Internships & Study Abroad

As a metropolitan university, UNO maintains close ties with Omaha's businesses and nonprofit organizations - places where student interns gain practical, hands-on experience in their fields of study. An internship is defined as any approved and carefully monitored work or service experience in which the student pursues intentional learning goals and reflects actively on what he or she learns through the experience. These learning goals may include:

• Academic learning: Students apply knowledge learned in the classroom to the workplace.
• Career development: Students gain knowledge of the qualifications and duties of professional positions and can explore their interest in a field.
• Skill development: Students gain an understanding of the skills and knowledge required in the workplace.
• Personal development: Students gain decision-making skills, critical-thinking skills, and increased confidence and self-esteem.

Internships vary in duration, may be part-time or full-time, can take place in any approved work or service setting, and may be paid or unpaid. They may be part of an approved educational program, carefully monitored and evaluated for academic credit. Or they may be part of a learning plan that the intern develops without academic credit. The important element that distinguishes an internship from a short-term job or community service is the "intentional learning agenda" that the intern brings to the experience.

In many cases, internships offered through International Studies & Programs offer a domestic alternative to studying abroad. Or internships can compliment overseas experiences or language ability. International Studies majors should include work completed for an internship course in their personal professional portfolio.

To explore your options for becoming an intern or to propose a new internship, Meet Your Advisor.

While studying abroad is not required for all INST majors, it is the most effective way to gain intercultural experience and foreign language skills. Students can study overseas for a short-term, one-week experience, or they can choose to stay at a foreign insitution for a semester or even an academic year. You can travel with peers from UNO in a faculty-led group, or you can immerse yourself in a different culture all by yourself. UNO offers study abroad options that apply to almost any degree program, including the International Studies Major. To learn more about programs that would work for you, check out Study Abroad.