| Internships | Cooperative Education | Externships |
| Career-related work experiences that usually last one semester but may last longer. | Formal program where students are placed in a Structured and supervised academic work programs lasting for multiple semesters. | Job shadowing experiences usually last for a few days to several weeks. |
| Students may choose to receive academic credit. | Earn one credit hour for each term worked. (Engineering Students through departments; other majors through CRC.) | No academic credit is earned. |
| May be paid or unpaid. | Always paid. | Unpaid |
| All students are eligible to participate in the Internship Program, although some companies may have their own requirements. | Students who have completed 30 semester hours prior to their first work assignment are eligible to participate in Cooperative Education. | Great for students of any academic year who are unsure of their major or career goals. |
| Part-time (10-20 hours per week) or full-time (35-40 hours per week | Full-time | Generally, it is following a professional throughout their day, a mini project or assignment. |
You may be interested in gaining experience in a particular setting, but there is no formal "internship program." It is acceptable to approach the supervisor or manager of a department within an organization to see if they would be willing to have you as an intern. However, before you contact the organization, have a plan. Consider the following:
- Would you like it to be paid, unpaid or for academic credit? If paid, what are you willing to accept?
- How many hours are you willing to work and for how long?
- What skills do you bring to the table and what experiences are you hoping to gain?
