Internships

Before you begin your search, consider the following questions:

1. What experience and/or skills do you need to develop now to be competitive in your future career? Which internships will provide those skills/experiences?

2. Do you prefer to leave town for your internship or do you want to stay local?

3. Would you rather work as a full-time intern (40 hours a week) and not take classes or work part-time and take classes at the same time?

4. Can you afford to do an unpaid internship?

Why should I participate?

• Completing an internship makes you a more marketable candidate, with some interns receiving full-time offers upon graduating.
• Enrolling in the Internship Program lets you maintain your student status, which means you can keep your financial aid/scholarship eligibility and private health insurance even if you’re not taking classes.

Who can join?

Minimum Requirements

• Currently enrolled and/or fully admitted to the university
• Minimum G.P.A.: Undergraduate students: 2.0- Graduate students: 3.0

What qualifies as an internship?

• Position can be part-time, full-time, or volunteer
• Minimum of 120 working hours per semester
• Includes professionally developmental activities, such as public speaking, problem solving, etc.

*Internship cannot take place in a country under a current State Department
travel warning without university approval; to check country status please visit http://travel.state.gov/content/passports/english/alertswarnings.html

Will I get academic credit?

No. The Internship Program is a no-charge, no-credit course. Students receive a transcript notation to keep student status. Academic credit internships are handled directly through your department.

Who hires UTEP interns?

Top Employers for 2015-2016 school year:
1. El Paso Electric Company
2. AT&T
3. ADP
4. Disney
5. NASA
6. GECU
7. City of El Paso
8. El Paso Community College
9. Army Brigade Modernization Command
10. TX A&M Agrilife

Contact Us

University Career Center
103 Union West
(915)747-5640
internships@utep.edu

If you are an international student, you may need to complete a few additional steps to be enrolled in the Internship Program. If you are not sure whether these apply to you, please visit the Office of International Programs (OIP) at 203 Union East or contact them at (915) 747-5664.

REMEMBER: You cannot work until the OIP has approved your Curricular Practical Training (CPT).

Instructions

1. Attend a CPT workshop (the schedule of workshops is available here). If you have already attended within the last year, pick up your CPT form from the OIP.
2. Add your internship in Job Mine (see the tab “Put it on your transcript” for instructions on adding it in Job Mine).
3. Complete the CPT Checklist. If the OIP approves your request, you will be enrolled in the Internship Program.

The Career Center may be able to add your internship to your transcript if you report it through Job Mine.

Scan/save your offer letter or offer email to PDF format. We cannot approve your internship without a job offer letter. If you don't have a formal offer, you can ask your supervisor to write an email that includes your name, the organization, your title, start/end dates, and pay.

Go to www.utep.edu/careers

1. Click on Student/Alum Login
2. Login to your account (or activate it if you haven’t already)
3. On the left, click “Internship/Co-op Records”
4. Below that, click “My Internship/Co-op Records”
5. In the upper right corner, click on “+Internship/Co-op”
6. Select the appropriate semester
7. Complete the required information and upload the letter
8. Our office will review the record and get in touch if we have questions
9. If the opportunity qualifies, it will appear on your transcript as COOP 0001 or 0002

What kind of opportunities qualify?

-Your internship or part-time job needs to be professionally developmental and span at least 120 hours per semester (about 8 hours a week). Also, you need to have at least a 2.0 GPA (3.0 for graduate students) and must be currently enrolled.