Affiliation and Non-Disclosure Agreements

If your company requires an affiliation or non-disclosure agreement, follow these steps. Note that you cannot be registered for IST 495 until all agreements are approved.

1. Submit a copy of the agreement to the Office of Career Solutions and Corporate Engagement to determine if it needs review by the Office of Sponsored Programs (OSP) or other University offices.
2. Ensure all documents are fully completed and in English. If interning abroad, include the native language contract if applicable.
3. Plan ahead. The review process can be lengthy, depending on the agreement’s complexity and office workload. The Office of Career Solutions and Corporate Engagement cannot expedite approvals, so do not wait until the last minute.

If you're pursuing the Credit by Portfolio option, you must check with their employer about NDA requirements before starting the process. If an NDA cannot be established between Penn State and the employer, the portfolio cannot be accepted to fulfill the internship requirement.

• The University does not provide indemnification for the actions of students except to the extent that our faculty are on-site providing direct supervision. The University will provide indemnification for the actions of our faculty, if any, at the site.
• Penn State advises students to purchase liability insurance while on an internship/rotation.
• The University does not provide general and professional liability insurance for students engaging in internships nor to the host sites. Students must obtain their own insurance if required by the host site, and the University and its employees must not obtain nor coordinate the purchase of insurance for or on behalf of students, nor direct students to specific insurance providers.
• The University also does not recommend specific insurance providers. Insurance is available from many insurance providers, possibly including the students’ own insurance provider(s) and/or some professional association-sponsored insurance programs, but it is the students’ responsibility to purchase liability insurance that meets the host sites’ insurance requirements.
• The internship host site might have specific insurance requirements of the student (including professional liability and other types of insurance), so it is recommended that students check the host site’s insurance requirements before making any insurance purchases. Some host sites might be willing to extend their insurance coverage to hosted students, but the students may wish to also purchase their own insurance coverage.
• Students must provide copies of insurance, if required, directly to the site or through a third party service provider. The University will not maintain evidence of such records on behalf of students.
• Students must provide copies of background clearances, evidence of health immunizations and health insurance, if required, directly to the site or through a third party service provider. The University will not maintain such records on behalf of students.