What is an Internship?

According to the National Association of Colleges and Employers, an internship is a form of experiential learning that integrates knowledge and theory learned in the classroom with practical application and skills development in a professional setting. Internships give students the opportunity to gain valuable applied experience and make connections in professional fields they are considering for career paths; and give employers the opportunity to guide and evaluate talent.  

• Consider the internship and student - Review with the student to discuss how the internship fits into his or her academic plan. Discuss the student’s academic course-load and other time commitments that might interfere with an internship. Review the internship description to ensure the experience has sufficient merit as a learning experience to qualify for academic credit.
• Defined Learning Goals - Present clear expectations to the student for any coursework that will be submitted to evaluate his or her learning and performance during the internship.
• Assigned Academic Coursework - The specific nature of the coursework will depend on the internship and major of the student. Possibilities include weekly logs, term papers, and/or portfolios.
• Defined Time Frame - Effortful time commitment of 80 or more hours of work over a minimum of one semester.
• Designated working hours - Worksites should provide interns with a weekly work schedule.
• Supervised experience, providing regular feedback and evaluation of  the student - Meet with the student again at the conclusion of the internship. In addition to any completed coursework related to the internship, consider requesting a completed Employer Evaluation and Student Evaluation. The Employer Evaluation will help you better assess the student’s performance, and the Student Evaluation will provide you with helpful information on the quality of the learning experience provided by the organization. (This information can be shared with colleagues and future students seeking internships.)

Students find internships in a variety of ways. The Career Center suggests the following ways for students to find internships, but the list does is not include all possibilities.

• Talk to a career or internship coordinator.
• Use Handshake, our online job and internship recruiting system.
• Talk with a professor or alumnus who has studied or worked in the field of interest.
• Talk to family and friends to see if they know anyone in the field.
• Look up companies they are interested in and ask them about internship possibilities. Even if they don’t have a formal internship program, many are willing to take on interns who are motivated and take initiative, and the Career Center is available to help guide employers on how to create a structured internship program for their organization.