High-quality internships foster student development by bringing theories and classroom-based learning to life in real-world settings. Furthermore, internships give students the opportunity to explore careers related to their major, gain relevant experience in their field(s) of interest, and develop a better understanding of what is expected in a workplace by performing the tasks of a professional.
Students in the School of Human Ecology are required to complete an internship as part of their degree requirements. This means that the student will work in an internship, while simultaneously taking a 3-credit internship course.
Read on for more information about the internship-for-credit criteria and process.
Searching for an Internship
Looking to develop an internship search strategy? Use this worksheet to plan out your strategy and search plan, and check out our Job & Internship Search Resources page to start the process.
Students must:
- Be enrolled in one of the six SoHE majors.
- Have at least junior standing (54 credits completed prior to the internship).
- Have completed the prerequisite course, INTER-HE 202, and additional coursework identified below if applicable.
- Community & Organizational Development: N/A
- Consumer Behavior & Marketplace Studies: Cnsr Sci 257
- Human Development & Family Studies: N/A
- Interior Architecture: DS 322
- Personal Finance: Cnsr Sci 275
- Textiles & Fashion Design: N/A
- Design, Innovation & Society: N/A
- Work a minimum of 150 hours for the internship site.
- Have an on-site supervisor that is not a relative.
- Develop and complete an independent project.
Internships must:
- Directly relate to the major.
- Provide a clear and detailed job description.
- Emphasize training, learning, and development.
- Not include more than 25% solicitation or prospecting, sales associate duties or cashiering, or clerical/reception duties.
- Occur while student is enrolled in the internship course.
- If the internship is during the fall or spring, it will last at least 12 weeks during the 15-week semester.
- If the internship is during the summer, it will last at least 6 weeks during the 8-week semester.
SoHE Internship Checklist
Are you ready to start preparing for your experience?
Click here to download the SoHE Internship Checklist
Steps
- Meet with your Career Advisor to develop an internship search plan about 6 months before you plan on completing the internship.
- Review and fill out the SoHE Internship Checklist.
- Apply, interview, get hired.
- Once hired, complete the internship verification form no later than 1 week before the semester begins. If you need an extension, please reach out to careers@sohe.wisc.edu. There are no guarantees that an extension will be approved.
- The form will take about 10 minutes to fill out. You will need to upload your offer letter and job description. You will also need to provide your supervisor’s name, title, phone number and email address.
- Notify your supervisor that they will receive an email to verify your internship and sign the expectations form.
- Once you submit the verification form, your supervisor will be emailed a form to get their approval as the supervisor of your experience. It is imperative that this step is completed in a timely manner. Otherwise, your approval process will be delayed.
- Once we receive that form, we will begin to review your internship verification form submission.
- Once your internship experience is approved by the Advising and Career Center (ACC), it will be sent to SoHE Enrollment for processing. You will be unable to enroll in the course until SoHE Enrollment provides emailed instructions.
- SoHE Enrollment will email you with instructions on how to enroll in the internship course for your major (3 credits).
- To check the status of your Internship Verification Form, visit the Status Checker.
- Statuses:
- In progress: The ACC is still reviewing your internship for creditworthiness.
- On hold: The ACC has approved your internship. SoHE Enrollment is completing steps to send you the enrollment email.
- Complete: Your internship has been approved and the SoHE Enrollment email has been sent. You should enroll in the course if you have not already before the first day of class.
- Statuses:
Is your SoHE Internship Checklist Complete? If so, fill out the Internship Verification Form linked below.
Internships abroad
- All in-person internships abroad must be vetted through the UW-Madison International Academic Programs office. There are a few different paths for interning abroad and earning credit: Study Abroad Programs, UW Signature Internships, and External & Fee-Based Internships.
- UW-Madison students completing an internship and taking an internship course as part of their Study Abroad Program, should request the course to count as International Studies 523 (IS 523) when submitting Course Equivalency Requests in your MyStudyAbroad portal.
- UW-Madison students participating in a UW Signature Internship will be automatically enrolled in the Worldwide Internship Program (WIP) 3-credit International Studies 523 (IS 523) course.
- UW-Madison students who have found their own internship outside the U.S. (aka. External & fee-based internships) and would like to earn credit for the experience can apply for WIP credit.
- Once International Studies 523 is visible on your UW-Madison record, alert your Academic Advisor and they will substitute IS 523 in for the required internship in your major.
- If the internship is virtual with an organization abroad (and you’ll remain in the United States), you will take your internship for credit with SoHE. Complete SoHE’s Internship Verification Form after you’ve accepted an offer for internship approval and permission to enroll in the course.
- International Students, please connect with your career advisor and International Student Services (ISS) to explore this. Different regulations may apply due to your student visa.
Frequently Asked Questions
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Does the experience need to be called an internship to be considered for credit?
No. We focus primarily on the role/duties and the training provided when reviewing experiences for approval.
Am I taking an actual course?
Yes. Students with approved internships must enroll in the appropriate 3-credit internship course and complete assignments while engaged in the internship. A letter grade is assigned upon completion of coursework and required internship site hours. Students must commit to the full course duration regardless of the internship duration.
When can I take the internship course?
Internship courses are offered in fall, spring, and summer. Students must have completed at least 54 credits to qualify for the internship course.
How many credits is the internship course?
The internship course is always worth 3-credit hours.
Can I do more than one internship for credit?
Yes. Students can take the internship course in their major up to 2 times, assuming the second internship meets the criteria and is a distinctly different experience than the first.
We encourage students to complete multiple internships, but only one (1) needs to be taken for credit.
When is the deadline to apply for credit?
Students must submit the internship verification form no later than 1 week prior to the start of the term in which they enroll in the internship course. Please see official term dates and deadlines on the Office of the Registrar’s website. Internships do not need to be secured by a student’s class registration date since the courses are permission only.
If you need an extension on the internship verification form, please reach out to careers@sohe.wisc.edu. Please note that there is no guarantee that an extension will be granted.
Do I have to pay tuition for the internship course?
Yes. During the academic year, students will see no cost difference if enrolled in 12-18 credits. During the summer term, students pay for 3 credits, but there are many scholarship opportunities available. Tuition rates can be found here and information on scholarships can be found on our Scholarships page.
Can I do a virtual internship for credit?
Yes! Virtual or remote internships are a great way to practice what you’re learning in the classroom and build professional skills. To ensure a quality experience in the virtual environment, we will ask additional questions about supervision, communication, and feedback in your internship verification form.
Check out our Virtual Internships Resource Guide for more tips to succeed in the virtual/remote environment.
Can I get paid for my internship?
Absolutely! Students may take an internship-for-credit and get compensated. While a paid internship is not required, we encourage students to seek out opportunities where they will be fairly compensated for their time and contributions. Take a look at the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE) Unpaid is Unfair campaign.
If you have an internship that is uncompensated or uncompensated (or are considering one), please take advantage of our SoHE Internship Scholarships (available year round) or chat with your career advisor.
I am an international student. What do I need to consider as I plan for my internship experience?
Check out our International Student Internship Guide!
This guide is intended to help international students through the required internship process for the School of Human Ecology. The timeline in the guide is a general outline of the steps involved and when to do them. Please note that this timeline is just a framework to help you start to think about internships. Your individual internship search process may vary depending on the types of internships you look for and when you begin the process
Internship Sites Around the World
Map symbol key:
Personal Finance
Interior Architecture
Human Development & Family Studies
Cnsr Behavior & Marketplace Studies
Community & Organizational Development
Textiles & Fashion Design
Students at the School of Human Ecology participate in internships around the world. This map showcases the internship sites students have interned at over the past few years. To learn more about the internship sites and employers, expand the map in the upper right hand corner and filter by your major!
View a Google Sheet of the internship experiences.
Internship Success Stories
We are proud to feature many successful student internships in the School of Human Ecology. Every summer we highlight student internships during the National Intern Day campaign, typically held on the fourth Thursday during the month of July.
Would you like your internship experience to be featured during the next National Intern Day? If so, fill out this form to share your story!
Lindsey’s advice for obtaining an internships is, “Meet with your career advisor to have a conversation about your plans before trying to carry them out. Your career advisor is there to support you, help you, and guide you through this journey. You do not have to do this alone, nor should you!”
Lily’s advice for how to be successful in an internship is, “Talk to and meet as many people as you can, no matter what your job is! You never know what new connections you will make. I have connected with so many people and have built so many new relationships because of my experience at Capitol Bank.”
Falcon’s advice for obtaining an internships is, “Think about your current network! I have been passionate about 776BC’s apparel for a few years and reached out to see if they could use my help. Luckily, they agreed and created an internship opportunity for me!”
Gabby’s advice for obtaining an internship is, “Always keep your LinkedIn updated and check it frequently! You never know if someone will reach out to you or if you’ll see a job posting that calls to you. Another piece of advice would be to just go for it. It doesn’t hurt to apply. This intern position actually was asking originally for engineers, but I decided to apply anyways and throughout the interview process they told me they were actually happy that I wasn’t an engineer and had different experience.”
Jameson’s advice for obtaining an internship is, “I would say the best advice to fellow students looking for an internship is to truly work with the connections you have. Networking can open so many doors for you!”
Grace’s advice for obtaining an internships is, “Never be afraid to be the first one to reach out! You might be the only one who takes that step!”