Undergraduate Students Internship Overview
Undergraduate Internships
The information on this page applies to the following business majors: Accounting, Entrepreneurship, Finance, General Business, Information Systems, Insurance, Management, Marketing, and Real Estate.
The Herberger Business School (HBS) offers internship courses to students for academic credit. The basic requirements are that you work a minimum of 12 hours/week for at least 12 weeks (10-12 weeks during the summer), and you must be paid minimum wage or higher (unless interning at a nonprofit or government agency).
Internships are graded as Satisfactory or Unsatisfactory and do NOT impact GPA, but do impact Credit Completion Rate.
Additional Internship Information
For students in the following majors, please click on the links below for internship information:
An introduction to HBS Internships
Questions about Internships
Yes! You are encouraged to use all the resources you have to contact companies about possible internship positions. You are not limited to those companies we have worked with in the past. In fact, you can intern anywhere in the world.
If you feel you have a unique situation that you would like to consider, contact the Internship Coordinator.
Each HBS student has the ability to choose the number of credits they want for their internship (1-16 credits). In most cases, the first 3 credits apply as an elective in your major (any additional credits taken for the internship are University Electives). You’ll want to consider the number of credits that works best for your academic plans.
The first step is to meet with your academic advisor to consider the number of credits that work best for your academic plan.
- Business Majors: Up to 3 internship credits count toward to the major requirements. The only exceptions are the concentrations with the Management Major where internship credits count towards university electives.
- Business Minors: Internship credits count towards university electives.
When you accept an offer for an internship, follow the steps listed on the Internship Process web page. If your internship is more than 50 miles from campus, you will be entitled to a partial refund of some of your student activity fees. Download the Student Teaching and Internship Refund form (PDF) or pick it up from the Office of Records and Registration, AS-118. The refund comes at the end of the internship, so you pay the full amount when tuition is due and then get some money back.
Internships are graded as Satisfactory or Unsatisfactory and do not impact GPA, but do impact Credit Completion Rate.
If a student terminates their internship prior to completing the internship or if the student is terminated from the internship, a grade of Unsatisfactory will be issued. If there are extenuating circumstances, please contact the Internship Coordinator.
HBS undergraduate internships are for academic credit, similar to other courses. These internships include a Desire2Learn (D2L) component, where course assignments and deadlines are posted for students to access.
View the Requirements to Receive a Grade web page for more details.
Curricular Practical Training (CPT)
Curricular Practical Training (CPT) is a method for allowing international students to work off-campus to fulfill a course requirement.
CPT must be tied to an HBS internship course, including 344, 444, 644, or 699.
Employment Changes:
According to HBS Policy, students are not allowed to change employers during the internship semester, except in extenuating circumstances and only after reviewing those circumstances with the Internship Coordinator and subsequently receiving approval for the change. Terminating an internship mid-semester and subsequently requesting permission to enter into another internship agreement are considered employment changes and are not permissible under this policy.
Extenuating circumstances that might warrant changing employers under this policy do not include, for example, a 'better' internship site, less travel to the internship, better pay/benefits, and/or the inability to obtain a work visa with an employer upon graduation or the promise of obtaining a work visa with a new internship employer.
Note: International students are advised to discuss their strategy for selecting internship employers as it relates to work visa availability with their advisor, program director, or internship coordinator prior to beginning an internship.
If students are having trouble with an employer or the work environment, they should contact the HBS Internship Coordinator for assistance.