Agribusiness and Food Innovation Internships

If you need help finding an internship, please email cobinternships@mnsu.edu or schedule an appointment by calling 507-389-2963.

Internship Qualifications:

1. 45 hours of work is equivalent to one credit hour of internship.
2. The job duties in the position must primarily be agribusiness or food innovation-related (80% or more).
3. The person you report to, or your company mentor, should be in an agribusiness or food innovation-related role

Unsure If an Internship Qualifies? Email the job description to cobinternships@mnsu.edu.

*Use the following format for labeling all internship documents: LastnameFirstname_nameofdocument.

1. Goals Statement:
   In a one-page letter briefly summarize your academic and professional background, your career goals, and your internship objectives. The internship objectives are the specific things you hope to learn, experience, and achieve by doing this internship. This letter should be written in a format similar to a standard cover letter and be addressed to the Department Chair.
2. Degree Audit Report (DARs):
   Access your DARS. Save as a PDF or copy and paste this document into Word before attaching to your application.
3. Job Description (From Employer):
   This document lists your duties and the projects you will work on during your internship.
4. Internship Offer Letter (From Employer):
   Letter should be written on company letterhead and include your start date, end date, and number of hours you will work each week.

1. Log into Handshake Experiences. If you’ve never been on Handshake, follow the instructions to get started.
2. Click on “Submit An Experience”.
3. Fill out the "Submit An Experience" form and click “Create Experience” at the bottom.
4. Click “New Attachment” under Attachments on the left of the page to upload the required documents (see Step 2 above).
5. Email your Department Chair to notify them that you submitted your application.

Once you have gotten permission from your Department Chair, register for the course in eServices.

AGBZ 496 (1 to 4 credits) - 3 credits fulfill the internship requirement of Agribusiness & Food Innovation major. Each credit requires 45 hours of work. You will have to pay for these credits like any other class.

MGMT 496 (4 credits) - 4 credits fulfill the internship requirement of the Agribusiness & Food Innovation minor.

If you have questions about which course to register for, please email cobinternships@mnsu.edu.

The following items are requirements of the internship class. You cannot receive a grade for your internship until these items are completed. The course deadline is the Friday before finals week.

1. Stangler Internship Initiative Modules 

• Complete  four of the Stangler Internship Initiative Modules on D2L. You may choose whichever are most relevant to you and your internship!
• It is highly encouraged to complete them before your internship starts to be prepared for the professional workplace from day one! 
• You must complete the modules before you can receive a final grade. 

2. Final Employer Evaluation 

• Your employer will receive an email with a link to the evaluation. 
• This email will be sent three weeks before the end of the semester and must be completed before the end of the semester. 
• It is the student’s responsibility to remind their supervisor to complete this evaluation. If your supervisor needs a new copy of the evaluation link, email cobinternships@mnsu.edu. Please suggest to your supervisor to check their spam folders. 

3. Final Student Evaluation 

• You will receive an email with a link to the evaluation. 
• This email will be sent three weeks before the end of the semester and must be completed before the end of the semester 
• If you need a new copy of the evaluation link, email cobinternships@mnsu.edu. 

4. Final Written Paper 

• The final paper should be 5 pages, typed, and meet collegiate writing standards.
• The final paper must be uploaded to Handshake Experiences. Click “View Details” under your internship, then “New Attachment” on the left side. 
• Both the content and quality of your writing will affect your grade which will be given by your Department Chairperson. 
• Your paper should include the following:
  • • Brief description of the background of the industry and organization you were associated with during the internship. Include the short-run and long-run outlook of the organization and the possibilities of future positions for college graduates with this organization and other organizations in the same field.
    • Briefly describe the major areas for which you were responsible during your internship. 
    • Review the detailed list of goals for the internship experience that you submitted with your internship application. Examine and discuss how each goal was met or not met. This portion should comprise around 50 percent of the paper. 
    • Evaluate how well the internship met your internship goals. Relate your internship to your academic training. How could your internship experience have been improved? Provide other comments that are relevant to your internship experience. 

Important Notes:

•      You will not receive any information for the internship course on D2L. Everything will be processed through Handshake Experiences.  
• All internship course requirements are due the Friday before Finals Week. If your internship continues after the semester ends and you will not be able to complete the requirements by the deadline, email cobinternships@mnsu.edu to arrange an alternate deadline
• You cannot earn credit retroactively for an internship that is already complete.

If you would like additional assistance for reviewing the resources on this page, please contact cobinternships@mnsu.edu.