Thank you for your interest in learning more in how our students can participate in a rewarding internship experience. Our internship program provides School of Life Sciences students with an opportunity to earn academic credit, while learning new skills to help them achieve their personal educational and career goals.
BIO/HPS/MIC/MBB/PLB 484
Supporting/Promoting Extracurricular Internships
- SOLS faculty, instructors, and academic advisors should be knowledgeable in and support extracurricular internships. The department is responsible for providing training and information to the other faculty members and instructors about internships.
- SOLS faculty, instructors, and academic advisors will work with students to explain internships, for example, the benefits, importance and how internships fits into the program.
- SOLS faculty, instructors, and academic advisors will refer students to the Internship Instructor for assistance with their internship search. The Internship Instructor, in conjunction with the Career Development Services Office, can provide help with resume writing, job prospecting, assisting in contacting employers, mock interviewing skills, etc.
- Neither School of Life Sciences or the Internship Instructor is responsible for finding the student an internship position.
- SOLS faculty, instructors, and academic advisors will promote internships with employers.
- SOLS faculty, instructors, and academic advisors will refer employers to the Internship Instructor for additional information to promote extracurricular internships.
If you have any questions please let us know! Thank you for supporting and promoting extracurricular internships at ASU SOLS!
What are extracurricular internships?
Extracurricular internships are designed to blend academic knowledge with real life hands on work experience through career related paid work experience outside of ASU. These students (both on-ground and online) work in paid/unpaid positions which are related to their field of study and work part-time or full-time during the summer or academic year. Many ASU programs offer similar internship experiences. Some programs at ASU require an internship experience and other programs make it an elective choice of the student (such as SOLS). Students who participate in an internship experience can work locally, nationally and even internationally (making this a great fit for our Online Biological Science students as well). Students are encouraged to register with the SOLS Internship Instructor as soon as possible to become fully prepared for their work experience. Students are required to work with the SOLS Internship Instructor and Career and Professional Development Services office in seeking related work experience.
Benefits to the student:
- To apply academic knowledge to real life work situation increasing skill level and demonstrating mastery of skills to future employers
- Gain practical experience in their field prior to graduation, enabling students to confidently compete with other qualified candidates after graduation
- Network with professional and future employers
- Be mentored by professionals and learn from the best
- Learn to work as a member of a team to achieve company or business goals
- Improve resume writing, job searching and interview skills
- Earn money to defray college expenses
What the student does:
- Work with the employer to determine number of hours worked
- The student will identify a preferred location for the internship. The student, with assistance from the SOLS Internship Instructor, will begin contacting potential employers.
- Enroll in respective course (BIO/HPS/MBB/MIC/PLB 484…Online Biological Science students will only be eligible to enroll in BIO 484)
- During the experience, the student will complete the following tasks through the online Canvas course (BIO/HPS/MBB/MIC/PLB 484):
- Application Form
- Initial Paperwork
- Work Variance Form* (if internship is at current place of enrollment, you’ll be required to have your internship include duties outside of your regular job description).
- Weekly Reflective Journals
- Resume Critique from Career and Professional Development Services
- Supervisor Interview
- Two Performance Reviews (midpoint and commencement)
- Final Portfolio
- All credits generated for an internship are based on the number of hours worked (1 credit = 45 hours; 6 credits maximum)
- Grades (A - E) are issued to the student once he/she has completed his/her assignment and has submitted all necessary paperwork.
Internship benefits for the employer:
- An intern can help fill peak work times or temporary positions
- An intern works as a member of the team to assist them with achieving goals.
- Employers can use internships experiences as a recruiting tool to hire and train prospective employees.
- Students will bring energy, innovation and enthusiasm to the work place.
What does the employer do?
- Provides a practical work experience for the student.
- Supervises and evaluates the work performance of the students.
- Twice during the experience (midpoint and commencement), the employer completes a written evaluation of the student’s performance and completes an exit interview with the student, letting him/her know what they did correctly and what they can improve on.
- Works with ASU to post available internship experiences or career employment opportunities.
SOLS internship instructor helps by:
- Postings of available internship experiences or career employment opportunities on Handshake and SOLS Internship webpage.
- Facilitating the registration process to ensure student and employer are a good match.
- Responding to questions from the student and employer.
- Working as a liaison between student, employer and faculty to create policies that maintain a quality program for all participants.
- Issuing a grade to the student once the student has completed necessary paperwork.
Questions? Contact ASU Online Internship Coordinator Ivy Esquibel or on-ground Internship Coordinator Christine Ditter.