Why an Internship

Employers often look for skills and experiences in students beyond those you get from coursework or in campus research labs. By far the best way to accumulate such skills, to build your resume and make useful professional contacts is get an internship position.

There are many different kinds of internship opportunities, in research, in writing, in science policy and so on. All are rewarding, but they do require a time commitment and so you would need to make a plan and schedule accordingly. There are part-time, full-time, full-year, and summer only internships available. Some opportunities are in Arizona, others are throughout the United States.

Students are encouraged to explore internship opportunities, the search for a rewarding career begins as early as the end of your freshman year!

Internship Types

Internships can be paid, usually in larger companies or government agencies, or they can be unpaid. Although paid internships are obviously preferred, an unpaid position can still be a valuable for your career development, depending upon your financial situation and career goals.

It is possible to gain course credit (e.g, CHM 484/BCH 484) for some internships. In general, course credit is not offered to students who are already employed by the company. You can also earn credit for paid internships!

For more information on earning CHM 484 or BCH 484 credit for an internship, contact SMSadvising@asu.edu.

Applying

ASU’s Career and Professional Development Services unit has a number of tools that can help you prepare a competitive application: https://career.asu.edu/channels/internships/

If you prepare your application materials and for your interview as if you were preparing for an exam, you will have a much better chance of landing the job. https://career.asu.edu/channels/resume-application-materials/

Links

Internships in Industry, Non-profit Organization, and State Agencies

• Handshake
• Pre-Health Internship Program
• American Chemical Society
• Institute for Broadening Participation Resources for Students

Interships Offered by Arizona Employers

• Helios Scholars at TGEN
• Center for Innovation at the Mayo Clinic
• Barrow Neurological Institute

Government Sponsored Summer Internships

• The Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education (ORISE)
• NSF Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) program
• FBI Honors Internship Program
• NIH Summer Internship Program in Biomedical Research
• DOE Science Undergraduate Internships (SULI)
• NASA Internships
• Pacific Northwest National Lab (PNNL) Internships

A complete listing of research opportunities can be found on the Gateway to Federal Opportunities for Undergraduate Students.