Why Internships Matter?
Internships can help you to gain experience in your field, "test drive" career options, and build your resume and network.
What is an internship?
An internship is a substantive learning experience where students apply knowledge and skills gained in their academic program to a professional work setting.
When to do an internship?
Most students do them the summer after Junior year, but it can be any time or year, including the spring and fall semesters.
How Do I Prepare to Get an Internship?
If you’re not sure how to get started, enroll in our online Canvas course for more information!
Looking for more support? Meet with a Career & Internship Advisor!
Spring 2024 International Internships
The UW-Madison International Internships team, part of the study abroad office, helps undergrad students explore internship opportunities with organizations around the world.
Apply by Monday, Oct 9th for Spring 2024 In-Person UW Signature Internships!
All Spring 2024 UW Signature Internships are fully funded by scholarships covering program fees and basic cost of attendance. Interns stay enrolled at UW-Madison through the online WIP (IS-523) course.
Teaching/ESL
- South Korea: IUEC English Teaching Intern – South Korea, Seoul
- Spain: ESC English Language Teaching Internship – Spain, Seville
- CESI Arras English Teaching Internship – France, Arras
International Education
- Fulbright Commission Chile Assistant Academic Advising Intern – Chile, Santiago
Health
- JYU Achilles Tendon Research Internship – Finland, Jyvaskyla
- Health By All Means Community Health Outreach Intern – Kenya, Lunga Lunga
Art
- Zó Project Design And Marketing Internships – Vietnam, Sung Village, Hanoi
- Pia Nepal Design Internship – Nepal, Kathmandu
- Docu+ Content Creation Intern – South Korea, Seoul
Link For More International Internship Opportunities
Funding Resources – Many of the spring internships are fully funded!
We recommend that students who are also enrolled in IIP’s internship course (3 credit) take no more than 6 credits that semester.
Featured Internships in the Arts
Featured Internships in Education
Featured Internships in Health
Frequently Asked Questions
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Can I get academic credit for my internship?
This can vary from different academic departments. For example, there are some courses that you can register for to complete along with your internship to gain academic credit.
As with anything related to courses and credit, talk with your academic advisor for more specific information about your options!
Should I do a paid or unpaid internship?
Ideally, any work that you do would be paid and we are working hard to advocate for paid opportunities for our students. There are certain reasons why an unpaid internship would be acceptable, but that’s not typical. If you do need to take an unpaid internship, there may be scholarships or supplemental funds available for unpaid experiences – talk to your career advisor about options.
Did you know… 66.4% of students who graduated in 2019 who had a paid internship got job offers, compared to 43.7% of students who had an unpaid internship? Something to think about as you explore your options!
Should I do a virtual internship or one that is in-person?
There are benefits to both! In-person can provide a “real-world” experience working in a physical space, but also may limit your options if you need something local. Virtual can be more flexible and open you up to more opportunities, but some might feel it loses something to the overall experience when compared to in-person.
The bottom line is to do what works best for you! If you want to talk through your options, make an appointment with one of our Career and Internship Advisors and they will talk through it with you.
Are there specific websites I can use to find an internship?
Your department may have a list of internships available. Additionally you can try the following:
International Internship Program (For international opportunities)