FAQs

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  • Unless you are an International Studies major with a focus in Travel and Tourism, the internship course is not required. We do, however, encourage all International Studies majors to do one. Not only will the internship credit be substituted for requirements in the IS core and/or focus in most cases, but completing an internship provides you with the opportunity to test-drive a career path and to gain valuable experience and skills in the process that will make you more competitive and marketable in today's job search. 

    In addition to learning hard skills, internships also help build soft skills needed to interact in a professional setting. You will hone your communication and interpersonal skills and further understand organization/company culture. Many employers now expect students to have engaged in some sort of career-related work before graduation. The internship experience is ready-made for doing just that.

  • The undergraduate internship, IS 4687, earns six semester hours of credit; IS 4387 earns three semester hours of credit.

    The graduate internship, IS 5387, earns three semester hours of credit.

  • We make every effort to recruit agencies and businesses that offer paid internships and we do encourage students to recognize their valuable skills and seek compensation for time spent working for their internship employer. At the present time, however, most of our interns have completed unpaid internships. 

  • You are responsible for securing your own internship, but we're here to help! Check out where students have interned before to get your gears turning and contact us if you need any help. 

  • The Center for International Studies does not place students in internships. However, we are here to help and guide you through the process. Check out our sortable internship database to get your gears turning and contact us if you need any additional help! 

  • Applications from eligible students are normally accepted the semester before the internship takes place. As an undergraduate student, you should have completed at least 60 hours of course work before making the application and your Texas State GPA needs to be at least a 2.75. We recommend doing an internship in your last semester or second-to-last semester to increase your hiring chances. We recommend taking an internship early if you're not sure about a field and you want to try it our before devoting further efforts to it. 

    Graduate students should have completed at least 18 hours of graduate coursework and have a Texas State GPA of a 3.2 or higher. 

  • Although several factors enter into the selection of a student for an internship, the Center does not make the actual hiring decision. The final selection, including the decision not to accept any applicant, is up to the sponsoring business/agency. 

    The Center for International Studies and Career Services can provide guidance on how to make your application as strong as possible. 

  • Although the timing does vary, you will generally interview for an internship position between 12 and 2 weeks before the beginning of the semester. (Please keep in mind that some government agencies, such as the U.S. Department of State, do not have interviews but do have application deadlines up to 8 months prior to the start of the internship.) When you are interested in pursuing an internship at an appropriate business or agency, you should generally contact that agency's internship coordinator by phone or e‐mail to garner information and to possibly set up a meeting. Some agencies are rather informal about the interview process while others are more formal and require you to send in a resume and fill out their own internship application before an interview is arranged. It is always a good idea to have a current resume in hand to offer to your intended internship supervisor.

    Career Services offers workshops and practice sessions for interview skills. 

  • You are free to decline the offer of an internship position, but keep in mind that the availability of internship positions might be limited. Think carefully about the internship offers that you receive. In declining an offer you should do so as promptly as possible and with a clear expression of your appreciation for the time taken by the business/agency staff to interview you. Should you decide to accept an offer, you should do so in accordance with the procedures that were suggested to you at the time the offer is extended (e.g., the business/agency may request that you give them an answer within a certain number of days).

    If you accept an offer, you must immediately notify the Academic Program Coordinator at the Center for International Studies and turn in the Internship Application Form, Internship Certification and Agreement Form, and General Release Form in order to receive approval to enroll in the internship.

  • The International Studies Internship is offered each semester. If you have been able to set up the internship well in advance and have been given approval by the Academic Program Coordinator in the Center for International Studies prior to advance registration, then you may pre‐ register for the class. Otherwise, you will have the opportunity to register during the registration period immediately before the semester in which you are to do the internship.

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