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!
Click to Access Career Resources on Handshake
Research/Fellowships
There are many opportunities to work directly with faculty on research and projects outside the classroom. For many majors such as STEM, research can be just as important as an internship. We recommend reaching out to your academic department to see if there are research opportunities available within your department, but we also recommend exploring other research opportunities outside of your major. You never know what you might learn or who you will meet!
High Impact Experiences
Many Norwich students have participated in several extra-curricular and co-curricular experiences during their college career. Through these activities you can further develop your transferrable skills!
Study Abroad
Class Projects
Civic Engagement
Student Clubs & Organizations
Corps of Cadets
Athletics
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 CIC, 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 you in the organization’s culture and policies. Norwich students have the opportunity to attain 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 through the CareerLAB study away program in Washington DC.
Where Do I Start?
Know yourself:
- Explore companies or organizations that relate to your field of study.
- Speak to your academic advisor or Norwich’s Internship Coordinator.
- 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 (internship timeline).
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.
Earn Academic Credit Through Your Internship
There are 17 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.
- Secure an internship.
- Register for an internship course (see chart).
- Obtain employer’s email address, instructor’s emails address, and a written internship description from employer.
- Complete and sign a Release and Standards of Conduct Email signed copies to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. Find forms here.
- Apply for “Experiences” in Handshake (watch Experiences Tutorial)
- Attach a written internship description with the “New attachment” button.
- Go back to the Experiences overview and click the “Learning Objectives” tab. You must fill in at least one objective.
| Subject | Course # | Title | # of Credits |
| AC | 450 | Internship in Accounting | 3-6 |
| AP | 531 | Architectural Internship | 3-6 |
| BI | 450 | Internship in Biology | 3-6 |
| CJ | 405 | Internship in Criminal Justice | 3-12 |
| CS | 410 | Computing Internship | 3-18 |
| ED | 425 | Student Teaching | 12 |
| ES | 290 | Internship in Environment Science | 3-6 |
| GL | 290 | Internship in Geology | 3-6 |
| HI | 405 | History Internship | 3-12 |
| HUMA | 400 | Humanities Internship | 3-6 |
| MA | 419 | Internship in Mathematics | 3-6 |
| MG | 450 | Internship in Management | 3-6 |
| PE | 426 | Internship in Physical Education | 6-12 |
| PO | 403 | Political Science Internship | 3-15 |
| PY | 453 | Psychology Internship | 3-9 |
| HHP | 426 | Health and Human Performance Internship | 3-12 |
Earn Academic Credit Through CareerLab
CareerLAB offers NU students the opportunity to live, work, and study in Washington, D.C. in fully furnished, apartment-style housing for a semester. Students will further develop their professional skills and business acumen for future career success!
Under the supervision of a Norwich professor, all students will complete a 6-credit internship course at 20 hours per week during the 15-week semester. Students will round out their full-time coursework online through undergraduate classes or NU graduate school (CGCS) classes, and receive a food and twice per semester transportation stipend, making the tuition and living expenses “same as Norwich” (cost Neutral).
