SARA and Internships

As a member of SARA (State Authorization Reciprocity Agreement), Longwood must comply with standards related to internships and instruction in other states as well as report activity annually. Longwood is also responsible for ensuring that prospective and current students know the professional licensure standards in each state where they might complete a clinical internship or seek licensure.

Where can my students have internships or other credit-bearing field experiences?

• In the US, students can only go to states that are either members of SARA or whose current state legislation allows it. As of May 2017, students may have internships or other credit-bearing field experiences in any of the 50 states.
• There are no restrictions on internships or other field experiences outside of the US.
• If a student is considering a US territory, please contact David Shoenthal, x2193.

What information do I have to report about internships?

• Someone in your program or department is responsible for tracking how many students in each degree program go to each state each semester. This information is collected by my office three times a year.
• My office does not collect student names - only the number of students going to the state.
• If your department has more than one degree program, I need disaggregated data - not a combined total for the department.
• A student who starts but does not finish an internship placement should be included in the counts.

What do I need to do if my program leads to professional licensure?

• Your program is probably designed to meet licensure requirements in Virginia, but you may have students who want to complete internships or seek employment in another state.
• Federal law requires that provide public and individual disclosures about whether programs designed to lead to licensure fulfill educational requirements of such licenses in US states and territories. 
• A site has been created that documents results of analysis by program coordinators and program directors of whether programs fulfill these requirements, linked from the main state authorization site (http://www.longwood.edu/sacs/state-authorization/).
• Students are asked to work with program faculty for more information; further questions can be addressed to my office in writing. My office will track this communication and will copy the program coordinator and/or department chair on any response.
• Please keep documentation about any communication you have with a student about professional licensing standards in another state. My office may have to collect this information.
• Both undergraduate and graduate admissions offices are handling individual disclosure requirements to students.  However, if a student contacts you and you don't know the answer, my office is happy to try to help.
• Programs affected by this requirement that were designed to meet licensure requirements are:
  • All education-related programs leading to teacher licensure or endorsements
  • All HRK programs (kinesiology/exercise science, therapeutic recreation, health promotion concentration)
  • Counselor Education
  • CSDS
  • MBA (although not designed to meet real estate licensure requirements)
  • Nursing
  • Social work

Does SARA have anything to do with online courses?

• Yes. Ashley Leslie, director of the DEC, deals with this aspect of SARA requirements.