Internships

According to the National Associate of Colleges & Employers (NACE), an internship is a form of experiential learning that integrates knowledge and theory learned in the classroom with practical application and skills development in a professional setting.

Finding an Internship

Searching for and obtaining an appropriate internship is highly valuable to the overall career development process. We encourage students to start the internship search early to help identify career interests and goals. Our office provides multiple online resources to help guide students through the internship search process.  

Handshake is the UCC’s robust career services platform. On top of providing a tool for scheduling appointments, registering for events, and browsing valuable resources, it also serves as a job and internship board.

How to find internship opportunities in Handshake:

  • Log into Handshake at utdallas.joinhandshake.com using your NetID and Password. 
  • From the top menu bar select Jobs > Internship > (Optional) Filter by Work Authorization, Industry, Major, Location, etc

Earn Academic Credit for Internships

Depending on your degree plan requirements, you may be eligible to receive academic credit for your internship opportunity. This varies by academic program, so please be sure to reach out to your Academic Advising team for any specific degree requirements. If you are interested in obtaining academic credit for an internship you must complete all University Career Center requirements listed below, before beginning the internship. Additionally, the internship employment period and internship course enrollment must be in the same semester.

Please note: You cannot earn retroactive academic credit for internship experiences.

Internship Requirements – University Career Center

In order to receive academic credit for your internship you must:

  • Be registered and currently enrolled in a UT Dallas academic, degree-seeking program with a declared major
  • Be in good academic standing (2.0 cumulative GPA for undergraduate students and 3.0 cumulative GPA for graduate students)
  • Have completed at least one semester at UT Dallas. In addition, undergraduate students must have a total of 24+ credit hours completed (including transfer hours) and graduate students must have a total of 6+ credit hours completed. You may begin the internship process if you anticipate being eligible the following semester
  • Meet any additional requirements or conditions imposed by your academic department or school

Transcript Notation

If you are not interested in obtaining academic credit for an internship, and/or you do not meet eligibility requirements, you may opt to receive transcript notation for your experience. Transcript notation is an official note by the Registrar on a UT Dallas transcript that shows an internship was completed. The employment period and transcript notation period must be in the same semester.

It is important to note, transcript notation is not available for international students.

If interested in receiving transcript notation for an internship experience you must still request an experience in Handshake. You will also be required to write a short reflection paper at the end of the semester. Once you submit your experience request in Handshake, you will receive further instructions from the University Career Center.

Please note: You cannot earn retroactive Transcript Notation for internship experiences.