Developing an On-Campus Internship

On-campus internships can provide meaningful, hands-on experiences that help students connect their academic learning to real-world skills and career pathways. A strong internship experience benefits both the student and the department by creating opportunities for professional growth, project support, reflection, and talent development across campus.

Table of Contents

Start with Clear Goals
Eligibility and Qualifications
Academic Credit
Number of Interns
Supervision and Workplace Environment
Compensation
In-Person, Hybrid, or Remote
Consider Work+
Career Center Support
Recruiting and Hiring On-Campus Interns

Start with Clear Goals

Before creating an internship, identify the goals and outcomes for both the department and the intern.

Consider:

• What projects or initiatives will the intern support?
• What skills or experiences should the intern gain?
• How will success be measured?
• What supervision, mentoring, and feedback will be provided throughout the experience?

Clear expectations should be established during the design, posting, interviewing, hiring, onboarding, and supervision phases of the internship.

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Points to Consider

Eligibility and Qualifications

Will students need to have completed specific coursework, acquired technical skills, or have specific class standing to be successful in the role?There are no general University restrictions regarding when a student can participate in an internship, but departments may establish qualifications that align with the responsibilities of the position.

For questions related specifically to graduate students, reach out to Megan Petsa, Director of Graduate Student Administration; refer students to the UConn Graduate School Internship Resources Page.

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Academic Credit

The hiring department may wish for the student to earn academic credit while participating in the experience, or the student may ask to do so based on their own reasons.

• Either way, for on-campus internships, the department offering the opportunity is the employer and cannot approve internship course credit, even if an academic department hosting the position has an internship course due to conflicts of interest.
• Employers determine compensation and internship course instructors determine credit eligibility
• As a general rule, UConn also does not prohibit students from ‘earning while they learn,’ though individual academic departments or majors may have their own policy regarding this topic.

Questions regarding on-campus internships and credit may be directed to internships@uconn.edu.

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Number of Interns

The number of interns selected will depend on departmental capacity, available projects, and supervision resources.

Students often benefit from:

• Cohort-style experiences
• Collaboration with peers
• Team-based or cross-functional projects

Opportunities to learn alongside other student employees or interns

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Supervision and Workplace Environment

Departments should ensure that supervisors have:

• Training on interviewing, supervising, and mentoring
• Support to offer meaningful projects
• Appropriate resources to support their interns
• Clear understanding about the discipline process (You can definitely restate this better!!)
• Access to the Work+ Program (Hyperlink it to the information below)

Departments should ensure interns have:

• Meaningful and clearly defined work
• Appropriate supervision and mentorship
• Access to necessary tools and workspace
• Opportunities to feel connected and included within the team

It is also helpful to consider how the internship experience differs from a traditional student employment role. Internships often place greater emphasis on structured learning, reflection, skill development, and career exploration.

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Compensation

Campus internship hosts are encouraged to provide financial renumeration.

• Typically, the amount is at least minimum wage and work-study funds may be used as well
• A department cannot have a mix of paid and unpaid interns doing the same work

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In-Person, Hybrid, or Remote

Internships may be designed as:

• In-person
• Hybrid
• Remote

Flexible work arrangements, when appropriate for the role and following university guidelines, may help expand access and increase the applicant pool across UConn’s campuses.

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Consider Work+

Departments looking to create a more structured and career-focused student employment experience may want to explore Work+ at UConn.

Work+ helps supervisors intentionally connect on-campus employment to career readiness by providing:

• Structured onboarding and reflection tools
• Professional development opportunities
• Career competency development aligned with the NACE Career Competencies
• Resources for supervision, feedback, and student growth
• Assessment tools that help working learners articulate the skills they are building through employment

Work+ can be a strong fit for departments interested in combining meaningful student employment with intentional learning and professional development outcomes.

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Career Center Support

The UConn Center for Career Readiness and Life Skills can support departments throughout the internship development process, including:

• Position development and posting support
• Recruitment and advertising strategies
• Guidance on supervision and student learning
• Professional development opportunities for supervisors and interns
• Resources and trainings related to student employment and career readiness

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Recruiting and Hiring On-Campus Interns

Encourage applicants to submit a resumé as part of the application process and focus position descriptions on the skills, competencies, and learning opportunities students will gain, not just the tasks they will complete.

To attract a strong and diverse applicant pool, consider using multiple outreach and recruitment strategies:

• Post internships and on-campus opportunities through 12Twenty at UConn, the Center for Career Readiness and Life Skills’ job and internship platform
• If your position participates in Work+ at UConn, select the Work+ designation within the posting so students can easily identify career-focused working and learning opportunities
• Share openings through departmental websites, newsletters, social media, and internal communications
• Present opportunities during classes, information sessions, or department events throughout the academic year
• Participate in the annual on-campus job fair each September to promote student employment opportunities and internships within your department (contact Cindy Garrison for more information)
• Connect with student clubs, organizations, and affinity groups to broaden outreach efforts
• Partner with academic advisors and faculty members and encourage them to share opportunities with students
• Highlight the transferable skills students will build, such as communication, leadership, project management, technology, teamwork, and problem-solving

Departments that intentionally frame on-campus internships as professional learning experiences often see stronger student engagement and higher-quality applicants.

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