Construction Management Internships and Work Experience Information for Students

• Sign the Master Internship Agreement with Colorado State University through Adobe Sign to become eligible to host interns (if one is not already in place)
• Assign an on-site and accessible supervisor/mentor, able to provide ongoing direction and feedback with the Intern to set expectations, review learning experiences and performance evaluations, navigate challenges, and celebrate achievements. Supervisor Responsibilities:
  • Provide a valuable internship experience with dedicated supervision exposing intern to a variety of activities and experiences that contribute to their Internship Goals (see examples here)
  • Schedule a minimum of three meetings to complete the following assignments with your intern:
    • Internship Agreement & Goal Setting
    • Mid-point performance review
    • Comprehensive final performance review
  • Notify the PPO of any challenges or concerns BEFORE they negatively impact intern’s ability to complete internship

• Schedule a minimum of three meetings to complete the following assignments with your supervisor:
  • Internship Agreement & Goal Setting
  • Mid-point performance review
  • Comprehensive final performance review
• Complete all internship coursework and requirements through Canvas
• Perform all tasks and responsibilities as directed by Internship Sponsor/Supervisor
• Follow all rules, regulations, and policies of the internship sponsor company
• Notify the PPO of any significant changes to the internship experience that impact internship goals
• Notify the PPO of any employment challenges or concerns BEFORE they negatively impact ability to complete the internship
• Complete final Placement Office On-Line Evaluation for Internship Program Improvement
• Authorize the PPO to contact the sponsor company to confirm hours and dates of employment.

Any time off must be communicated with and approved by the intern supervisor. It is the intern’s responsibility to notify their supervisor well in advance of any planned leave and make arrangements regarding time missed. Internships are not considered jobs, and vacations during your internship are not appropriate. Interns are expected to contact their supervisor ASAP to report illness or any other emergency requiring their absence. Bereavement leave should follow the employer’s policy and must be communicated to the intern supervisor and Placement Office. Absences or leave taken that exceed three consecutive days need to be reported by the intern and/or supervisor to the Placement Office. Company holidays will not preclude a week from counting towards the internship minimum weeks, but the time off will need to be made up to meet the minimum. Internship work hours/weeks are NOT accrued for time away from the internship including holidays, illness, medical or personal leave. Interns must complete the minimum full-time weeks required by the course and should plan to work beyond the minimum weeks to make-up any missed time.   

The Phelps Placement Office Intern Coordinator will serve as the liaison with the internship site and is always available should any questions or concerns arise. Intern supervisors will receive a welcome email with information about the internship and assignments that require supervisor involvement/input. Interns will be responsible for scheduling time with their supervisor to complete these assignments.

Students occasionally experience challenges or concerns during their internship. As soon as an issue arises, intern should discuss concerns and seek a resolution with their supervisor. If concern involves the supervisor or intern is otherwise uncomfortable speaking with their supervisor, they should speak with the person who recruited them or someone from HR. If issues are not resolved, intern and/or supervisor is asked to contact the Placement Office to help facilitate an acceptable resolution.

Right now! All students regardless of where they are in the program should begin networking and looking for summer work experience right away. Recruiters are looking for students at ALL levels and each experience should build on the last. While the experience may not count towards your internship requirement, you should begin gaining experience and growing your skills and abilities as soon as you can.

The CON487A semester internship is the recommended option if you work through summer, as it will be a much richer experience with more responsibilities. That said, there are legitimate reasons why the CON487B summer internship is better for some students. For example, some employers only offer one or the other, students may have athletic commitments, GI Bill restrictions, studying abroad during the semester, etc.

Reference the Petition for Internship Reduction (PIR) packet for criteria. There is no list of what DOES count towards your PIR, as most construction related experience does count – but there are a few paths that DO NOT count and are listed in the PIR packet. When in doubt, bring in the Position Description/Job Announcement to the Placement Office for review.

That is a personal choice, but if you are at all curious about other companies and/or industry sectors – summer internships are THE BEST way to explore and try something else out without the commitment and expectations of a full-time job offer. This can only grow your knowledge, skills, abilities, and network!

Many students choose to intern out of state. Some employers offer housing or stipends or higher wages to assist with housing costs, but it is not a guarantee and the Placement Office does not get involved in pay or compensation discussions other than to provide our average wages/salaries on our webpage.  The Placement Office is available to walk through offers and discuss where they fall compared to others, as well as cover how to discuss any additional assistance needed, etc.

The Placement Office does not officially ‘pre-approve’ any work experience opportunities or employers, but we can approve responsibilities. You are encouraged to work for a construction general contractor, specialty contractor, consultant, city Building Department, or Owner’s Rep, etc. If you receive an offer that you are not sure will meet the criteria – bring the position description and/or offer to the Placement Office for review and clarify any uncertainties prior to accepting the offer.

You must satisfy the PIR submission requirements with ONE employer over ONE summer, so technically you just need to submit one summer’s experience. That said, we encourage you to include all of your construction related work experience in your PIR submission to better showcase your overall construction experience and strengthen your packet. This can be in the form of including all experience on your resume and/or providing additional employer memos or paystubs, etc.

If all criteria in the PIR Packet are met and the packet is submit on-time and per the instructions, it should be approved. Occasionally we will reach out for clarification, additional documentation, or for write-ups to be re-written, but packets are not outright denied if criteria are met. There are also occasions when we need to reach out to companies to verify employment or hours worked.

Yes and no.

All CM students are by default, required to complete a 15-week semester of full-time structured internship experience within the construction industry to satisfy their degree. The official internship course is completed adjacent to your last summer before graduation, and is a prerequisite to your CON 465 Professional Practice (capstone) course.

If you have recent construction related experience (since being admitted to CM), and it meets all the criteria, you may submit a Petition for Internship Reduction (PIR). If your PIR is approved, your CON487 A semester internship requirement would be reduced to the CON487 B summer internship requirement.

Work experience above and beyond the 400-hour minimum required for the PIR is great and will help market you for future construction related work experience and internships but does NOT count towards your official CON487 internship course requirement. Some students submit exactly 400-hours in their PIR, while others have thousands of hours in construction related experience. Regardless, ALL CM students are required to complete at least the CON487 B summer internship course and assignments over their final summer prior to graduation, before returning for their CON465 Professional Practice (capstone) course and any other remaining coursework required for their degree.

Employers may require a variety of pre-employment screenings. The type of background check conducted varies by position and can include, but is not limited to:

• Full employment background
• Criminal background
• Sex offender registry
• Motor vehicle history
• Financial history
• Education verification
• Substance screenings
• Psychological tests
• Pre-Placement Physical Exam

If you have concerns about any of the above, please visit the Placement Office to discuss prior to accepting an offer for employment.