What is an Internship?
Internships are opportunities to connect your classroom experiences in a professional organization through hands-on projects and direct exposure to the real world of work. Internships can take many forms including part-time, full-time, paid, unpaid, and credit or non-credit bearing experiences. Internships usually last three to six months and can occur at any time of the academic year. Typically, interns are juniors or seniors; however, sophomores should never shy away from an internship opportunity.
Benefits of an Internship
- Establishes valuable professional contacts and increases your professional network
- Facilitates the transition from student to employee by socializing you to the world of work
- Increases your confidence as you learn new skills
- Creates valuable experiences that enhance your resume
- Builds industry knowledge that allows you to create a realistic picture of a specific career
Difference Between Credit and Non-credit Internships
Credit internships allow a student to earn university course credit during the internship and are offered through academic departments. Each academic department sets its own criteria for awarding credit for internship experiences. Please select the link below for department internship requirements. Non-credit internships are not facilitated through a university department and are arranged and completed solely by the student. While these internships are independent, we encourage you to look for experiences that are beneficial to your goals and further facilitate the acquisition of the skills and qualifications that you desire.
Internships vs. Part-Time Jobs
Internships may be part-time or full-time (in reference to the number of hours worked) and be single or repeat experiences. It is important to be clear about the difference between an internship and a part-time job. The guidelines in the table below clarify the fundamental differences between an internship and part-time job according to LEE.
| A position is an internship if… | A position is a part-time job if… |
|---|---|
| It is related to the student's area of study and professional goals | The job duties are primarily clerical in nature |
| It requires established learning objectives/goals | The student is replacing the work that would normally be done by a current employee |
| Students receive regular feedback and evaluation in relation to the established learning objectives from a qualified professional | Compensation is the primary purpose of the position |
| Students regularly apply what they have learned in the classroom to a professional setting | It is not professional in nature and/or does not align with the student's area of study and professional goals |
| Student learning is the primary purpose of the position |
Internship Guidelines by Department
Course: ACC 481 (undergraduate)/781 (graduate)
Minimum GPA to participate: 2.5 overall and 2.5 in accounting courses
Class standing: Junior, Senior, MA (for ACC 781)
- Undergraduate transfer students must have completed at least 24 credit hours (including a minimum of 6 credit hours in accounting) at UNLV
- Undergraduates must have completed 6 credits of upper-division accounting classes to participate (ACC 473 does not count towards this requirement)
Class and/or Credit Requirements: Undergraduate students may earn 3 credit hours by completing a minimum of 150 work hours during the internship. Students will earn a satisfactory grade upon completing the course requirements (discussed with accounting internship coordinator) and receiving a satisfactory evaluation from the employer.
- Graduate students enrolling in ACC 781 will receive a letter grade that is based upon the student paper, employer evaluation and completion of other course requirements (discussed with accounting internship coordinator)
Grade: Undergraduate: Satisfactory (S) or Fail (F); Graduate: Letter grade
Internship Coordinator: Danny Siciliano at
Course: ECON 489
Minimum GPA to participate: 3.0
Prerequisites to participate: Students must be admitted to the Economics major and must have completed 9 credit hours within the major
Class and/or Credit Requirement: Students can earn 1-4 credits for the internship course; the course may be repeated to a maximum of 6 credits
Internship Coordinator: Bill Robinson at bill.robinson@unlv.edu
Course: FIN 481
Minimum GPA to participate: 3.0
Prerequisites to participate:
- Students must be admitted to the Finance major and must complete FIN 303 and FIN 307 with a grade of “C” or better to participate in an internship.
Internship Coordinator: Darwin Hopwood at darwin.hopwood@unlv.edu
Course: MKT 483/IB 483
Minimum GPA to participate: 3.0
Class standing: Senior
Prerequisites to participate:
- Students must be admitted to either the Marketing or International Business major and;
- Must have completed a minimum of 9 credit hours in their major to participate in an internship.
- All internships must be paid.
Department Chair/Internship Coordinator: Anjala Krishen at anjala.krishen@unlv.edu
Course: BUS 481/IS 480/MIS 755
Minimum GPA to participate: 3.0
Class standing: Senior
Prerequisites to participate: Students must be admitted to the Management, Entrepreneurship or Technology major and completed a minimum of 9 credit hours in their major to participate in an internship
Internship Coordinators:
BUS 481 - Business Internship: contact Kirk Silvernail at kirk.silvernail@unlv.edu
IS 480 - Internship in Information Systems: contact Marcus Rothenberger at marcus.rothenberger@unlv.edu
Course: RE 481
Minimum GPA to participate: 3.0
Class standing: Senior
Prerequisites to participate:
- Students must be admitted to the Real Estate major with at least 9 credit hours of RE 300-level courses completed with a minimum grade of C is required for all prerequisites.
Internship coordinator: Shawn McCoy at shawn.mccoy@unlv.edu
Internship Resources
To find the appropriate internship for you, utilize the resources available to you, including:
- Department internship coordinator
- On-campus/virtual recruiting events
- Faculty
- Networking
- Social media
- Company websites
- Job search engines