Internship Guide

If you are expecting to do an internship as part of your Central Penn education, you can start thinking about and planning for your internship right away.  Depending on your degree program and where you might want to do your internship, you might need to start the process well in advance of the term you want to actually do your internship.

Since the internship is an on-the-job experience, thinking about what kind of work you want to be doing after you finish your degree--as well as what kind of company or organization you want to work for--can help you plan your coursework to more effectively prepare for success in your desired career.

Internships require a minimum of 180 hours, which would take 5 weeks of working full time (36 hours/week).  Generally internships should take place during one 11-week term.  If you are not able to devote 36 hours a week to an internship, even for 5 weeks, you need to be careful to plan how many hours a week you can be at your internship site to get all of the hours in before the term is over.

If the idea of an out-of-town internship appeals to you, there are opportunities for internships in Washington, D.C. through the Washington Internship Institute.  Doing an internship through this program requires more advanced planning than some other internships.  Please see the Washington Internship Institute page of this guide for details.