Obtaining an Internship

What is the Internship Program?

The internship program is an academic program that enables college students to participate in either paid or unpaid career-related work experiences as part of their academic training. The internship program allows students an opportunity to apply classroom lessons and theory to real work applications, acquire career experience, and enhance personal growth while earning academic credit.

How do I begin setting up an internship?

Contact the Career Services Office to sign up for the Internship Program. You are encouraged to plan accordingly for when you would like to complete your internship. For Fall/Summer - meet with Career Services by the end of March.  For Spring - meet with Career Services by the end of October. There are wonderful opportunities outside of Montana but you need to plan ahead. Many summer deadlines for out of state internships fall between Oct. 15-Jan 1.

Submit a résumé to Career Services for review. Contact our office if you need assistance creating a résumé. Employers require a résumé when applying for an internship. Discuss your internship plans with your academic advisor, including possible sites, timing and goals.

Locate an internship

Use the RMC internship database, faculty contacts and community contacts to locate an internship. If you have a potential site in mind that you would like to explore for an internship, please come prepared to discuss those options. Keep in mind that internships are a learning experience and not a part-time job. Internships are not always paid positions, although we encourage all employers to provide interns compensation. You must plan accordingly for the semester in which you complete your internship.

Register for credit

You must complete the Internship Contract to be able to register for credit. Please pick up a contract in the Career Services Office or find copies here. Your site supervisor, as well as the supervising faculty member, will sign off on the approved number of credits and content of the internship. The contract will also be signed by the student intern and the Director of Career Services. Once all signatures have been obtained, return the contract to Career Services for registration.

Internships are limited to juniors and seniors, unless recommended and approved by a faculty member.

Minimum GPA requirement: at least a 2.00 cumulative GPA and a 2.25 GPA within the major. Career Services has the right to verify grades and GPA information to ensure that you are qualified for the Internship Program.

You must be registered for an internship by the first day of classes of the semester in which you will be interning. 

Internships are an academic class. Internship credits are counted in your academic course load and you are responsible for validation and covering any fees (i.e. summer credit fees or overload fees) incurred by the internship.

Academic Requirements

Discuss academic requirements with your faculty internship advisor. Review these requirements at the beginning of the semester and be prepared to turn in any required assignment at the completion of your internship.

How will I be graded?

Your internship site supervisor will complete a midterm and a final evaluation of your performance. The evaluations will be primarily based on work ethic and the objectives set forth for the internship experience. It will be your responsibility to ensure these internship evaluations are reviewed and returned to Career Services by the assigned due date.

You must also complete time logs and a self-evaluation of the internship.

Supervising faculty will receive copies of the evaluations and will submit a grade based on employer feedback and successful completion of academic assignments.

Contact

Career Services
Bair Family Student Center 116