Internships
An internship can help you explore your career interests, gain the skills you'll need for future jobs, and build your professional network. You can also usually earn academic credit for your major at the same time!
Finding an Internship
Finding an internship is similar to the process of securing employment. You need to contact organizations of interest and apply for an internship in the same way that you would a job.
- Plan ahead! Depending on location, arrange your experience 2-12 months before your start date.
- Check application dates for internships for credit.
- Prepare a resume, cover letter, and online presence: LinkedIn, Handshake (UA Career Development office can help).
- Work your network – talk to friends, professors, and acquaintances. Consider talking to UA Alumni through the Bear Down Network. Set up informational interviews with alumni or contacts in industries and attend career fairs, mixers, and hackathons.
- An ongoing job may not be used for internship credit unless distinct work and supervision are present. Students can be paid for an internship, but an internship typically may not be undertaken in the same department or unit of an organization in which a student is regularly employed.
Experiencing an Internship
- An internship is typically 3 credits, representing a minimum of 135 hours of work which is typically 8 to 10 hours per week in Fall semester or Spring semester. Summer session hours may be worked between the Summer Pre-Session (mid-May) through Summer Session II (early August), even though you will be registered in Summer Session I or II. Hours must be worked within the semester for which the student is receiving credit.
- Once you are enrolled in an internship, you will have access to a D2L course page so that you can communicate regularly with your site supervisor and faculty, and so that you can turn in your final evaluation at the end of the term.
Where to find internships:
- Check out our internship listings for organizations specifically looking for iSchool interns!
- View the UA Career Development information and search internships on Handshake
- Check the internship postings from the College of Social and Behavioral Sciences