee.

Please refer to the U.S. Department of Labor for more detailed information about the Fair Labor Standards Act.

Internships

Contact Us

Ashley Tarbet
Internship Coordinator
102 Sparks Building
University Park, PA 16802
(814) 867-2317
FAX (814) 863-6834
aet143@psu.edu

Kathy Swanger
Staff Assistant
102 Sparks Building
University Park, PA 16802
(814) 867-2317
kam55@psu.edu

Alumni Contact

Christopher Gamble
Assistant Director Alumni Relations
College of the Liberal Arts
Penn State University
138 Sparks Building
University Park, PA 16802
(814) 863-2398
cvg4@psu.edu