Internships
Career & Professional Development seeks to partner with faculty to promote student engagement in internships. Internships are an effective way for students to develop relevant skills for success in their future careers. As faculty often advise students on internships that align with particular majors, it is important that you maintain an awareness of the industry definition of an internship:
An internship is a form of experiential learning that integrates knowledge and theory learned in the classroom with practical application and skills development in a professional setting. Internships give students the opportunity to gain valuable applied experience and make connections in professional fields they are considering for career paths; and give employers the opportunity to guide and evaluate talent.
This definition and the following criteria are defined by the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE), a global organization comprised of career services professionals and employment professionals.
Criteria For An Experience To Be Defined As An Internship
To ensure that an experience—whether it is a traditional internship or one conducted remotely or virtually—is educational, and thus eligible to be considered a legitimate internship by the NACE definition, all the following criteria must be met:
- The experience must be an extension of the classroom: a learning experience that provides for applying the knowledge gained in the classroom. It must not be simply to advance the operations of the employer or be the work that a regular employee would routinely perform.
- The skills or knowledge learned must be transferable to other employment settings.
- The experience has a defined beginning and end, and a job description with desired qualifications.
- There are clearly defined learning objectives/goals related to the professional goals of the student’s academic coursework.
- There is supervision by a professional with expertise and educational and/or professional background in the field of the experience.
- There is routine feedback by the experienced supervisor.
- There are resources, equipment, and facilities provided by the host employer that support learning objectives/goals.
If these criteria are followed, it is the opinion of NACE that the experience can be considered a legitimate internship. Whether an internship is paid, unpaid, or grants academic credit, Career & Professional Development seeks for the above criteria to be consistently met to ensure an appropriate developmental experience for our students.
While academic credit legitimizes an unpaid experience, in order to be identified as an internship, that experience must fit the above criteria. For experiences that employers make available only if academic credit is awarded, the college or university’s requirements in combination with the criteria laid out above should be used to determine if the experience is a legitimate internship.
We encourage faculty members to support students by facilitating internships for academic credit when possible, particularly in cases where an employer will not be providing compensation. If you have questions about this process, please contact our office. Campus Greensboro, Humanities at Work, and the SECU Foundation Public Fellows are just a few of the fantastic internship programs available to Spartans.
Source: Position Statement: U.S. Internships, National Association of Colleges and Employers
Local Internships
We have curated a collection of local internships and made them available to students in Handshake. The list below contains a few of the internships in that collection. Please have your students log in to Handshake to see the entire collection.
- Employer: ZIM Aircraft Cabin Solutions Expires: 10/12/2026 Job Summary: Under the direction of Engineering management, the Engineering Intern will provide engineering and technical support for engineering tasks.Essential Job Duties:Provide technical support to engineering personnel of various disciplines for engineering programs in which ZIM Aircraft Cabin Solutions is involved.Assist in developing and producing design data […]
- Employer: SPX Technologies, LLC Expires: 10/12/2026 How you will make an Impact (Job Summary) Would you like to join SPX as a paid intern? At SPX, we believe in fostering the growth of our employees to bring out their best. We have a proven past and promising future. For nearly a century, we’ve flourished by focusing on product innovation, expert […]
- Employer: SPX Technologies, LLC Expires: 10/12/2026 How you will make an Impact (Job Summary) Would you like to join SPX as a paid intern? At SPX, we believe in fostering the growth of our employees to bring out their best. We have a proven past and promising future. For nearly a century, we’ve flourished by focusing on product innovation, expert technology, […]
- Employer: Syngenta Expires: 10/11/2026 About Syngenta At Syngenta Crop Protection, we're pioneering solutions that safeguard global food security while championing sustainable agriculture. As a world market leader headquartered in Switzerland, we empower farmers with innovative crop protection technologies that defend against nature's toughest challenges. We unite advanced science with digital solutions to develop intelligent crop protection […]
- Employer: RH CPAs, PLLC Expires: 10/10/2026 Audit Intern – RH CPAs, LLCRH CPAs, LLC, a growing accounting firm with offices in Lexington, Greensboro, and Charlotte, North Carolina, is looking to hire an Audit Intern to join our dynamic team. This internship offers an excellent opportunity to gain hands-on experience in auditing while working […]
- Employer: RH CPAs, PLLC Expires: 10/10/2026 Audit Intern – RH CPAs, LLCRH CPAs, LLC, a growing accounting firm with offices in Lexington, Greensboro, and Charlotte, North Carolina, is looking to hire an Audit Intern to join our dynamic team. This internship offers an excellent opportunity to gain hands-on experience in auditing while working […]
- Employer: The Christman Company Expires: 10/09/2026 Build More with Your Career at ChristmanGet out of the classroom and Build More with your internship experience at The Christman Company! Our internship program provides undergraduate students opportunities to learn about different building types and delivery methods while gaining on-the-job experience in the various markets we […]