Gaining hands-on experience is one of the most valuable things you can do to build skills and knowledge in a particular area of interest. Whether the experience is paid or unpaid, inside or outside the classroom, it is all valuable experience!

All of these high-impact opportunities help you develop transferrable skills employers seek such as, work ethic, verbal and written communication, attention for detail, critical thinking, and time management among many others! 

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Internships

Would you buy a new pair of jeans without trying them on? Like clothing, internships can be a great way to try it before you buy it. Learning more about the day-to-day work tasks and the company culture can help you and the employer determine if it is the right fit for future employment! There are a variety of ways you can get an internship. Whether through a family friend, fellow student, alum or through the CCR, gaining hands-on experience is invaluable.

At Norwich, every intern is exposed to all aspects of the hiring process, from job search, resume and cover letter creation, to interviewing and orientation. Once students are hired, internships are structured to immerse them in the organization’s culture and policies. Norwich students have the opportunity to obtain workplace experience that mimics expectations and consequences of the real world. Internships can be paid or unpaid; for credit or not for credit. These experiences can be done here in Vermont or near your home during the summer.


Where Do I Start?

Know yourself:

  • Review our NU Internship Guidelines (linked below)
  • Speak with your academic advisor or the CCR’s Associate Director for Academic Internships.
  • Explore companies or organizations that relate to your field of study.
  • Ask yourself, what are the specific goals you would like to gain from an internship, e.g. “I want to see how a marketing plan develops from beginning to end.”

Create an action plan:

  • Create a list of target companies that match your interests, skills, and values.
  • Research organizations and their available career opportunities.
  • Set, track, and meet short-term goals, urgent deadlines, and small milestones.

Tap into your network:

  • Use social media, such as LinkedIn, to reach out to Norwich alumni, family, and friends. 
  • Set up informational interviews or job-shadowing experiences to make connections within your field of study.

View our NU Internship Guidelines here 

Internship Access Scholarship

The NU Center for Career Readiness (CCR) is aware of the various barriers that students often face in regard to internships including housing, transportation, family challenges, or more commonly, unpaid or underpaid experiences. The CCR is pleased to announce that we will be offering three (3) $1000 scholarships to make internships more accessible to students during the summer of 2024.

  • You must have secured an internship, accepted it, and committed to it. 
  • You must submit a resume as part of your application process. 
  • Your internship requires a minimum time commitment of at least 200 hours. 
  • You must be in good academic and judicial standing. 
  • You cannot be a graduating senior or planning to transfer the following semester. 
  • You must submit a one-page post-reflection essay. 
  • International students must submit a CPT application to the International Center and enroll in a summer internship course. 

Awardee Responsibilities

Once the internship is complete, all scholarship awardees will submit a written reflection addressing how the internship helped them grow and how it affected their career trajectory. If possible, interns are asked to include a photo with their reflection. Sharing your experience can help future students decide if an internship is a good fit for them.  

How will applications be evaluated and who will evaluate them?

Your application will be evaluated by the CIC Team, who will make award determinations on May 1, 2024. 

  • Due to the anticipated volume of applications, incomplete applications, or those where the applicant did not follow instructions, will not be considered
  • Funding awards will be distributed via direct deposit through the Accounts Payable Office. You must set up your direct deposit when applying for funding. Otherwise, any funding awarded to you will be delayed.

There will be a mandatory pre-departure meeting for all scholarship recipients to be held in early May (date and location TBD). 

How to Apply 

  • Complete an application form through Handshake Experiences and attach your resume. Under “Experiences Template,” choose the 2024 Summer Internship Scholarship from the drop-down menu. You will be given space within the form to write your essay response. 

Required Essay (prompt) 

Barriers to internships can come in many forms. Common ones include housing, transportation, parking fees, clothing expenses, underpaid (less than $3000 for the summer), and unpaid internships. Tell us what barriers stand in the way of completing your summer internship and specifically how you would use a $1000 scholarship. 

Earn Academic Credit Through Your Internship

There are 16 internship courses at Norwich University. For most students, internship courses count as elective credit within their major, but a few departments require that students complete an internship in order to graduate (check with your advisor). Students who receive credit for their internships are assigned a faculty supervisor who determines additional academic content that they will be required to fulfill (e.g., keeping a journal, writing a manuscript, preparing an oral presentation, doing further research, etc.). In addition, credit-bearing internships require ongoing monitoring and supervision by a faculty supervisor. All interns will also have a site supervisor who is assigned by the intern’s employer.

  1. Secure an internship.
  2. Register for an internship course (see chart).
  3. Obtain employer’s email address, instructor’s emails address, and a written internship description from employer.
  4. Complete and sign release and standards of conduct forms.
  5. Apply for “Experiences” in Handshake.

View our Internship Course guide here

Internship

SubjectCourse #Title# of Credits
AC450Internship in Accounting3-6
AP531Architectural Internship3-6
BI450Internship in Biology3-6
CJ405Internship in Criminal Justice3-12
CS410Computing Internship3-18
ED425Student Teaching12
ES290Internship in Environment Science3-6
GL290Internship in Geology3-6
HI405History Internship3-12
HUMA400Humanities Internship3-6
MA419Internship in Mathematics3-6
MG450Internship in Management3-6
PE426Internship in Physical Education6-12
PO403Political Science Internship3-15
PY453Psychology Internship3-9
HHP426Health and Human Performance Internship3-12

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