Internship or Practicum Affiliation Agreements

Internships and practicums both involve coordination between the academic department involved and the administrative branches of the university. The academic department begins the work with students to approve internships and practicums for university credit. NMU Career Services posts internship opportunities with companies, government agencies and non-profit organizations. Career Services also offers two guides, one for academic departments, and one for students, on its web pages (see https://nmu.edu/careerservices/internships). 

For internships and practicums, Academic Departments are responsible for initiating Affiliation Agreement between the external supervising authority and the university.  The agreement need only be completed once for each supervising authority, but there is no harm in re-issuing the agreement if the department is unsure if it has been completed in the past. 

Procedure

  1. Determine if an Affiliation Agreement Exists: Contact Risk Management if the Academic Department cannot locate a copy of a prior Affiliation Agreement. Risk Management will check the master file and determine if a current agreement is in place. If there is not an existing affiliation agreement in place with an internship program or agency that a student intends to work with, it is necessary to complete the appropriate Affiliation Agreement Form. 
  2. Fill out Appropriate Form: There are separate forms for NMU arranged unpaid practicums and student arranged paid or unpaid work experiences. 
  3. Have Form Signed by Internship or Practicum Program. A representative from the internship or practicum program must complete and sign the form. 
  4. Then the form is reviewed by the Department Head for review, processing, and signature. 
  5. The form must then be routed to the Risk and Insurance Manager for approval and to add it to university records. 

Certificates of Insurance

Occasionally when an affiliation agreement is arranged, the internship or practicum program requires evidence of insurance coverage. Procedures to obtaining a certificate of insurance can be found on the Certificates of Insurance page.

If you have any questions, please contact Andrew Zerbel, Risk and Insurance Manager, azerbel@nmu.edu, 906-227-2745