Frequently Asked Questions

An internship is the position of a student or trainee who works in an organization, sometimes without pay, in order to gain work experience or satisfy requirements for a qualification. It is valuable on-the-job experience.

There are many things you can do to prepare for the internship experience. Add to your resume by working, create strong relationships with professors or professionals who will give you letters or recommendation, and gain soft skills. Soft skills are personal attributes that enable someone to interact effectively and harmoniously with other people, such as communication skills or work ethic. You can also visit University Career Services to improve your resume, explore career options, get help finding an internship, and practice your interview skills.

The process can be found here.

There are many different ways to find an internship:

• Start as early as you can, do research on the career fields that interest you, and "shop around" for an experience that fits your needs and interests.
• Check out this page with recurring opportunities.
• Search the Agencies and Internships Database (these are sites that have employed BYU interns in the past).
• Search internship listings on BYU Handshake.
• Search various online job boards, much like you would search for a job, using the word "internship".
• Get creative. If you want to be an intern in an organization that is not offering internships, propose your idea to that company.

Yes. Click here to explore options and read over the details.

To get funding for an internships:

• For information on Life Sciences Funded Internships, click here.
• Go to your Department office and ask to apply for Experiential Learning funds.
• If your experience is international, go to the BYU International Study Programs office in 237 HRCB (you must be enrolled in credit to qualify).
  
  • To receive college funding, you must first receive funding from your major department. The college will match the department funds up to the following amounts:
    
    • $200 domestic ($400 total max)
    • $300 Mexico/South America ($600 total max)
    • $400 Europe ($800 total max)
    • $550 Asia, Africa, Samoa ($1100 total max)

Once you have been notified that you will receive an internship travel grant, you must register for internship credit in your department.

• Next, you will print out the Grant Application Summary form (the link to the form is found in your approval email), sign it, and bring proof of internship registration to your major department. The department will forward these forms to the Dean’s Office Controller to issue the award.
• The funds will be deposited into your MyBYU account through My Financial Center. REMEMBER! The process to award you funds will not begin until you submit the signed form!
• The funds will first automatically pay any outstanding fees owed to BYU. Then you can bring the remaining amount (or all of it, if you had no fees) to your personal bank account by setting up a Student Refund account. If you do not set up a Student Refund account, a check will be mailed to the mailing address you have in MyBYU.

Interns must spend time developing programs for, managing, and/or educating clients. The internship is a capstone experience designed to give you real work experience while applying the theoretical concepts you have learned in your courses. Please see this page for more details.

You may complete an internship locally, out-of-state, or internationally.

The Academic Internship Office requires an Internship Registration and Management System application (IRAMS) to be completed every semester because of risk and liability. When you fill out the application, you have coverage for that particular semester. The Internship Master Agreement (IMA) also acts as a contract and is linked to you for that time period. It is used to keep records intact.

No. It is University policy that we cannot count retroactive credit. You must have an IRAMS form approved by the Internship Coordinator and the BYU Academic Internship Office before you may begin to count hours. However, if your internship is approved before the semester begins, you may start counting hours before the semester starts.

Yes. The internship experience includes an online Canvas course. You will receive a letter grade for your internship.

EXSC 399R is a 100% online Canvas class that is not like any other lecture-based class. You will have assignments such as weekly reflections, a midterm evaluation, and a paper.

You may receive credit for up to 9 credit hours of internship experience (that is 378 working hours because 1 credit hour = 42 working hours). However, Exercise and Wellness students are only required to complete 4 credit hours for graduation (168 working hours). When you register for the class, you will be able to select how many credit hours you are signing up for.

No. Feel free to break up your 4 credits (or 168 hours) at different internship sites and during different semesters. However, you will need to fill out an IRAMS application for each new semester. Please contact the financial aid office if you have questions about internship tuition.

You may complete an internship at any point during your time at BYU. It may be wise to complete a smaller and more general internship during your freshman or sophomore year and a longer and more specific internship during your junior or senior year. Please be aware that some internship sites only employ juniors or seniors.

Technically, it is the discontinuance deadline for that particular semester. While we encourage you to start at the beginning of a semester when possible (because of Canvas assignment requirements), if you were unable to find an internship until later in the semester, we can work with you. Please contact the internship coordinator.

The Internship Coordinator and TA are here to help you. Because of a high volume of students, we encourage you to read the information on our website before you schedule a one-on-one appointment.

Yes. Internship course credits are counted the same as any other credits you would take at BYU. Please contact the Financial Aid Office if you have any other questions about tuition.

It depends on your job responsibilities. You must also have a Site Supervisor who acts as your mentor and that can give feedback on your performance. Contact the Internship Coordinator to see if your job can be used for your internship. You will need to have an IRAMS application approved before you may begin counting hours. We cannot give retroactive credit.

Yes, but it depends on your internship provider. Some experiences are paid and some are not.

When you fill out your IRAMS application, fill out all the information for the first internship site. Next, find the small black plus sign above the “Internship Provider” box. If you hover over the plus sign, it says “Add New”. Use this second section to fill out the information about the second internship site.

A degree in Exercise Science or Exercise and Wellness is not necessarily a professional degree, meaning that it does not lead directly to a profession in a defined occupational field upon graduation. This degree can be a stepping stone, a means to pursuing a “professional” healthcare degree after college. However, there are certain career paths, such as a personal trainer or health coach, that can stem from this degree. While higher education is not required for some of these positions, getting a degree will greatly strengthen your resume and possibly help you secure more advanced positions and higher pay. Please see this page for details on various potential careers.

How to get interns at your site:

• Advertise your opportunity to students (please see questions below for more details).
• Interview and select students.
• Fill out an Internship Master Agreement and send it to internship@byu.edu (unless one already exists - you can check here).
• Meet with the student(s) to discuss learning outcomes/assignments.

Our expectations for Site Supervisors/Agencies:

• Assign a Site Supervisor that will mentor, instruct, and supervise the intern on a regular basis throughout their entire internship. It is mandatory that students are mentored and guided in an internship. Interns are not expected to replace paid employees.
• Meet initially with students to determine individual interests and needs. Design the internship to meet those needs and expectations, while meeting the needs of your organization/site.
• Orient the intern concerning the broad operation of your agency.
• Discuss the learning outcomes, duties and skills that can be expected at the completion of the internship.
• Fill out and sign the mutual obligations listed on the BYU Academic Internship Master Agreement. Please send the completed contract to internship@byu.edu or to BYU Internship Office at 5435 HBLL Provo, UT.
  
  • You can check to see if we already have an agreement on file here.

It depends. Mentoring an intern definitely takes time. However, it is highly rewarding. We expect our Site Supervisors to work with the interns, teaching and mentoring them, and providing feedback on their progress.

We can send out internship opportunities to students through email, by posting them on this page, and by displaying them on our bulletin boards. Please send advertisements or flyers to mandy_christensen@byu.edu.

Please send us flyers to mandy_christensen@byu.edu as often as you need interns and we will advertise these opportunities. Feel free to reach out to us and we can discuss your individual needs.

Our expectations for student interns:

• Interns must have direct, on-site mentoring by a seasoned professional in the field.
• Interns must spend time developing programs for, managing and/or educating clients.
• An internship is to be treated as a professional work experience. The student is responsible to their Site Supervisor just as an employee is to an employer.
• The student intern is expected to follow the BYU Honor Code and be professional in dress and behavior.
• Students are responsible to complete all assignments and turn them in on time.

Whether or not you pay interns is entirely up to you. However, interns are not expected to replace paid employees. We encourage able sites to pay interns. Unpaid internships must comply with the U.S. Fair Labor Standards ACT (FLSA).

For a major in Exercise and Wellness, our interns are required to complete 4 credits (168 working hours) for graduation. However, they may break that up between different semesters and different sites. Please talk with your intern about their expectations.

From the Internship Master Agreement: “To the extent allowed under state and/or federal law, neither the Experience Provider nor BYU is required to provider worker’s compensation coverage for my participating in this educational experience.”

Please click here.