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|  Internship Information
|  CSUS GE Advising

Recreation, Parks & Tourism Internships

|  email: shaw@csus.edu

Students must complete 600 hours of pre-internship before registering for their internship. (Students may include past and current employment or volunteer experiences as part of this 600 hours. Form B of the Internship Manual is used to verify these hours.)

Students should complete all of their core RPTA courses before registering for their internship. 

Students are responsible for finding their own internships assignments! Faculty may offer assistance or recommendations, but ultimately it is the responsibility of the student. 

There is a mandatory internship meeting held each semester for students interested in registering for their internship the following semester. (This will be announced in your classes, so pay attention). 

The Internship Manual has several forms that must be completed prior to registering for an internship. Please see the manual and read it in its entirety. (The Internship Manual can be found on the forms page of the department website.)

You will be assigned an Internship Advisor. Because of faculty workload assignments, this person is often not the same as your Academic Advisor. Regardless, the Internship Syllabus and assignments are the same for all students. 

Internships are graded. Do a good job! It could mean 10 units of "A" work on your transcript. A poor job could result in 10 units of "C" or worse on your transcript. (This is a recent change, so your friends that did internships in the past may tell you it's Pass/Fail. They aren't lying - it was for them, but now that is not the case.)

Internships should challenge students and students should have some level of responsibility and be exposed to management activities. While a waitress job can count for pre-internship hours, it is not appropriate for an actual internship. 

Internship assignments vary greatly. Small companies often place interns in positions with greater responsibility right from the beginning. Larger companies may put an intern in a more entry-level worker position. So unlike your other courses, what you're doing and what you're friends are doing may be entirely different - but very appropriate for each of you.

Disney is one of the more popular internship sites for Commercial students. Walt Disney World Resort in Florida offers housing for students, but internships are only possible during the spring or fall semester (not summer). Disneyland Resort offers summer internships and has limited housing available. 

MWR (Moral, Welfare and Recreation) of the US armed services offers internships worldwide. MGM Mirage has casino/hotel internships at its MGM Grand property in Las Vegas. Aramark Parks and Destinations has a wide variety of offering for student interns. 

Most major hotel chains (Marriott, Hyatt, Starwood, Gaylord, Hilton, Inter-Continental, etc.), offer internship programs. However, because most Sacramento-area hotels of these chains are franchise properties and not corporate properties, they will not show up on internship websites. Students planning on completing their internships at a hotel in the Sacramento area should contact the Human Resources department of a particular hotel and inquire about entry-level jobs. 

Some internship sites, such as Raley Field, do not pay interns, but may offer excellent experience and look great on a résumé. Remember, you have to sign up for 195, and that costs money, so students should plan accordingly. (In fact, while we allow paid internships here at Sacramento State, many Recreation programs around the country specifically do not allow students to have paid internships, so payment isn't necessarily what should guide your decision.)

Students interested in event planning or wedding planning have found internships at hotels, resorts and wineries in the Napa, Sonoma and Lodi areas. Students should also check with the Sacramento Convention and Visitors Bureau. Park districts also have events, and while these aren't "commercial" agencies per se, the event planning experience is still an excellent résumé builder.

In general, students should contact the Human Resources or Personnel office of a property to inquire about internships. 

Be creative and start thinking about your internship early. Recently, students have completed internships with: City of Tucson Parks and Recreation, Raley Field, CSUS New Student Orientation, Abundance Vineyards, USFS Eldorado Forest, Mare Island Sports Center, California Family Fitness, Golfland Sunsplash, YMCA Camp Loma Mar, Sac State Athletics, MWR (Hawaii), Grizzly Creek Ranch, Whitney Oaks Golf Club, City of Rocklin, City of Sacramento, West Sacramento Parks and Recreation, CSUS Aquatic Center, Disney College Program. 

Sacramento isn't a large city, and consequently, many agencies here (commercial, community or otherwise) do not have formal "internship" programs or positions. Students should look to get hired at an entry-level position and then use that job as their internship, with the property understanding that you should be exposed to the workings of management, marketing, etc. within the company.

Partial internships (195B and 195C) cannot be done during the summer. (If you are planning on splitting your internship between the fall and spring, please see your advisor.)