Student Guide to Internships

Our Internship Program offers you the opportunity to increase your understanding of your chosen field, enhance your academic experience, and provide you with a new perspective. Employers involved with Chapman University’s Internship Program often find talented students to assist with projects and events.

Studies show that students with proven job skills and related work experience are valuable assets when companies recruit for new positions. In fact, as many as 70% of companies surveyed by the National Association of Colleges and Employers used internships as an important way to choose new employees. Moreover, three of the top personal qualities employers seek are communication skills, leadership, and teamwork-- all of which are developed during an internship.

If you’re not yet convinced that internships are key in securing future full-time employment, think of this: the average starting salary for full-time employees is 9% higher for candidates who have performed an internship.

Registering for internship credit ensures your career related experience is illustrated on your transcript.

Chapman defines an internship as a structured and supervised workplace learning experience for which a student can earn academic credit. Only those students registered for internship credit through the Career Development Center are considered interns.

If you work at a company, organization, or agency without enrolling for credit, you are considered a part-time employee or volunteer, and not an intern.