The Internship Program: Bringing your SA&FS Knowledge into the Field

SA&FS students know that learning extends beyond the classroom, and that education can not only be gained from a textbook, but also from an experience. The eight-unit internship requirement ensures that our students get out there and learn by doing, while providing them with an opportunity to engage in the professional world!

What you must know:

• Internships for SA&FS credit are approved through your Track Advisor and Peer Internship Coordinator (PIC). You need to complete the SAFS Internship Packet and meet with them both within the first 2 weeks of instruction.
• 1 internship unit=30 hours. Internship units are calculated to the nearest hour rounded down (i.e. if you complete 36 hours, it counts as 1 unit).

• Of the eight units of internship, four units should be completed off-campus or as advanced status. If you have questions about the advanced status criteria or are unable to complete the four off-campus hours, please speak to your PIC or Track Advisor.

• You have until the last day of registration of the quarter to complete your SAFS Internship Packet and to receive a CRN from your PIC.
  *You are not required to only have a SAFS 92/192 CRN. It can be EDU 92/192, NUT
  92/192, etc... some on-campus internships will already have a CRN for you to use. Please ask your host. You do not need to complete the packet if you are receiving a CRN from another department.

Download the SA&FS Internship Packet here!

What you should know:

ORGANIZATIONAL STRUCTURE

Host: The person overseeing your internship at the physical location of the internship. This person might be the restaurant owner, the manager of the dairy, a state legislate, or an owner of a farm. This person is who you report to in your internship. Upon completion of your internship, the host will also sign off on your time log.

Track Advisor: Your track advisor must meet with you to approve your internship and sign your packet. You will later provide them with your final time log and reflection. They will be submit the P/NP grade. They do not give the CRN.

Peer Internship Coordinator: This is your first point of contact for internship questions and they are here to support you through the process. You must meet with them in person to obtain your CRN after completing your Internship Packet with your track advisor.

• • Current Peer Internship Coordinator (PIC): Kim Vanderwolk, kvanderwolk@ucdavis.edu
    Office hours are located in the Bi-Weekly Beet or email to request hours or a meeting

• • Interested in the PIC position? Please contact Lacole or Kim! Or click here
    to read about the creation of the role.

What you might be interested to know:

Internships are there to encourage you to immerse yourself in the different components of the food system.

The hope is that by the end of your internship, you will have high proficiency in being able to:

• Develop a plan and attempt to implement it

• Document activities and achievements (whether individual or collaborative)
• Communicate effectively with those providing or expecting support in the internship
• Reflect, both through written and oral expression, meaningfully on the experience by developing awareness of what's been learned and where there’s still room for growth

Enough of an introduction! Go explore!