An internship is an academic course as well as work experience for the student. The basic idea behind an internship is to allow students to extend their learning beyond the traditional academic environment and gain practical, college-level career related experience. In addition, internships may give students the following benefits:

• Earn course credit while exploring potential occupations and clarifying career goals.


• Develop skills and knowledge that will enhance marketability.


• Work with professionals and make key contacts in a field of interest.


• Test and apply academic concepts and theories in a real world setting.

Internships vary from regular part-time jobs in that an internship must offer, as a primary focus, meaningful exposure to a professional, college-level career field. Career Services provides many resources to help students select the internship that is best for you. To get started, try the following:

• Attend an Internship Information Workshop conducted by a career counselor in the Office of Career Services. Dates for these can be found on the Career Services Calendar.


• Review Career Services' internship listings, which contain information on close to 400 local internships. These internships have already been approved for academic credit and new listings are added on a regular basis. To learn more about finding internships and accessing the internship database, please visit the How to Find an Internship page.


• Skim the Career Resource Library's national internship directories, which provide specific information on nationwide internships. Many are competitive, but the experience is well worth the effort. You may also want to search some of the national Web sites that list internships to help you locate an internship outside the Central Florida area.


• Think about creating your own internship. If you are interested in a career that is not represented in Career Services' listings, we can help you identify other possibilities. Family, friends, and alumni are good contacts.


• Review the policies and procedures for academic internships.