Internships & Gaining Experience

Internships facilitate:

• Experiential learning
• Exploration of career paths
• Opportunities to gain valuable experience
• Practical application and skill development
• Simulations of post-graduate work environments
• Opportunities to make connections in professional fields
• Make you a competitive candidate for post-graduate opportunities

Internships Structure:

• Can be paid or unpaid
• ~ 20 hrs/wk maximum (academic year)
• Up to 40 hrs/wk if paid (Summer)
• May require enrollment in an internship course
• Require CPT for students with F-1 Visas working off-campus

• Pursue early and often, Sophomore, Junior, and Senior year
• Consider application timelines for certain industries
• Use Handshake, attend recruitment events, and Network to maximize your search

1. Intern & employer clearly understand there is no expectation of compensation
2. Training is similar to training in an educational environment
3. Tied to the intern’s formal education, coursework, or academic credit
4. Internship accommodates the intern’s academic commitments
5. Have start and end dates
6. Intern’s work supplements but does not replace the work of paid employees
7. Conducted without entitlement to a paid job at the conclusion of the internship

Internships provide a means for students to learn and practice skills that they may not otherwise be able to in a classroom. They provide a safe environment for students to learn how theories and concepts they learned in the classroom might be applied in a real-world work environment. Students also get the opportunity to see what it may be like to work at a particular company or within a particular industry, and equip them with key knowledge they can use to target their career search after graduation.

Employers also highly value internship experience, as responsibilities on internships build skills that are highly valued for entry-level positions. A well-designed internship experience can lead to the development of the 8 National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE) core competencies that have consistently been defined as the main skills that employers look for in hiring new employees:

1. Creativity and Problem Solving: The ability to make decisions, use sound reasoning, and overcome problems with ingenuity and creativity.

2. Communication: The ability to articulate thoughts and ideas clearly and effectively in both written and verbal contexts.

3. Teamwork: The capacity to form collaborative relationships with a range of colleagues, work within a team structure, and negotiate and manage conflict.

4. Digital Technology: Competency in existing digital technologies and the ability to adapt to new and emerging technologies.

5. Leadership: Proficiency in leveraging the strengths of others to achieve common goals; using interpersonal skills to coach and develop others.

6. Professionalism/Work Ethic: Demonstrating personal accountability and effective work habits, including time management, integrity, punctuality and the ability to learn from mistakes.

7. Career Management: The ability to identify and articulate your skills, strengths and experiences in a way that’s relevant to the position you desire; proficiency in exploring and pursuing job options; the ability to self-advocate in the workplace.

8. Global/Intercultural Fluency: Cultural sensitivity, respect, openness and the ability to learn from people representing many backgrounds and perspectives.

Download a PDF of the NACE competencies for quick reference.

You are welcome to schedule an appointment to meet with one of our Career Advisors on Handshake to discuss internships.

Below are some additional resources that may be helpful for students seeking internships.

You may be required to receive academic credit for an individual internship. The below list covers internship courses available through Dornsife.

Dornsife Internship Courses

AMST 365: Leadership in the Community
ANTH 393: Directed Internship
EALC 366: Chinese Professional Internship – 2 units (Language prerequisite: EALC 206 Chinese IV)
ENST 396: Directed Governmental & Political Leadership Internship
IR 391: Directed International Relations Field Study
ITAL 222: Italian Professional Internship, Communication and Culture
MDA 250: Internship for Liberal Arts: Work and Career – Theory and Practice
POSC 395: Directed Governmental & Political Leadership Internship
SOCI 450: Non-Governmental Organizations/Non-Profits Field Practicum
SWMS 311: Gender & Sexuality Studies Internship

You may enroll in any of the courses listed above or any USC Internship course to meet the academic credit criteria for an unpaid internship at a “For-Profit” company.

FOR STUDENTS INTERNING ABROAD

USC students traveling abroad independently, including Ph.D. students performing research, attending conferences, or any other University-related activity, must work with administrative staff in their departments to complete the Independent Student Travel registration to ensure they are compliant with USC policy for Student Travel Abroad

Students studying abroad & interning by way of a USC Dornsife Overseas program, do not need to complete the travel registration as they will already be in our system.

We welcome employers to connect with Dornsife Career Pathways to promote internship opportunities for our students. We can offer the following ways to connect with students:

1. Free platform to post positions on Handshake (https://joinhandshake.com/employers/)
2. Targeted email marketing to specific majors and class years
3. Promoting listings in twice-monthly student newsletters
4. Virtual and in-person informational sessions and skills workshops through our Employer Oppor2nity series
5. Hosting 1:1 virtual and in-person “coffee chats” with students
6. Career fairs

Internships must last for at least 6 weeks and be at minimum 5 hours per week and at most 20 hours per week during fall and spring semesters. 40 hour per week internships are allowed over the summer if they are paid. Both virtual and in-person internships are permitted.

USC has several guidelines for internships that are promoted to our students. For a full guide of best practices on developing internship programs, please follow this link: https://careers.usc.edu/resources/develop-an-effective-internship-program/