Student Affairs Internship Program
The Student Affairs Internship Program, a partnership between the School of Education Department of Leadership Studies and the Division of Student Life at USF, offers opportunities for USF graduate students in the Higher Education and Student Affairs (HESA) MA program to gain invaluable work experience in student affairs and an ability to contribute to the Jesuit mission and goals of the institution.
Internship experiences are 9-10 months in duration and require that students work an average of 18-25 hours/week in an assigned department. Experience can be gained in a variety of settings including student housing, cultural centers, student activities, leadership, orientation, academic support services, student conduct, greek life, and more.
Placement Questions: Contact the program at SAIP@usfca.edu.
Students within the Master of Arts in Higher Education and Student Affairs (HESA) program engage in rigorous academic curriculum with practicum experiences in various areas of student life. Every HESA course is infused with an examination of equity and a passion for social justice. Class conversations and coursework focus on improving access to higher education for first generation and low-income students.
The HESA program prepares students for a professional career in student affairs and leadership in higher education. SAIP is an important component of this preparation for many of our students to further their professional experience and opportunities to network with colleagues at USF and at our partner institutions. The program trains professionals to understand issues of equity and social justice in higher education while thinking critically about how to transform organizations to improve educational outcomes for all students.
The internship program experience is intended to support praxis (the integration of theoretical and research coursework through reflection) within the context of student affairs in higher education.
Through SAIP, graduate interns will
- Practical Experience: Gain practical experience in one, or more, functional area(s) of student affairs.
- Discernment: Develop the skills to engage in professional and personal growth by reflecting on how their identities shape the multiple aspects of their experience in the field of student affairs.
- Critical Student Affairs Knowledge: Become familiar with foundational knowledge, literature and associations within the field of student affairs through an equity and social justice lens.
- Career Preparation: Be provided opportunities to refine skills and develop materials for the job search that help the intern maintain authenticity and integrity.
Internship experiences aim to develop skills guided by ACPA/NASPA Professional Competencies Rubric (2016), a joint publication by two professional associations of the field: ACPA (College Student Educators International) and NASPA (Student Affairs Professionals in Higher Education).
The ten competency categories are:
- Advising and Supporting
- Assessment, Evaluation, and Research
- Law, Policy, and Governance
- Leadership
- Organizational and Human Resources
- Personal and Ethical Foundations
- Social Justice and Inclusion
- Student Learning and Development
- Technology
- Values, Philosophy, and History
The following are examples of the kinds of positions students have occupied:
California College of the Arts
- Access and Case Management
- Coordinator of Student Activities
Dominican University
- Student Organizations and Leadership Coordinator
Holy Names University
- Graduate Assistant Hall Director
San Francisco Art Institute
- Community Development Program Coordinator
- Housing and Residential Life
San Francisco State University
- Residential Coordinator (Head Resident)
Stanford University
- Disability Empowerment Hub Program Coordinator
- Inclusion, Community, and Integrative Learning Program Coordinator
University of California, Berkeley
- Graduate Assistant for Orientation
- Graduate Coordinator for Fraternity & Sorority Life (LEAD Center)
University of San Francisco
- Assistant Residence Director
- Black Achievement Success and Engagement
- Campus Activities, Student Leadership & Engagement
- Diversity Engagement and Community Outreach
- Graduate Coordinator for Operations, Cultural Centers
- McGrath Institute for Jesuit Catholic Education, Department of Leadership Studies
- New Student & Family Programs
- Residential Operations Manager
- Engage USF, McCarthy Center
- Graduate Coordinator for Student Development and Advising, Cultural Centers
- Leadership Programs, Student Leadership & Engagement
- Student Engagement Intern to Student Engagement Unit-Division of Student Life
- Student Government, Student Leadership & Engagement
Internship Placement Timeline for the 2025-2026 Academic Year
January 13: SAIP Application Opens
February 7: SAIP Application Closes
February 10 - 28: Application Review and Interviews
March 3 - 7: Notification of Internship Offers
March 13 - onward: Round Two Placement Process (Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis.)
Applications for the 2025-2026 Academic Year
Applications for the 2025-2026 academic year are now open. A Google email account is required to complete the application form.
Submit a SAIP Application Here
Available Internships for the 2025-2026 Academic Year
The Assistant Residence Director (ARD) is a ten-month live-in graduate internship position. When classes are not in session, excluding Spring Break, the ARD position is full-time (35 hours per week); when classes are in session, the position is part-time (25 hours per week). The ARD works with the supervising Residence Director (RD) on the planning, implementation, and evaluation of a comprehensive community and student development program and assists in the supervision of between 8 and 16 Resident Advisors (RAs). The ARD may also support student life campus crisis response.
There are opportunities to become involved in Departmental, Divisional and University levels. Such involvement may include serving on committees, working on special projects, and undertaking special assignments. Possible areas of involvement include but are not limited to staff training; student leadership development; off campus-living student support; basic needs initiatives; academic initiatives; alcohol and other drug (AOD) education; multicultural and social justice education; orientation; and health and wellness. There is one placement available for this role.
The Graduate Assistant is responsible for assisting the Literacy Programs Manager with oversight and coordination for the Engage San Francisco Literacy (ESF) Program and Silk Financial Literacy Initiative. This includes: assisting in managing an extensive database of student information; hiring, training, and supervising students; keeping in regular contact with sites; observing and coaching students. This position offers opportunities for curriculum and workshop development as well as an opportunity to gain management experience with a large team of undergraduate students. In this role, graduate students will learn how to create a humane work place for student employees, engage in critical dialogue with students, offer supportive critique to undergraduates, and inspire undergraduates to be justice-oriented leaders.
Programs:
- ESF Literacy is a tutoring program that is a part of ESF’s community engaged place-based initiative working to promote educational equity, antiracism, and cultural humility within the Western Addition, a historically Black neighborhood in San Francisco.
- Silk Financial Literacy aims to advance financial freedom and economic liberation for youth from multiply-marginalized communities by developing and implementing a culturally-relevant and critically-contextualized financial literacy program.
There is one placement available for this role.
Reporting to the Assistant Dean of Initial Year & Family Engagement, the Graduate Intern will contribute to the short and long-term goals of the department and its programs. Working in a variety of areas, the Intern will use their experience to help shape the delivery of new student & family programs and services in an effort to reach the departmental outcomes supporting students' leadership development and promoting student engagement in co-curricular activities. Specifically, the intern will assist with the coordination and implementation of Special Orientation programming, New Student and Family Orientation, Weeks of Welcome, and First-Year Programming, the advising of the Get Oriented (GO) Team, and the implementation of USF101 and its Peer Mentor Program. There is one placement available for this role.
The Graduate Assistant for Orientation at UC Berkeley is a two-year commitment within the department of New Student Services, and will report to the Assistant Director. During the first year, The Graduate Assistant will plan, implement, and assess the student leader experience at Golden Bear Orientation. During the second year, The Graduate Assistant will plan, implement, and assess the program logistics and scheduling for Golden Bear Orientation. This position will be responsible for planning one (1) large-scale program per year during Golden Bear Orientation. There is one placement available for this role.
Reporting to the Associate Director, the Graduate Intern will contribute to the short and long term goals of Student Leadership and Engagement (SLE) and its programs. Working in a variety of areas, the Intern will use their experience to assist in efforts to reach the departmental outcomes supporting students' leadership development and promoting student engagement in co- curricular activities. Specifically, the Intern will assist with the development and coordination of student organization services offered by SLE in conjunction with the Associated Students of the University of San Francisco (ASUSF) and the Associated Graduate Students of the University of San Francisco (AGSUSF). There is one placement available for this role.
The Gender and Sexuality Center (GSC) is the University of San Francisco’s gender justice and LGBTQ+ resource center that provides students with development opportunities and support. The GSC works closely with the Intercultural Center (IC), the university’s center for students of color and students who are working in solidarity towards social justice at the intersections of race, ethnicity, class, and culture. Both centers belong to the Cultural Centers department within the Division of Student Life’s Student Engagement unit. Under the supervision of an Assistant Director of the Cultural Centers and with support from the Cultural Centers staff (including the IC’s Graduate Student Coordinator), the coordinator will be responsible for developing and promoting the educational and programmatic initiatives of the GSC.
The coordinator will build skills in the operation of the Cultural Centers and deepen their understanding of the LGBTQ Student Services and Women’s Centers functional areas. The coordinator will also have opportunities to work collaboratively with others in the Division of Student Life as well as academic affairs, including cross-campus committee participation and leadership. There is one placement available for this role.