The Internship program allows students to gain work experience in their career fields. These opportunities allow students to learn what type of work culture they prefer and if they're in the right field. Internships provide temporary work opportunities that may or may not relate to the student's interest, academic major, and/or career goals. Typically, assignments involve paid, meaningful work, provide hands-on experiential learning, and can potentially lead to future career opportunities.

Questions about Internships or employer campus recruiting?

Contact Rachel Dupree at er0479@wayne.edu.

Career Services Internship Guide

Criteria for an experience to be defined as an internship 

How to get an Internship

Internships on Handshake

Career Services encourages partnering employers to post internships for students on Handshake. WSU students who would like to search for an internship on Handshake must first activate their accounts. Active WSU students are automatically preloaded onto Handshake so simply log into your account once to activate it.

Activate your Handshake Account:

1. Go to https://wayne.joinhandshake.com/
2. Enter your Wayne State email address (example: ab1234@wayne.edu)
3. Click on the blue Wayne State University Sign On box
4. Enter your WSU Academica ID (example: ab1234) and password

Once you activate your Handshake account, you can select the Jobs option to search for available Internship opportunities.

Micro-Internships

Career Services partners with Parker Dewey to offer students Micro-Internships. Through Micro-Internships, students can demonstrate their skills, explore career paths, and develop their professional networks. These paid opportunities typically range from 5 to 40 hours of work, and students can be selected for multiple Micro-Internships.

 Interested students are encouraged to:

1. Create a Parker Dewey account at http://info.parkerdewey.com/waynest
2. Fill out your profile as completely as possible
3. Review current Micro-Internship projects available
4. Apply to projects of interest
5. Continue to check the platform regularly for new opportunities

Virtual Experiences/Training Programs to Build Your Skills

Career Services partners with Forage to offer an online platform providing free access to Virtual Experience Programs with the world's leading companies. These Virtual Experience Programs (created by companies like JPMorgan Chase, Citi, Accenture, BCG, and Deloitte) let you try out 'life-like' tasks that provide a better understanding of what it's like to be a junior employee at that company. They take 5-6 hours to complete and are self-paced.

• By completing programs, you will build the skills that demonstrate the career competencies that employers are looking for, develop your confidence, and improve your practical skills.
• You will receive a personalized Certificate of Completion after completion of each Virtual Experience Program and can include each Program on your resume and LinkedIn profile to showcase your new skills.
• Some companies provide exclusive opportunities (like online networking events, competitions, and prioritized internship applications) to students who complete their Virtual Experience Program.

Interested? Get Started Here

Frequently asked questions

Why is it important to have an internship?

In addition to gaining valuable experience and enhancing your skills overall, an internship exposes you to a real work environment where you can apply classroom learning. Many employers also hire full-time employees from their intern pools.

How can Career Services help me prepare for an internship?

Career Services provides the following resources to help prepare you for an internship:

• Resume Review
• Job Search Assistance
• Interviewing Assistance
• Career Planning support to help you determine your career path
• Tips on Workplace Etiquette

Can I register my internship so that my experience appears on my academic transcript?

For more information about registering your internship experience, please contact an Internship Coordinator.

Why should I register my internship?

1. A campus-based Career Services professional will be dedicated to you while working off-campus. When work politics arise (and they usually do), having open communication with someone with your best interest in mind is a benefit of course enrollment.
2. "Internship/Co-op Record" documents your work in the industry on your official transcript. Your transcript should highlight all educational experiences. Employers want to see your engagement with the internship/co-op process.
3. The course may help you to keep your full-time status active with the university. Enrollment in the internship course will address reduced coursework taken for that semester.
4. Employers and professional schools will see how your time was spent when not enrolled in classes or pursuing a lighter course load.
   Just like applicants for employment have to explain gaps in employment on their resumes, applicants for professional schools have to explain the gaps in enrollment on their transcripts.
5. It is free! The zero credit Internship/Co-op record course has $0.00 tuition.  

Are internships only available in the summer?

Internship opportunities are available year-round. It is the recommendation of Career Services to seek out internship opportunities at least one to two semesters in advance. For example, if you are seeking a summer internship opportunity, Career Services suggests beginning your search at the beginning or end of the fall term.

Are most internships unpaid?

Career Services promotes paid opportunities. Unpaid opportunities are handled on a case-by-case basis.

I received an internship offer that I am unsure of. Who do I need to contact?

If you have questions about the validity of the internship opportunity, please contact an Internship Coordinator.