Career-related experience in the form of semester or summer internships, part-time jobs, and/or volunteer/extracurricular activities is strongly encouraged for all Schools of Business undergraduate students. Internships provide valuable feedback to the student with respect to skills, strengths, and work preferences. Concepts learned in class gain immediacy in the context of the hands-on experience. The internship experience also provides both the intern and the hiring organization the opportunity to get to know one another in a low-risk environment. While there is no commitment binding the intern and the organization past the internship experience, many companies use the internship process as a means to recruit their entry-level employees.

Internships may be paid or unpaid. Most people prefer paid internships, although depending upon the unpaid internship, much valuable experience and knowledge may be obtained. Credit is not usually given for internships, except for the accounting curricular internship, which is highly structured and monitored. These internships are an option in the MS in Accountancy curriculum. If an organization requires that the intern earn credit (which is often the case in unpaid internships), the student may sign up for Business 181. On occasion, students will develop independent study proposals which relate to internships. Many internships are paid and are the result of the student utilizing a variety of resources and diligently researching and striving to obtain an offer.

The Office of Career Services and the Schools of Business Office of Student Services are valuable resources for students seeking career-related experience. There are career fairs, information meetings, "Real World"seminars, alumni networking and other programs designed to develop opportunities as well as knowledge about different types of careers. Students should begin the career exploration process early and take advantage of the many opportunities available to learn and gain career-related experience.

BEM Majors

Click here for more information on the required BEM internship program.