Internship Program Overview
In Fall 1998, the McCombs School of Business (MSB) at The University of Texas at Austin launched an innovative new program requiring all undergraduates to participate in an internship prior to graduation. Students entering the school after 1998 are required to take the internship course as part of the degree requirement.
Internships will benefit both students and employers because employers value experience and are impressed by applicants who have demonstrated that they are ready for the work force. They look to their interns when hiring for permanent positions. In short, an internship leads to employment opportunities.
Internships also give students an opportunity to evaluate the individual companies for whom they work and, more importantly, the career paths they are considering. For many students, deciding on a career is challenging. An internship can clarify any ambivalence a student may feel about his or her major because it offers him or her a glimpse into a potential career path that a classroom cannot provide. Further, an internship can help students assess their abilities in depth so that they can understand what it takes to be successful in their field. After interning, students will have a clearer sense as to whether a chosen career meets his or her particular needs, expectations, and goals. If it does not, students can save themselves time and resources and begin to invest their energies in other career ventures about which they are more enthusiastic.
An internship is an educational employment position that allows students the opportunity to practice what they have learned in their academic classes. Interns are hired for a finite period, usually during the summer or for a single academic semester. Positions can be paid or unpaid, part-time or full-time. A maximum of 3 hours of credit (or one internship) will count toward the undergraduate business degree requirement. Students cannot participate in subsequent 'for-credit' internships to satisfy any undergraduate business degree requirement; however, students are welcome to participate in as many 'not-for-credit' internships as they choose.
