Field Periods & Internships

In 1942, a Keuka College graduate and administrator named Edith Estey ‘33 created Field Period, and it’s been the cornerstone of the College ever since. It’s one of the top 10 reasons why we’re the national leader in experiential, hands-on learning, and was featured in The New York Times and U.S. News & World Report. So what is it?

Field Period Is One of the Top Internship Programs in the World

As a Keuka student, you’ll participate in a 140-hour Field Period each year you’re here.

This means by the time you graduate, you’ll have significant real-world experience that will give you a tremendous competitive advantage when it comes time to apply for jobs or graduate school.

Field Periods are often similar to traditional internships but may also be a cultural experience, community service project, or spiritual/faith-based exploration.

There’s no limit to where you can do your Field Period, whether it’s around the corner at the local day care center, at a Fortune 500 company in a major metropolitan area, or in the national parks of Costa Rica. Field Period is a great way to help you fine-tune your interests, reinforce your choice of major, or explore new career paths.

What Makes Field Period Unique?

Shannon O’Donnell ’11, a unified childhood/special education major, discusses her Field Period with a group of students at the Rochester School for the Deaf with the assistance of an interpreter.

There’s a reason students, employers, and media organizations rave about how effective Field Period is, and it’s because of Field Period’s three main components:

• A Self-Initiated Placement: You figure out where you’d like to do Field Period, and our staff will help you set it up. If you’re not sure where you’d like to go, you can always check our database of previous Field Period sites, or meet with our staff.
• An Intensive Learning Experience: The minimum time requirement for Field Period is 140 hours, but many students continue longer than that. And before you start Field Period, you’ll define specific learning goals and objectives. In other words, you’re not just going for the sake of going; you’re going to get something specific from it.
• A Multi-Faceted Evaluation: After Field Period is over, you’ll be responsible for giving a presentation, writing a Field Period recap paper, and handing in your reflective journal.

How the Center Can Help You

The Center for Experiential Learning is here to support students and Field Period sites throughout the entire Field Period process.

We Can Assist Students With:

• Paperwork completion
• Program policies and procedures
• Finding a Field Period
• Networking for potential Field Period sites

We Can Assist Field Period Sites With:

• Posting Field Period opportunities
• On-campus recruiting for Field Period opportunities
• Best practices in hosting a Field Period student
• Developing a Field Period/internship program