Shadowing and Internships

Nova Southeastern University has adopted the National Association of College and Employers (NACE) criteria for defining a quality internship.   

•  The experience must be an extension of the classroom: a learning experience that provides for applying the knowledge gained in the classroom. It must not be simply to advance the operations of the employer or be the work that a regular employee would routinely perform.
• The skills or knowledge learned must be transferable to other employment settings.
• The experience has a defined beginning and end, and a job description with desired qualifications.
• There are clearly defined learning objectives/goals related to the professional goals of the student’s academic coursework.
• There is supervision and routine feedback by a professional with expertise and educational and/or professional background in the field of the experience.
• Note: Virtual/remote internships can be approved for either ExEL units or Academic credit. Criteria does include that the company have a legitimate physical work location, even if your internship is virtual. Please see more details in our Virtual Internship Study Guide.

• Start by reaching out to professionals you already know in your pursued career path. The internship site does not need to be affiliated with NSU. You can also work with your Career/Edge advisor, professors, and peers to leverage any relationships from past internship sites.  
• Consider also searching online for professionals in your local area to call or email their office and ask about internship opportunities. You want to introduce yourself and express your genuine interest to learn more about the field, while being courteous and professional in your outreach. 
• Utilize your online job/internship posting platforms, such as Handshake, LinkedIn, and Glassdoor, to find positions that match your interests and skills. You want to be conducting general searches based on your intended location and title, and later optimize your search with advanced search filters. LinkedIn particularly can be a great place to not just apply for positions, but to also reach out to professionals in companies and organizations you are passionate about.
• Book an appointment with your Career/Edge Advisor on Navigate to further dive deeper into your internship search and opportunities that could be a great fit. They can support you in strengthening your resume, cover letter, and LinkedIn profile to be ready for your applications.

• For ExEL units: Students must intern a minimum of 80 hours within one internship site to earn their
  • 2 ExEL units. Students completing an internship for may work no more than 20 hours per week at their internship site during school semesters, and up to 40 hours per week during school breaks. 

• For academic credit: Students also have an opportunity to instead earn academic credit (3 credits) for their internship. Depending on the academic college, there may be different hours, GPA, and credits earned requirements in order to earn credit for an internship during an academic semester.
  • Students should contact their Academic/Edge Advisors to learn more about their college eligibility and deadlines. The Academic/Edge Advisor will help the student in beginning their Undergraduate Academic Internship Request Form. 

1. Contact a Career/Edge Advisor to learn more about starting your internship experience and listing it as an ‘Experience’ on Handshake.
   • In order to meet with your Career/Edge Advisor, please book an appointment with them through your Navigate account (nova.campus.eab.com/home) or by calling CAPS at 954-262-7990. 
2. Log in to Handshake using your NSU username and password.
3. Navigate to the Experiences page by clicking the Career Center drop-down menu.
4. Click Request a New Experience in the top right corner. Select your Edge Advisor or Career Advisor as well as the internship semester. Then, fill out the required information about your internship site. 

   • Please note: If you are on an F-1 Visa, you are required to complete the CPT Form

5. Once you click Request Experience, you will be directed to your Experiences page, where you will see the details of the experience you just submitted. Click on View Details to submit additional required information.

6. Upload your Internship Offer Letter or Email to the Experience by clicking New Attachment. Once an attachment is uploaded, it will be visible above the New Attachment button.

7. Upload your signed Internship Liability Waiver to the Experience by clicking New Attachment. Once an attachment is uploaded, it will be visible above the New Attachment button. 

8. Once the items above have been reviewed, verified, and approved, your Career Advisor/Edge Advisor will notify you that you are cleared to begin your internship experience. 

An offer letter on official company letterhead or a PDF of an official email from your internship site that includes: 

• Internship Supervisor’s information (Name, Job Title, Phone, and Email) 
• Start Date/End Date/Hours (Must indicate a minimum of 80 hours on site to qualify for two (2) ExEL units) 

• Internship Location – full street address, city, state, & zip code (Internships must take place at commercial location to be eligible for ExEL Units). Virtual internships may be approved. 
• A brief description of the tasks and projects in which you will be participating in as an intern (This information may be included in the offer letter or in a separate job description) 

Please click here for a sample offer letter that can be used as a guide for your employer. 

• The experience must be an extension of the classroom. Students visit the shadowing site to observe day-to-day activities of a professional in a career field of interest, under direct supervision of a professional with expertise.  
• The shadowing experience is strictly observational but directly related to the provision of clinical care and/or services, with the student observing as the professional provides service delivery.  
• The Shadowing experience may occur in varied settings including offices and corporations, clinical settings, hospitals, outpatient clinics, and/or long-term care facilities. 

• Start by reaching out to professionals you already know in your pursued career path. The shadowing site does not need to be affiliated with NSU. You can also work with your Career/Edge advisor, professors, and peers to leverage any relationships from past shadowing sites.  
• Consider also searching online for professionals in your local area to call or email their office and ask about shadowing opportunities. You want to introduce yourself and express your genuine interest to learn more about the field, while being courteous and professional in your outreach. 
• Book an appointment with your Career/Edge Advisor on Navigate to further dive deeper into your shadowing search that could be a great fit. They can support you in strengthening your resume and LinkedIn profile to be ready for outreaching. 

• A student must shadow a minimum of 30 hours within one shadowing site in order to earn their 1 ExEL unit. 
• Students will not be able to earn multiple units at the same location, however, they can go through the ExEL Shadowing process multiple times if they have new professionals to shadow.  

1. Contact a Career/Edge Advisor to be added to ExEL Shadowing Canvas Page once you have secured a Shadowing experience.   
   • In order to meet with your Career/Edge Advisor, please book an appointment with them through your Navigate account (nova.campus.eab.com/home) or by calling CAPS at 954-262-7990. 
2. Once you are in the Canvas course, upload your Shadowing Site Details, Pre-Shadowing Exercise, and Shadowing Liability Waiver onto the Canvas submissions. 
3. Complete a Pre-Shadowing Career Advising Appointment with your Edge or Career Advisor before starting the Shadowing experience in order to receive full approval.