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Home/Education & Training/School of Graduate Studies/Internship Externship Policy, Application and Assessment

Externship/Internship Policy

Definitions: SGS defines externships and internships as:

  • Externship: a part-time training experience that need not be thesis related. Certain volunteer activities, such as mentoring high school students, or participating in medical clinics for underserved communities, that are NOT primarily a training experience are excluded from the requirement to apply as an externship.
  • Internship: a training experience that must be beneficial to biomedical science PhD training and the student's PhD dissertation work. May be full-time; is typically off-site and paid. (A student can petition the graduate school to allow an internship unrelated to her/his thesis. To do so, the student must complete the SGS Externship/Internship application and also include a separate letter, signed by the student and mentor, explaining the rationale for the internship and how it would significantly help the student in her/his career development. Acceptance of such a petition is not guaranteed.)

Rationale: The fundamental goal of PhD training at SGS is to train the individual in the knowledge, skills, and critical thinking necessary to become a biomedical scientist. With that in mind:

  • Externship: Many students (e.g., those who choose not to obtain a career in academic science) can benefit from exposure and training in non-biomedical science areas. Externships can help enable that.
  • Internship: Internships can provide valuable training augmentation for graduate students within their scientific discipline.

Eligibility:

  • Externship: Student MUST be post qualifying exam.
  • Internship: Student MUST be post qualifying exam. In rare circumstances, it may be allowable for a year-2 student who has selected a thesis lab to perform an internship pre-qualifying exam.
  • A student may participate in only one internship during their SGS career. A student who participates in an externship remains eligible to participate in an internship.
  • Externship/internship cannot be with an entity in which any of the student’s thesis mentor, thesis committee members, or their family members have any financial interest (e.g., equity, licensed technology, research funding, etc.).

Logistics:

Applicable to both Externship and Internship:

  • No less than three months prior to the beginning of the externship/internship, the externship/internship application form (with signatures) must be submitted electronically to SGS Registrar. Note that at least three months are required for international students (see specifics, below, which differ for Externships and Internships). It is highly recommended to get pre-approval from SGS before submitting an internship application to any outside entity.
  • Participation must be approved by the PI, the Program Director, and the Dean of the SGS.
  • Any Intellectual Property agreement from the externship/internship hosting entity should be reviewed with the PI, must be included with the application for the internship or externship and must be approved by Technology Transfer Office of Research Foundation of SUNY.
  • Within 30 days of completion of the externship/internship, the student must submit the post- externship/internship report to the SGS Registrar.

Specific to Externship:

  • The duration of an allowable externship is at the discretion of the student's PI, Program, and SGS. Externship schedules should not exceed:
    • part-time –– cannot exceed 10 hours per week for a period of up to 16 weeks (one semester)
    • full-time –– up to 1 month
  • An externship CANNOT reduce one's thesis research effort, i.e., the externship time/effort must subtract from one's personal time, not time/effort in the lab. For full-time one-month externships, the trainee and mentor will agree upon an arrangement that meets this requirement in spirit.
  • Examples of topics of externships (this list is not meant to be comprehensive):
  • adjunct teaching
  • science journalism
  • science policy
  • REACH program mentor
  • International students who intend to participate in an externship will have to apply for pre- completion Optional Practical Training (pre-OPT), in consultation with the SUNY Downstate Dean of Students or her/his designee. The authorization process can take up to 3 months. Students cannot begin such an externship until this authorization is granted.
  • If an externship is a paid position, it must adhere to the rules of NIH NOT-OD-17-095.

Specific to Internship:

  • The duration of an allowable internship is at the discretion of the student's PI, Program, and SGS, but in most cases, it should not be longer than 3 months.
  • Internship funding will be handled on a case-by-case basis. The general principle is that students should receive approximately the same net compensation during their internship, while also being able to maintain their current housing. Some example scenarios are:
    • If a company pays only a housing allowance, then the student's standard SGS stipend would remain in place, covered by the PI (thereby allowing the student to continue to pay her/his NYC rent).
    • If a company requires that it pay the student a salary (per their internship rules), then the student's SGS stipend would be reduced such that the net compensation is the same as for non-internship students.
  • Regardless of the financial arrangement, continuity of health insurance must be maintained.
  • Students must register for the “GRSC 0600 Biomedical Science Career Practicum” (0 credit).
  • International students will also have to apply for Curricular Practical Training (CPT), in consultation with the SUNY Downstate Dean of Students or his/her designee. This approval process can take up to 3 months. Students cannot begin CPT employment until they have received the new I-20 with CPT authorization. International students must maintain registration as a full-time student in the SGS during the internship.