Guidelines for Emergency Administration and Planning Internships

  • Rules and Regulations – The internship must conform to Federal laws prohibiting discrimination on the basis of race, religion, ethnicity, age, disability, gender, marital or veteran status. Intern host must provide a safe working environment and immediately report any student accidents or injuries to the internship coordinator.
  • Range of Experience - The internship should involve work with different departments or organizational subunits. This could be accomplished by rotation between departments or assignment to projects requiring interaction with different sub-units or task functions. It is especially important that students get exposure to the four phases of emergency management: preparedness, response, recovery and mitigation.
  • Intensity of Experience - Over time, the student should be assigned a major administrative responsibility which takes a substantial amount of time to complete (development through implementation and evaluation).
  • Supervisor and Mentor Responsibilities - Students need to be assigned both a supervisor to oversee projects and a mentor. The mentor should take an interest in the student and give professional advice, encourage professional development, and be available for informal conversations about what is going on in the work environment. The same person may perform the supervisor and mentor roles. However, in situations where the supervisor is either too busy or may be uncomfortable with a mentoring role, another person within the organization can be assigned to the mentoring role.
  • Compensation - EADP internships may be paid or unpaid. When internships are paid, the typical salary range is $8 - $12 per hour.
  • Opportunities for Professional Development - The EADP program is committed to developing professionals in emergency management. Thus, it is important that our students value and be given professional growth opportunities. If possible, internships should provide students the chance to attend professional meetings. The department gives priority to internships that provide these opportunities for students.
  • Evaluation and Feedback - The internship supervisor will be provided with forms to assess the student’s performance. The interim evaluation should be completed approximately 120 hours into the internship and the final evaluation should be completed toward the end of the 240-hour internship. Please evaluate the intern in a timely and straightforward manner. Supervisor feedback is one of the most important components of the internship experience. Delays in evaluations may also lead to delays in assigning student grades.
    At the host’s request, the internship coordinator may counsel the student on job performance. It is at the intern supervisor’s discretion to reassign, continue or terminate the intern at any point for unsatisfactory job performance. The internship coordinator may conduct site visits to the host site.
  • Work Schedules - The employer, in conjunction with the student, establishes work schedules. Any agreed upon work schedule is acceptable, as long as it does not jeopardize academic performance.
    The intern will be provided with forms to track internship activities and hours. We ask that the intern supervisor verify these logs weekly.

For more information, please contact Dr. Ron Timmons, Internship Coordinator Office phone (940) 565-2213 or email ronald.timmons@unt.edu