Internship information for students  

A research, scholarly, or creative internship as an undergraduate is a great way to explore a field, increase your professional skills, and develop a working relationship with a faculty member. Read the following for more information on pursuing student internships.

Before you apply

Before you apply for an internship, make sure you:

• Review the available internship opportunities
• Read the project description carefully.  Do you understand the project?  Do you meet all the qualifications?  Do you have a strong interest in the project?
• Consider your time commitments for the semester.  Will you be able to devote the required number of hours over the course of the term?  How high would this internship be on your “to do” priority list?
• Read the Student FAQ page to get additional information about the Interns-to-Scholars program.

Completing the application

The Spring 2013 application period closed on January 25, 2013.  A separate Internship Application Form is required for each project. You may apply for up to two (2) internships for the spring semester or three (3) internships for the fall semester. For each internship, you will submit:

• your contact information, academic status, and resume (limit to one page)
• your statement of interest (limit to 400 words)
• list of your goals for the internship
• list of your other time commitments during the internship period
• an unofficial transcript
• any additional information requested in the project description

After you submit your application

After the application deadline has passed, faculty mentors will receive all applicants for their internships to review and will arrange to interview their top candidates. Check your e-mail regularly and respond promptly to interview requests, even if you wish to decline the interview. Do NOT telephone individual faculty or their departments about your application.

If selected

If you are selected for the internship, you will work with your faculty mentor to establish an internship contract that outlines all the expectations of the internship. This contract will be used to evaluate the success of the internship. The contract will include:

• project goals (overall and student-specific)
• the amount of work per week
• reporting requirements
• confidentiality rights
• intellectual property ownership rights
• authorship rights
• training requirements

The signed contract will be submitted to the Undergraduate Research Coordinator by the end of the first week of the internship.

Internship seminars

All contracts stipulate that interns are required to attend at least three internship seminars that are scheduled during each semester of their internship. Guest speakers will cover issues meaningful to diverse disciplines and project topics. Interns will also have the opportunity to support and learn from their peers.