Frequently Asked Questions
You, your worksite supervisor, and an MPC faculty instructor work together as a team to set learning objectives that are challenging yet achievable within the term. You'll be enrolled in a course and earn college units while gaining real-world work experience.
We may be able to help. MPC Faculty in your field of interest may be able to connect you with potential worksite partners, and our Internship Placement Coordinator in the Career and Transfer Center can help place you in an internship. The Job Center is another great resource for finding openings.
Explore our list of available local and national internships.
You will be assigned to an MPC Work Experience Faculty Instructor who will:
- Help translate what you want to accomplish into workable objectives
- Visit your worksite
- Consult with your worksite supervisor
- Receive and provide feedback on your assignments
- Verify your hours worked
- Assign your course grade
Skills that benefit you, such as:
- Communication
- Customer Service
- Time Management
- Job Knowledge
- Interpersonal Skills
- Teamwork
- Analytical Skills
- Technology
- Leadership
Your worksite partner must be willing to:
- Give you the opportunity to develop new skills or take on new projects
- Meet with your work experience instructor at your worksite
- Evaluate your accomplishments at the end of the term
- Sign off on your total hours worked throughout the term
Every semester. Sections can be scheduled around your needs and work or volunteer opportunities, even in the middle of a semester.
Please don't wait if you think work experience is right for you; your course is tailored to your needs.
No, self-employment doesn't qualify. Eligible positions can include paid work, internships, or volunteer roles, as long as there is supervision and a focus on learning.
That depends on the number of hours you work or volunteer per semester.
You can take the course as many times as you'd like, registering for as few as 0.5 units up to 4 units per semester. Since each unit equates to 51 hours of work, that means you can log anywhere from 26 hours up to 204 hours per semester, depending on how many units you register for.
Sometimes. Many CSUs and private colleges will accept Work Experience courses as transfer credit. However, if you're following a specific transfer pathway, such as Cal-GETC, and Work Experience isn't part of that pathway's required or approved courses, it likely won't count toward it. Cal-GETC in particular has a strict, defined set of courses, so it's worth checking with a counselor to confirm how Work Experience fits into your specific transfer plan.
If Work Experience isn't part of your transfer plan and your counselor advises against collecting extra units, consider the noncredit version of the course instead. Every MPC Work Experience Education course has a noncredit equivalent.
Credit courses earn college units that apply toward a degree, certificate, or transfer requirements, and they're recorded with a grade on your transcript.
Noncredit Work Experience courses are tuition-free and focused on skill-building and career exploration rather than unit accumulation. Noncredit courses are a helpful option if you're mindful of your unit count for financial aid purposes, since they don't add units that could affect your aid eligibility.
At MPC, noncredit courses are still transcribed, appearing as a pass or no-pass on your official transcript. This can actually work in your favor when transferring: it shows the school you're applying to that you completed a career-related internship and tested out the field you want to pursue. That signals to admissions that you've already tried the profession and liked it, making you a stronger, more committed applicant and potentially giving you an edge in gaining entry into competitive transfer programs.