The Internship Program in the Applied Learning Center places students in professional work environments related to their academic major or minor. The purpose of an internship is to integrate academic training with actual work experience. This combination allows students to relate their coursework to a job setting, to make realistic career decisions, to gain valuable work experience, to obtain recommendations for graduate school, and sometimes to earn money to help defray college expenses.
Students work in large corporations, small businesses, and government and nonprofit agencies throughout the Denver metropolitan area. Most internships are part-time, allowing students to simultaneously attend school. Some internships are paid by the employers, but, in many fields, volunteer placements are offered to help students gain essential work experience. Academic credit may be offered for either paid or unpaid internships, depending on departmental policy.
Internship placements are available in most academic majors and minors. To be eligible for registration in the Internship Program, students must have:
- completed at least 30 semester hours of college coursework,
- completed at least one full semester at MSU Denver,
- maintained a cumulative GPA of 2.5 or greater, and
- declared a major.
No fees are charged to the student or employer for participation in the program, and each student’s interests and job requirements are discussed with a professional coordinator.
MSU Denver may award academic credit for supervised internship placements. The student must complete an Application for Academic Credit, available from the Applied Learning Center, and obtain approval by the department in which credit will be granted. The student is responsible for paying for the academic credits. No more than 15 semester hours of internship credit will be applied toward MSU Denver degree requirements, and internship credit is not applicable toward General Studies requirements. Additional departmental restrictions and prerequisites may apply to certain majors.
Call or visit the Applied Learning Center at 303-556-3290, 1045 Ninth Street Park on the Auraria Campus, or visit msudenver.edu/internship.
