Internship Information

Thinking About an Internship?

My Next Step

Meet civil engineering student, Tanna Schley. She walked us through a day in her life as an engineering student, and also shared how she was able to get an internship through her relationships with faculty. Her internship with a local engineering firm gave Tanna the professional experience, practical skills, and confidence to go out and be the best engineer she can be.

Internship Information

If you're interested in meaningful work experience in your major, it is time to check out the WT Internship Program. Students intern for a variety of reasons including:

To obtain valuable work experience
To see if I'm in the right major
To earn money to pay for my college education
To help me choose a career
To earn academic credit
To establish contacts for future employment opportunities
For personal growth: confidence and to interact professionally
To apply skills and knowledge I've learned in school
To enhance and add to my classroom education
To find out what it is really like to have a real full-time job

Post-graduation data shows that WT students who reported an internship made on average $3,200 more in their first year and $6,100 more in their second year than those who did not report having an internship. A staggering 95 percent of employers said candidate experience is a factor in hiring decisions, according to an annual survey by the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE.) Our office is committed to helping all WTAMU students in their internship search.

How to find an internship workshop

Internship FAQs

What is an internship?

How do I get involved?

How can I benefit from an internship experience?

Do you work with all majors?

Is academic credit available?

What is involved in receiving academic credit?

Is academic credit required?

Am I guaranteed a placement if I participate in the Internship Program?

What is the typical hourly wage that interns earn?

Are most placements in the Canyon & Amarillo area?

Where are your offices and who can I contact for more information?

What is an internship?

An internship is a work-learning arrangement. This arrangement is a supervised, career-related work experience combined with reflective, academic study that help you to "learn by doing". Great way to gain real-life experience, confirm what you like to do and make professional connections.

How do I get involved?

To participate in the program, students must be classified as at least a sophomore, have a 2.5 or higher GPA and have a declared major.

To get involved, the first step is to attend the How to Find an Internship Workshop.

How can I benefit from an internship experience?

Personally-- Boost your maturity and self-confidence; improve your communication and interaction skills; prepare for life after graduation; gain a greater clarity about your career.
Academically-- Integrate classroom theory with real-life experiences; understand the relevance of your course work; increase your motivation to learn; use resources that are not available on campus.
Professionally-- Explore a potential career field; develop career-related skills and abilities, including effective job search, resume writing and interviewing techniques; establish a work history; observe professional people and behavior; build a network of professional contacts; gain a competitive edge for employment or graduate school admission.
Financially (most co-op & internship placements are paid)-- Subsidize tuition costs.

Do you work with all majors?

Yes. We will work with any major to try and help them find an internship experience related to their area of study.

Our placements have tended to be more with business, engineering and mass communications majors, but we will work with any major.

Is academic credit available?

Internships may be eligible for academic credit, if approved by your academic department. Credit is typically elective credit. Also, credit may be for one semester of work; however, some departments require students to work for two semesters in order to earn credit.

If credit is possible, our office will assist you in coordinating all details with academic departments.

What is involved in receiving academic credit?

Requirements vary depending on the faculty member supervising the placement; however, here is basically what you can expect.

At the beginning of the semester you are registered for credit, you develop a set of learning objectives with your employer. These will be shared with your faculty advisor and will guide your experience throughout the semester. You will also be required to send in periodic updates answering questions designed to help you reflect on the learning experience.

At the end of the semester, your direct supervisor fills out and discusses an evaluation of your performance over the semester. You are required to turn in an academic assignment for your faculty advisor. Assignments vary--paper, an oral presentation, a journal, etc.

Your faculty advisor takes the above information into consideration and assigns a letter grade for the experience.

Is academic credit required?

No. Some students don't receive credit because they don’t need or want the elective. However, if the credit counts toward your degree, we encourage you to take it.

International students must receive academic credit to participate in an off-campus internship. This is part of Curricular Practical Training. Learn more about this program here.

Am I guaranteed a placement if I participate in the Internship Program?

No. Placement decisions ultimately rest with the employer. It is possible to participate in the program and not find a placement.

However, by participating, you dramatically increase the probability of finding a placement. You’ll also develop effective job search, resume writing and interviewing skills along with being connected with employers looking to fill internships.

You have everything to gain and very little to lose by participating.

What is the typical hourly wage that interns earn?

Employers determine the hourly rate they pay so there isn’t a set wage for interns; however, wages tend to be higher than typical college jobs. Last semester, our intern students averaged around $13.00 per hour.

Are most placements in the Canyon & Amarillo area?

Yes. Many students want to work and attend school at the same time so the many placements are in the local area.

However, students find internships across the country. There are outstanding intern opportunities outside this area. Let us know if you are interested in these opportunities.

Where are your offices and who can I contact for more information?

We are in the Student Success Center, Classroom Center 113. If you need more information, you can contact our office:

(806) 651-2345
wtcareer@wtamu.edu
wtamu.edu/career

Career Connections

Forms & Resources

College of Business Internship for Credit

Printable PDF of policy

Program Rationale

The academic Internship Program represents a positive step in developing partnerships with education and enterprise. The College of Business, in partnership with the WTAMU Internship Program, works together to offer students learning opportunities outside of the classroom through job experience related to the student's field of study. Quality internships provide students with:

an increased understanding of principles learned in the classroom,
the opportunity to clarify career goals,
the potential to develop a network of professional contacts,
enhanced self-confidence and skills,
an opportunity to learn about a particular industry, and
the ability to earn money for college and personal expenses.

The College of Business fully supports academic credit for internship experience. All internship opportunities for academic credit are under the full academic supervision of the College of Business. The Internship Program offers undergraduate and graduate students the opportunity to get course credit while gaining work experience in a related area.

Note: the College of Business encourages students to get relevant work experience even if they cannot get course credit.

Undergraduate business students may use an internship course to REPLACE any advanced elective in their degree plan. Graduate business students may use an internship to replace an elective as appropriate to their respective degree plans.

Participating corporations are expecting to receive high-quality work and active participation from the students they sponsor. Experience directly related to a student’s major makes the student more marketable when seeking full-time positions after graduating.

Student & For-Credit Internship Requirements

To participate in the internship program for academic credit, a student must be:

enrolled in the College of Business
in good academic standing
have a GPA of 2.8 (3.0 for graduate students) or greater within their College of Business courses
undergraduate students must have completed 24 hours in the College of Business core requirements.

Internship job descriptions that will be considered for credit must meet the following criteria as determined by the National Association of Colleges & Employers (NACE):

To ensure that an experience is educational, and thus eligible to be considered a legitimate internship by the NACE definition, all the following criteria must be met:

The experience must be an extension of the classroom: a learning experience that provides for applying the knowledge gained in the classroom. It must not be simply to advance the operations of the employer or be the work that a regular employee would routinely perform.
The skills or knowledge learned must be transferable to other employment settings.
The experience has a defined beginning and end, and a job description with desired qualifications.
There are clearly defined learning objectives/goals related to the professional goals of the student’s academic coursework.
There is supervision by a professional with expertise and educational and/or professional background in the field of the experience.
There is routine feedback by the experienced supervisor.
There are resources, equipment, and facilities provided by the host employer that support learning objectives/goals.

If these criteria are followed, it is the opinion of NACE that the experience can be considered a legitimate internship.

Other factors used to determine if an experience qualifies for credit include:

Academic credit isn't given retroactively.
For an individual currently working within an organization, no academic internship credit will be given for an existing functional area experience. Ideally, the student wouldn't do any of their previous job duties and have a different supervisor.
Internships must include a minimum of 240 hours of professional duties.
Internships must be paid.
Home-based business internships are not eligible.
Students may not take an overload during the semester they receive internship credit.
Academic credit is not given for full-time positions where employment is expected to continue after the internship.

One purpose of an internship is for the student and employer to evaluate full-time job potential at the end of the internship. Full-time employment is not a given at the conclusion of the internship.

Ultimately, the College of Business determines if an experience qualifies for credit and the above criteria are simply a starting point for making this determination.

Internship Credit Request Process

To be considered for credit, proposals must be submitted at least two weeks before the semester in which a student wants to receive credit.

** NOTE FOR INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS**

Before we can consider your internship proposal, you must meet with the International Student Office Director to ensure you are eligible to participate in CPT

Secure an internship offer. Internships can be found through Career Services resources or a student's own search.
The Office of Career and Professional Development offers assistance in finding and securing an Intenrship through varios means. This assistance is provided through career fairs, assistance with resumes and interviewing, and access to career Connections, a free database with internship listings. Learn more at Career and Professional Development's Homepage. Contact the Office of Career and Professional Development with questions-- (806) 651-2345, CC 113.
Complete a "Credit Proposal / Learning Agreement Form" together with your employer. Download the fillable Word version of the form here.
College of Business Associate Deans ultimately decide whether a position qualifies for academic credit. Please see "Student & For-Credit Internship Requirements" section above.
Submit completed "Credit Proposal / Learning Agreement" to the Office, wtcareer@wtamu.edu, (806) 651-2345, Classroom Center 113
If approved and the student agrees with the internship course syllabus, the appropriate College of Business Associate Deans, undergraduate or graduate respectively, will complete a blue card and send it directly to the registrar enrolling the student in the course.
Please note that not all internship proposals are approved. Please have a "Plan B" in place in case your internship is not approved for academic credit.
If approved, the student meets with the appropriate College of Business Associate Dean and/or Experiential Education staff to review the internship syllabus. This happens at a mandatory Internship Orientation meeting. Distance students will participate in phone or virtual orientations.

Typical topics covered in an orientation are:

Syllabus Review (the academic assignments required for the class)
Every intern receiving credit is required to complete academic assignments. Examples are end-of-semester presentations, informational interviews with senior-level people in the student's career area of interest, readings, interaction with other interns through WTClass, weekly journal, etc.
Professionalism
Keys for Success
Q&A

9. The appropriate Associate Dean submits a grade for the student at the end of the semester. Grading policy is outlined in the syllabus.

Intern of the Year