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Internships

Internships are wonderful for a variety of reasons. Not only do interns gain valuable workplace experience, they are also able to explore an industry, get exposed to organizational culture, and build a professional network.

Interested in hearing Vanderbilt students share their internship experiences? Watch this:

Identifying Internships

There are two primary sources of internship opportunities. There are opportunities that are published on websites and in print resources and those that are never made public. For that reason, it is important that you perform a balanced search that involves tapping your network and utilizing online resources.

As part of your search, we encourage you to leverage part of your professional network -- the Center for Student Professional Development's Campus Recruiting program. The program offers four different opportunities for you to connect with employers offering internships in a variety of career fields: On Campus Interviews, Industry Career Days, Employer Information Sessions, and Employer Job Postings. To participate in campus recruiting, you will need to upload a resume into your DoreWays account before you can apply to any positions.

Online resources provided by the Center that provide internship information include our Internship Database, Career Insider (Vault), and access to Internships-USA which has 14 different books of industry specific internship opportunities.

The Center's Internship Database provides a list of internships that Vanderbilt students have had in the past. Just because an employer is on this database does not necessarily mean that they will take other Vanderbilt interns, but knowing that they have had interns in the past may give you a starting point as you build a relationship with that employer. VUConnect would be another great way to reach out to the companies of interest that you find here. These opportunities were reported primarily by the Summer Experience Survey sent to returning Vanderbilt students in the Fall semester.

Additionally, we are involved in a consortium with several peer institutions called the University Career Action Network (UCAN). For more information about the consortium, including a list of participating colleges and universities, please visit the UCAN website. UCAN internship postings can be accessed through DoreWays. Simply select "UCAN" from the drop down menu under "jobs/internship" tab.

Opportunities are also posted on company websites, aggregator sites (such as Indeed and Simply Hired), industry specific sites (i.e. engineering, healthcare, nonprofit), college specific sites (like College Grad), and niche websites which have a specific mission (INROADS).

Because a majority of opportunities are never posted, we encourage you to spend a significant portion of the time you dedicate to your search in networking and informational interviewing activities. A standard guideline is to spend 80% of your time networking and 20% of your time online.

Vanderbilt Internship Programs

There are many other opportunities to intern through departments on the Vanderbilt Campus just to name a few: Vanderbilt Internship Experience In Washington (VIEW), Vanderbilt Summer Undergraduate Research Program, and Vanderbilt Undergraduate Clinical Research Program. The career coach in your cluster of interest can help you identify additional resources on and off the Vanderbilt Campus.

The Center has also established several internship programs in partnership with Vanderbilt Alumni, Faculty, and staff: Vandy-in Hollywood Summer Internship Program and Vandy on Madison Ave.

Academic Credit for Internships

Many internship programs require you to apply for and receive academic credit in a one-credit course. To begin the process of applying and receiving academic credit, contact the Associate Dean at your respective college/school.

Vanderbilt University provides a Subsidy towards the cost associated with the academic credit. Details are as follows:

Summer Internship Subsidy

Open to any VU undergraduate who is required by an employer to earn academic credit
Designed to cover/waive the majority of tuition and fees for the academic component of a one-credit summer internship
Registration may be through any of the four undergraduate schools
Student fee to enroll in one credit summer course required for an internship is currently $200 plus applicable summer fees

To be eligible for the subsidy, a student is required to complete a three-step application process that includes:

1) A letter (or email) from the employer stipulating the need for academic credit.

2) A completed and signed copy of the internship approval for INDS 280D, MUSO 280C, PINX 2985, or other approved internship course. Consult your school Associate Dean to determine appropriate academic course placement.

3) Completion of a Center internship orientation module focusing on workplace law and workplace etiquette.

For specific details on application process, see student checklist for receiving summer internship subsidy.

Students who choose not to apply for summer internship subsidy may continue to use the regular tuition process to enroll in designated summer internship courses. Details available through students' respective college/school Dean's Office.

Need help?

The staff of the Center for Student Professional Development are eager to support you in identifying and pursing professional opportunities. Our career coaching staff and peer career advocates are available for individual and group coaching appointments and professional development programs.

It is through the coaching relationship that you will maximize your opportunities and fully leverage Center resources to meet your professional development needs.

To get started, stop by the Center for a Coaching Assessment during Coaching Express. This 20-minute session with a Career Coach gives you a chance to have your resume critiqued, get answers to your questions, or develop an action plan for next steps.

Visit our News and Events page to see Coaching Express times and locations.