Undergraduate Internships (SOC 408, SUS 450, BUS 408)

Take what you learn in class and apply it in a real-world setting. Our Internship Coordinator will assist you as you secure an internship with an agency or organization that matters to you. You are expected to work 150 hours as an employee for one semester or summer to earn 3 credit hours towards your degree. You can intern for 300 hours to earn 6 credit hours.

You will enroll in either SOC 408, SUS 450, or BUS 408.

Benefits of internships

Internships are not only great professional development opportunities; they also help you bolster your resume. This experience signals to a prospective employer that you have sought out and successfully completed professional work experience. This type of experience is invaluable when applying in a competitive job market. In addition, an internship will enhance your education by providing you with a space to apply what you have learned in your classes. Some internships may even lead to a job offer.

Internship examples

Students in the past have interned with:

• Adult probation
• Catholic Social Services
• Coconino County Victim/Witness
• Make A Wish, Utah
• Northland Family Help Center
• Student PIRG; apply here
• For more, take a look here: Department of Sociology

Check out these great internship resources:

• NAU Internship resources
• Arizona Legislative Internship Program
• NAU Center for Service and Volunteerism

Process

1. Email your resume to the Internship Coordinator.
2. Once you have secured an internship position, the Coordinator will contact your internship supervisor to verify the job expectations and academic relevance.
3. Next, the Coordinator will either verify that NAU has an agreement with the organization or will set up a new affiliation agreement.
4. When you are selected by the agency to intern, you must also complete the agency’s hire requirements.
5. The last step is completion of an internship contract. The Coordinator will work with you on this.
6. You will receive a permission number to enroll in SOC 408 credit.

Some general guidelines:

• Your internship must be a minimum of 150 hours in order to receive the required 3 credit hours of SOC 408/SUS 450/BUS 408 internship credit.
• The internship should support/enhance your understanding of society and/or issues pertaining to sociology.
• Previous internships completed before SOC 408/SUS 450/BUS 408 will not be awarded credit.
• You may not intern at an agency where you are currently employed without prior approval of the Internship Coordinator and your work supervisor.
• You must be of junior-level standing and have a grade point average of at least 2.75.
• You must be a sociology, sustainable communities, or bachelor of university studies major to enroll in SOC 408/SUS 450/BUS 408.

Get Started Now

Application deadlines:

• Fall internship: August 1
• Spring internship: December 31 (please note that the University is closed between the holidays and you may not hear back until the beginning of January)
• Summer internship: April 30

Before you start the internship

When you enroll in SOC 408/SUS 450/BUS 408, you will get access to the BBlearn course shell. In this course shell, you will find the syllabus, dates and links for class meetings and an outline of your assignments. These assignments can include but are not limited to:

• keeping a weekly log (see a sample log)
• creation of a short video in which you present your internship organization and your work.
• periodic meetings with the internship coordinator

Work hours into credit hours

1 credit=50 hours of interning per semester

Spring and fall semesters – 15 weeks

Summer semester – 10 weeks