“I have learned a lot from my internship. If you are focused at work, you can see many of the principles taught in our classes. The real world aspect of it is also really enlightening – everything from the economics of production, to what it takes to hold tolerances during production runs.”
– Michael Roberts, intern at Primary Weapons Systems
What is an internship?
- An arrangement between an organization and a student where service is exchanged for substantive experience.
- A good way for an individual to sample various industries, gain exposure to a variety of processes, work in a professional environment, and create professional networks.
- Interns gain exposure to many aspects of an industry they had not previously considered, creating more options for them in their career planning.
- Positions may be paid or unpaid and are generally of a fixed term.
- While not a given, many interns find employment with the companies where they intern due to the experience they gain.
How can I find an internship?
There are a variety of resources for finding internships both locally and nationally.
COEN resources
Companies and agencies interested in hiring engineering students often provide information to Leandra Aburusa, Coordinator of Student Support Services (ENGR 101).
MBE resources
Your professors and advisors may also learn about internships from their contacts with the engineering community. It’s a good idea to let us all know that you are interested in an internship, so that we can keep you in mind if something comes up.
Also, our student newsletters will include internships as we are made aware of them. If you are not currently enrolled, you can sign up to receive them. Subscribe to the MBE Student Newsletter.
Your employer
If you’ve already got an engineering-related job, you can usually arrange for an internship with your current employer. If that’s the case, look for new projects that will allow you to apply classroom knowledge to your job. Discuss the situation with your department internship coordinator to get approval.
Boise State Career Center
Check the Career Center website to see tips for finding or creating an internship. (https://career.boisestate.edu/students/internships/)
Internet sources
There are many sites that assist students to find internship placements. Some we can suggest are:
How do I apply?
Internship Application Process
Once you have obtained an internship and are ready to register for the internship course you must complete your application online
- Access the Internship Application for Academic Credit.
- Log in using your Boise State username and password.
- To create your application, hit the plus (+) sign next to Internship Application for Academic Credit on the left hand side of the page. Click on the option Create an Application
- Enter all required information (fields with * are required)
- Then hit SUBMIT (if you do not have all the information you can hit SAVE and come back to it at another time; remember it is not submitted until you hit SUBMIT)
- Once submitted, the application will be routed to the department internship coordinator for approval – he/she will get an email notification asking them to approve your internship
- Once approved by department internship coordinator, it will then be routed to your organization supervisor for approval via email
- Once approved by the organization supervisor, it will be routed via email to the Registrar’s Office and the approved internship course will be added to your class schedule in myBoiseState.
- PLEASE NOTE: You will not be registered for your internship course until your department internship coordinator and organization supervisor approve your internship application
Online Orientation Workshop
As part of doing an internship for academic credit, you are required to complete a very short online orientation workshop and quiz prior to beginning your internship. To complete the workshop and quiz the instructions are as follows:
- Access the Internship Application for Academic Credit.
- Log in using your Boise State username and password.
- On the left hand side you will see Internship Application for Academic Credit (+)
- Click on the + side
- Click on view online orientation workshop it’s a short YouTube video
- After completion of viewing the orientation video you will be prompted to take a quiz
- Complete 10 question quiz and submit, you may also print your quiz
Credit/Hours Required
Will my internships count towards my degree?
- Students may use a three-credit internship for either a Technical Elective or a Mechanical Engineering Elective.
- Only ME 493 can be used to satisfy a required elective.
- Students may take as many internships as they wish; however, only 3 credits will be counted as an elective towards completion of the BSME degree.
- No more than twelve (12) credits earned in internships 293 and 493 may be used to meet university graduation requirements.
How many hours of experience are required for three credits of internship?
- You can earn one semester credit for 45 hours of engineering work experience during the semester.
- A 3-credit internship requires 135 hours, averaging 9-10 hours per week of engineering work experience during a standard Fall or Spring semester.
- You may be able to work full time during vacations and during summer.
Final Report
What should I put in my final report?
The report should be a professional document, free of spelling and grammatical errors. It should contain the following elements:
- Description of the organization for whom you worked (How big is the company? What do they produce?)
- Description of your position within the organization (what was a typical day like?)
- Detailed description of one project you worked on (include drawings/charts/data if appropriate)
- Brief closing comments reflecting on your experience and how it reinforced your classroom learning (or not).
- A signature from your supervisor at work.
Reports vary in length, depending on the kind of project you describe, but they are typically 10 to 20 pages long (including cover material, charts, photographs, but not including appendices). Refer to the Internship Evaluation Rubric to be sure you address all of the evaluation points.
How do I get my internship grade?
Your internship grade is based upon your final report.
- All draft and final reports MUST be signed by your job supervisor before you submit them to us.
- Your final report is due to the internship coordinator by the last day of class unless otherwise notified.
- The rubric assesses the attainment of the learning objectives in the internship experience.
- The coordinator assigns a letter grade to the report, which constitutes the grade for ME 493 or ME 293.
- The report is graded based on the following rubric.
| Assessments | Criteria | Novice | Competent | Proficient | Effective Engineering |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Learning Objective (30 points) |
Clear Definition of Learning Objectives Are the current learning objectives clearly stated with specific expected outcomes for the results of the work? Are there at least three specific, independent objectives? Did the objectives change during the course of the work assignment? If so, why? |
2 | 6 | 10 | 14 |
| Organizational Alignment How do the defined learning objectives match the goals of the organization? There should be a clear link describing how the learning objectives are/were a value to the organization. |
2 | 4 | 6 | 8 | |
| Technical Level Did these learning objectives provide a suitably challenging learning experience for the intern? Were the new engineering skills at an appropriate level relative to the level of the intern? New areas of learning and how they built on existing classroom skills should be highlighted. |
2 | 4 | 6 | 8 | |
| Results (30 points) |
Method/Approach What was the approach used to accomplish the learning objectives? How were tasks planned to accomplish the goals? Where was information obtained and why was that source used? What tools (software, instrumentation, fabrication, tools, etc.) were used to accomplish the goals and how did the intern learn to use them? |
2 | 8 | 12 | 16 |
| Organizational Impact In totality, what was the overall impact of this work and learning on the assigned tasks/projects? Were any notable results or accomplishments highlighted or discussed? Will this work have a long-term impact on the organization? How? Why? |
2 | 6 | 10 | 14 | |
| Documentation (40 points) |
Document Formatting Is the document properly organized as a technical report and does it use proper grammar? Technical reports should contain specific sections including an Abstract all the way to a Discussion of Results and Conclusions. The report should be written in third person and minimal passive voice. There should be NO grammar/spelling errors. |
4 | 8 | 12 | 16 |
| Graphics Presentation Are the graphics in the report properly presented to the reader? Are there scale bars in photographic images? Are there proper captions? Is each figure referenced and discussed in the text of the document? Do the graphs have proper axis labeling? Are units properly noted? Are CAD drawings properly dimensioned? |
4 | 8 | 12 | 16 | |
| Referencing Sources Are all the sources of information referenced? These sources of information can include trade journals, textbooks, workshops as well as discussions with co-workers and mentors within the organization. Is each reference properly documented? |
2 | 4 | 6 | 8 |