Internship Requirement

All students receiving a BS degree from the Industrial Management Department are required to complete an internship prior to graduation. Students are encourage to complete multiple high quality internships but are only required to receive academic credit for the internship completed before their senior year.

Internship Experience

The internship should provide the student with a meaningful exposure to industry. Because companies have different intern expectations and roles for interns IDM does not dictate what the intern does but typically disallows internships that are purely craft labor or production line labor in nature. An exposure to a number of varying experiences such as estimating, project scheduling, procurement, contract administration, etc. are preferred but not required.

Intern Expectations

Interns are expected to work a minimum of 200 hours to complete the internship requirements. Students will submit weekly reports, several monthly reports, a research paper, and a final report. The monthly reports and the final paper require an employer’s signature. When possible a representative from IDM will visit the intern on the job.

Employer Expectations

Employers are expected to provide a meaningful educational experience. This experience is typically paid but unpaid internships are acceptable. The employer agrees to employ the student over a predetermined time and pay rate and agrees to expose students to areas as determined by the individual internship agreement. At the conclusion of the internship the employer has no further obligation to the student.

Employer Benefits

New full-time employees are a major investment when you consider the cost of salary, training, and benefits. When a full-time employee does not work out it costs the employer time and money. Interns are a low-cost way to try a potential employee out without a significant investment. When students are in high demand, which is the case with IDM majors, internships assist in getting the best graduates as full-time employees.

More Information

To submit a intern or full-time position contact Shawn Strong by email or 417-836-5121. Sending an electronic copy of a position announcement to the department will result in the description being sent to all interested students and the Career Center. The resume book link to the left lists student looking for internships and full-time positions.