Internships
What is an Internship?
An internship is a short-term employment assignment that is related to your major or career goal. Interns work in a professional setting under the supervision of a practicing professional and are a great opportunity for you to obtain work experience, network with professionals in the field, gain knowledge of business functions, explore a chosen career path, improve teamwork and communication skills and increase your marketability to employers.
Many internships will offer a competitive pay rate, while others will be unpaid. You may also be able to obtain credit for certain major-related internships. Evaluate your individual academic and financial situation before accepting an internship offer.
Internship FAQs
When should I do an internship?
When should I look for an internship?
How many internships should I do?
How do I make myself more competitive for an internship?
- Attend professional preparation events hosted by the Alvarez Student Success Center such as a resume and cover letter workshop.
- Use the Career Resources provided by the Alvarez Student Success Center and the University Career Center.
- Attend the company’s on-campus information session and introduce yourself to the recruiter. Join a registered student organization with a professional-minded mission statement.
- View professional development videos on LinkedIn Learning and keep your LinkedIn profile up-to-date.
How can I find an internship?
- Attend the All-Majors Career Fair, hosted every Fall & Spring semester by the University Career Center.
- Become an active user of the UTSA job board, Handshake. Companies post campus visits on Handshake.
- Attend Rowdy Recruiting sessions hosted by the Alvarez Student Success Center.
- Attend panel discussions and networking events sponsored by the Alvarez Student Success Center.
- In addition to company websites, research jobs through utsa.joinhandshake.com, linkedin.com, Internships.com, txinternshipchallenge.com, themuse.com, wayup.com
Earn Academic Credit for Your Internship
An academic internship is a credit-bearing, career-related work experience of limited duration where you gain real-world experience while earning credit toward your degree. Academic credit internships may take place in a non-profit organization, a government office or a for-profit business and must include training and supervision from an industry professional.
Additionally, during an academic credit internship you perform scholarly work in conjunction with your approved internship experience. The academic internship must be supervised by a faculty member, and the scope and nature of the academic work must be defined and approved by the faculty member before you register for an academic credit internship.
Deadlines:
- Spring 2024--Jan. 7
Move on to the next steps to learn more about the process.
To qualify for an academic credit internship, you must meet all of the following requirements. Your major department may have more extensive requirements than the general policy below. Applications for academic internships will not be approved unless all the criteria are met.
Undergraduate
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Must be a declared business major and in good academic standing at UTSA and in the college.
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Complete a minimum of 60 semester credit hours of which a minimum of 15 credit hours have been completed at UTSA.
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Meet all the prerequisites of the current catalog; consult your major degree requirements for specific details.
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Must adhere to the graduation requirements concerning the total number of hours that may be earned for academic credit through an internship.
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Note: Each 3-credit hour academic credit internship must be completed with a different company/organization.
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The internship must be in (or related to) the student’s declared major.
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Internships at all for-profit companies must be paid at an hourly rate equivalent to the minimum wage or higher to be in compliance with the Department of Labor guidelines.
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An academic credit internship with a firm at which a student is currently employed may be considered, but only if clear evidence shows that the internship is substantially and programmatically different from such employment.
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The internship must last at least 200 work hours.
Graduate
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A graduate student seeking academic credit must submit their request prior to the start of the internship.
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Students who have completed ALL required leveling courses and adequate academic preparation (usually after 12-15 hours of degree required coursework). Prerequisite requirements may vary by department.
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Have a GPA of 3.00 or higher.
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Graduate students interning with a for-profit company must have at least a minimum-wage paid internship that complies with the U.S. Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA), which governs minimum wage requirements in for-profit organizations. Students interning with a nonprofit 501c3 or government agency may have an unpaid internship. See the DOL Fact Sheet 71 for more information at: http://www.dol.gov/whd/regs/compliance/whdfs71.pdf
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The internship must last at least 200 work hours.
International Student? Contact Ashley Wallace (210.458.8510) before starting the application process.
Once you accept your internship and meet all the eligibility requirements, move on to step 2.
Meet with your academic advisor to review your eligibility for an academic credit internship.
Undergraduate Advisors
Graduate Advisors
Also make sure to understand your major specific requirements. Currently, there are no additional requirements for graduate students.
Department of AccountingCourse: ACC 4933 Internship in Accounting (3 credit hours)Prerequisites:
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Department of ManagementCourse: MGT 4933 Internship in Management (3 credit hours)Prerequisites:
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Once you know this is a good fit for your degree, move on to Step 3.
Undergraduate
You must select a faculty member within your major to supervise your internship course. Your faculty supervisor is separate from, and in addition to, your department chair. Do NOT list your department chair as your faculty supervisor on the application.
Use the college's faculty directory, to help you identify a faculty member within your major. If you need help drafting an email request to a faculty member, copy our email template.
Department of AccountingDepartment Chair for Application: Harrison Liu, Ph.D.
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Department of ManagementDepartment Chair for Application: Joe Broschak, Ph.D.
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Graduate
Select your program below to connect with your Program Internship Coordinator. Your coordinator can help you identify a faculty member to supervise your course progress.
MBAM.S. BusinessM.S. Data AnalyticsM.S. FinanceM.S. Finance, Real Estate Finance and Development Concentration |
M.A. EconomicsM.S. Management of TechnologyMACY and 150-hourM.S. Information Technology (and Cyber Security Concentration)M.S. Statistics and Data Science |
Now that you have secured a faculty supervisor, move on to Step 4.
You must complete steps 1-3 to successfully complete the electronic Carlos Alvarez College of Business internship packet.
Deadlines:
Spring 2024--Jan. 7
Online Internship Packet
Student Application Instructions (pdf)
Almost there, move on to Step 5 for the final step.
Your tuition and fees must be paid in full by the published payment deadline for each semester.
Please visit the One Stop Enrollment website for more information on the cost of attendance and payment options.
Report Your Job/Internship
Whether you participate in a paid, non-paid, credit or non-credit internship, share your experience with the college.
To report your internship:
- Login to Handshake: utsa.joinhandshake.com/experiences
- Under “Experience Type,” select “Carlos Alvarez College of Business-Internships” and complete all required fields
*Please email AlvarezSSC@utsa.edu with any questions.
