Centre student interning with a veterinarian

Internships

Internships provide significant experiences that can make a difference to graduates in their job search and give confidence in their career choices.

Centre student interning with a physical therapist

Internships provide hands-on experiential learning opportunities where students apply classroom knowledge and theory to real-life situations, developing skills in a professional setting. During the internship, students complete an academic project and work on other projects as requested by the sponsor and faculty advisor. At the end of the term, students give a presentation about their work and complete an evaluation of the internship experience. Students can participate in an academic-credit internship during all terms including the short CentreTerm in January as well as during the summer. They may also participate in a non-credit internship during the summer.

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Know More About Internships

A meaningful internship is a partnership between Centre College and a host employer, collaboratively defined and guided by the student, a faculty internship mentor (if the student is receiving credit), and an on-site supervisor from the host employer. To ensure that an experience is educational and thus eligible to be considered a legitimate internship, all the following criteria must be met:

  • The experience must be an extension of the classroom: a learning experience that provides for applying the knowledge gained through the classroom. It must not be simply to advance the operations of the host employer or be the work that a regular employee would routinely perform.
  • The skills or knowledge learned must be transferable to other employment settings.
  • The experience has a defined beginning and end, and a job description with desired qualifications.
  • There are clearly developed learning objectives/goals related to the professional goals of the student’s academic coursework.
  • There is supervision by a professional with expertise and educational and/or professional background in the field of the experience.
  • There is routine feedback by the experienced on-site supervisor.
  • There are resources, equipment, and facilities provided by the host employer that support learning objectives/goals.
  • The chance to apply knowledge from class in real-life situations

  • The opportunity to “test drive” a possible career and find out if it suits you

  • Professional contacts who often prove helpful when you’re searching for a job after graduation

  • Relevant job experience and an enhanced resume, making you more marketable to employers

  • Possible academic credit on your transcript

Setting up an internship at Centre is simple. Students pursue academic internships during their sophomore, junior, or senior year and may participate in non-credit internships at any point in their time at Centre. If participating in a credit internship, they choose a faculty advisor and, with the help of the Center for Career & Professional Development (CCPD), find and apply to an internship site. Together, the student, the faculty advisor, and the intern sponsor set expectations for the internship.

Learn more from CCPD

Here’s a sampling of organizations where Centre students have recently completed internships:
  • American Heart Association
  • American History Museum
  • Brown-Forman Shanghai
  • Center for Disease Control
  • Central Baptist Hospital
  • Cincinnati Curatorial Arts Center
  • Cincinnati Zoo
  • Commonwealth Economics
  • C-SPAN
  • Hilliard Lyons
  • Johns Hopkins University
  • Neuroscience & TMS Treatment Centers
  • Northwestern Mutual
  • Parliament of the United Kingdom
  • Prague Summer Nights Music Festival
  • Smithsonian Institute
  • The Committee for Human Rights in North Korea
  • University of Kentucky Center of Drug and Alcohol Research
  • U.S. Department of State
  • U.S. Congress – Oversight and Reform Committee
  • U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
  • Vanderbilt University Medical Center
  • Vermont Law School Institute for Energy and the Environment

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