Internships

Step out of the classroom and into the professional world—become an intern!  Internships allow you to be exposed to real-life situations in the professional world, and give you an opportunity to navigate through your potential career path before you graduate. Internships allow you to gain the competitive skills and experiences employers want. As a business student, there are so many opportunities to take advantage of. Participate in an internship and see what you can do for yourself and your future career. 

An internship is a learning-based opportunity through which students can apply their academic knowledge to work environments in order to gain valuable experience and make connections in professional fields that they are interested in. (adapted from the National Association of Colleges and Employers).  

  • Paid or unpaid (academic credit is common for unpaid internships)
  • Part-time during the fall/spring semesters or full time during summer or winter break
  • For a fixed amount of time (commonly semester long, but can be longer based on employer’s needs)

The main difference between an internship versus a job is that an internship is structured to be a supervised environment where there are learning objectives similar to what you would have the classroom (i.e. projects or job duties supplemented with on-the-job training). Reference: Department of Labor Guidelines on Internships

We really want to know all about it! Complete our Internship Survey   Our office works very dilligently to document all internships so please help CSULB COB SCPD and GO BEACH!

There are so many benefits to doing an internship, including, but not limited to:

  • Building your resume
  • Statistically improving your chances of getting a job after graduation—and even before!
  • The flexibility/opportunity to explore potential careers
  • Putting your classroom knowledge to “work”
  • Enhancing your professional skills, experience, and connections

  • Internship emails from the COB Internship Program highlighting exclusive internships for COB students.
  • Visit our COB Internship Postings page
  • CareerLINK – Find more internships, jobs, and information on job fairs and employer visits
  • Indeed.com – Public job site. Tip: Search by using major or industry-related terms, (ex. Social Media Intern, HR Intern, Finance Intern, IT Intern, etc… for specific search results.
  • LinkedIn Jobs (requires a LinkedIn account for access). Once logged in, click on the Jobs icon.
  • Internships.com
  • Research the Careers page of companies that you are interested in.
  • Network with people that you know or meet that is statistically the # 1 way to get an internship/job
  • Do not forget that the Career Development Center (CDC) also has internship opportunities and regularly scheduled “interview days” where major companies visit campus to interview for internships and post-graduation jobs. For information visit the CDC website or go in person to the CDC in Brotman Hall 250. The CDC is also a great resource to find help with cover letter and resume construction, as well as interview tips

The College of Business (COB) Internship Program strives to develop strong relationships with the business community by establishing internships in all disciplines within the CBA, including Accountancy, Finance, Human Resources Management, Information Systems, Operations and Supply Chain Management, Management, and Marketing. Contact the COB Internship Coordinator via email or at562.985.4875 for more information about specific internship opportunities, or visit the COB Internship Postings page

Add intro statement: “In today’s world, interns aren’t the stereotypical coffee runners or copy makers in the office. During the 2016-2017 academic year, College of Business students participated in over 630 internships! These students interned for numerous Fortune 500 employers, city government, and countless local businesses.

Companies Internships Offered to CSULB College of Business students

  • Boeing
  • Northrop Grumman
  • UPS
  • Knott’s Berry Farm
  • Disney
  • Toyota
  • Honda
  • Ports of Long Beach and Los Angeles
  • Nestle
  • NBC Universal
  • Target
  • Northwestern Mutual
  • Molina Healthcare
  • MemorialCare
  • Paramount Pictures
  • EY
  • Deloitte
  • PWC
  • Moss Adams
  • PacificLife
  • Virgin Galactic
  • Long Beach Transit
  • Nordstrom
  • Enterprise
  • Orange County Transit Authority
  • City of Long Beach & County of Orange
  • Southern California Edison
  • Various NBA and MLB Teams
  • And more.​

The U.S. Department of Labor established the following 6 criteria in the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) to determine if an internship or training program can be excluded from the minimum wage requirement.

The internship, even though it includes actual operation of the facilities of the employer, is similar to training which would be given in an educational environment;

  • The internship experience is for the benefit of the intern;
  • The intern does not displace regular employees, but works under close supervision of existing staff;
  • The employer that provides the training derives no immediate advantage from the activities of the intern; and on occasion its operations may actually be impeded;
  • The intern is not necessarily entitled to a job at the conclusion of the internship; and
  • The employer and the intern understand that the intern is not entitled to wages for the time spent in the internship.
  • (Note: The FLSA makes a special exemption for individuals who volunteer for a state or local government agency and for individuals who volunteer for humanitarian, religious, charitable, civic purposes to non-profit organizations.)

Internship participation and academic credit are not mandatory for CSULB College of Business students. However, some employers do require academic credit as a condition of an internship and CBA-493 can fulfill this requirement. Other students may choose to take CBA-493 as an elective. CBA-493 is a variable one to three unit, pass/fail course. Domestic students must register for the full three units. International students may register for one unit if they desire, but an international student planning to petition to substitute CBA-493 for a Marketing or IB elective must register for the full three units. CBA-493 is offered fall and spring. If a student begins an internship after registration is closed, the student may request permission from the course instructor to take the course in the next available session. If academic credit is required as a condition of the internship, it is the student’s responsibility to get the intern employer’s approval to take the course post-internship. Questions on how to enroll can be answereed in CBA-493,  or send an email to cba-internships@csulb.edu.

About CBA/COB 493 

Instructor approval is required to register for CBA/COB 493. Business Internship (1-3). Eligible students must have a minimum 2.0 GPA and a concurrent or recent internship. The course meets during the term and attendance is required. Homework is assigned and must be satisfactorily completed to pass the course. 

International Students 

International students should coordinate with Center for International Education and Global Engagement (CIE) in Brotman Hall regarding Curricular Practical Training (CPT) requirements and internship participation eligibility. Once an internship offer has been secured, international students must provide the CBA-493 course instructor with the completed Curricular Practical Training (CPT) packet obtained through CIE and a copy of the internship offer letter on the company’s letterhead, with the employer’s signature. If approved, international students will receive an email with instructor permission to add the course for the respective session.

Marketing, Management, Supply Chain and HRM and IB students

Marketing, IB and MGT/HRM/SC students enrolled in CBA-493 Internship Course and having an internship relevant to their academic concentration may petition to use CBA-493 as an elective. The petition requires the approval of the CBA-493 course instructor, approval of the IB Director, Marketing Department Chair or Management Department Chair as appropriate, and approval of the Center for Student Success.

Use this form

Use this form to initiate the process: COB Petition to use COB/CBA-493 Internship Course as an Elective

The benefit to the College of Business intern employer is exposure to potential entry level employees who bring with them energy. Employers get fresh ideas from interns experience in academic classes  Often COB interns bring up your standing employees engagement success. In many cases a successful internship will lead to a job after graduation.

Prospective Intern Employers please visit COB Internships Employers Page.