COLLEGE OF BUSINESS
Students
Why Participate?
Each year, the College of Business offers students real-world job experience through our internship program. This hands-on practice is priceless in enriching education and allows students to dive deeper by applying theoretical principles to first-hand job practices. Students can gain a better understanding of business, develop transferable skills, and earn compensation and academic credit. By learning from some of the best in the business, students can make important networking connections, increase their marketability and make more informed career decisions.
Accounting major Julia Lemoine served as an intern for the FDIC, where she worked with the Division of Depositor and Consumer Protection to evaluate bank operations, business planning, risk management strategies, and consumer protection practices. “The College of Business has been great throughout the process by helping me perfect my resume and allowing me to apply during an early applicant period. I enjoyed working with FDIC professionals and gaining first-hand knowledge on banking examinations while expanding my skill set.”
Sam Dinnat, a senior economics major, served as an intern on Capitol Hill. During his time in Washington, D.C., Sam gained first-hand knowledge of how our government works by attending hearings, conducting research, and meeting with fellow Louisianans. “I get to be the face of a U.S. Senator’s office and show constituents how our government works. Every day, I get to meet important people including Senators and foreign ambassadors to the U.S. I am currently researching how China’s Belt and Road Initiative relates to their future military goals and advances as they work to become a first-class military with a global presence.” His time in the College of Business prepared him for the important work he did in our nation’s Capital.
Requirements
Any student registering for internship credit must meet the following criteria:
- Be admitted to the College of Business, pursuing a major in business
- Have a junior level standing (60+ hours)
- Be in good standing with the University (2.0 cumulative GPA)
Note: Receiving academic credit for an internship results in additional University tuition/fees.
Applying
To register for an internship course, a student must complete the following:
UNDERGRADUATES
- Fill out the Internship Interest Form at least one quarter prior to enrolling.
- Secure an internship with the assistance of the Career Planning and Placement Office.
- Obtain permission to enroll in the internship course from Kyle O’Neal, Director of the Humana Student Services Center, prior to early advising for the quarter that he/she wishes to enroll in.
- Complete the Internship Learning Contract.
- See below for students in the School of Accountancy.
MBA STUDENTS
- Fill out the Internship Interest Form at least one quarter prior to enrolling.
- Secure an internship with the assistance of the Career Planning and Placement Office.
- Obtain permission to enroll in the internship course from Dr. Bill McCumber, Associate Dean of Graduate Programs, prior to early advising for the quarter that he/she wishes to enroll in.
- Complete the Internship Learning Contract.
SCHOOL OF ACCOUNTANCY STUDENTS
- Fill out the Internship Interest Form at least one quarter prior to enrolling.
- Secure an internship with the assistance of the Career Planning and Placement Office.
- Obtain permission to enroll in the internship course from Dr. Andrea Drake prior to early advising for the quarter that he/she wishes to enroll in.
- Complete the Internship Learning Contract.
Finding an Internship
Students are welcome to seek an internship on their own or apply for opportunities posted on Handshake, the University’s centralized job posting site. The College of Business is dedicated to assisting our students with finding internship opportunities at both the graduate and undergraduate level. Please complete this form to begin the process.
Internship Guidelines
Typically, an internship will translate into three semester hours of credit. Credit will not be given retroactively for previous internships.
To fulfill credit hours, a student must abide by the following:
- For undergraduate students, students must work a minimum of 150 hours during the quarter to earn three hours of internship credit and 300 hours to earn six hours of internship credit. A student may be allowed to register for six hours of credit if approved by a department head, director, or designated instructor and the experience justifies the additional academic credit. The first three hour course will be awarded as a business elective. The additional three hour course will be awarded as a free elective.
- For graduate students, students must work a minimum of 150 hours during the quarter to earn three hours of internship credit that will be awarded as an elective.
- Each internship should involve a project or specific job responsibilities that have clearly definable educational objectives, all of which must be documented and presented to the appropriate department head, director or designated instructor prior to registration.
- A written report of the experience must be submitted at the end of the quarter and internship. In addition, the firm/organization supervisor will be required to complete an evaluation form assessing the student’s performance. These documents will be used to assign credit for the course on pass/fail basis.
Contact
For additional information on internships, contact:
UNDERGRADUATE STUDENTS:
Kyle O’Neal
Director of the Humana Student Services Center
Email: koneal@latech.edu
Phone: 318.257.2497
MBA STUDENTS:
Dr. William McCumber
Associate Dean of Graduate Studies
Email: mccumber@latech.edu
Phone: 318.257.4525
SCHOOL OF ACCOUNTANCY STUDENTS:
Dr. Andrea Drake
Professor of Accountancy
Email: adrake@latech.edu
Phone: 318.257.2500
Employers
Bringing an intern into your organization can be a very rewarding experience. Louisiana Tech University’s College of Business is proud to offer this opportunity to companies both large and small—we have hundreds of talented and energetic professionals eager for the chance to apply theoretical principles to first-hand job practices in a real-world classroom.
Why Participate?
As a sponsoring member of the College of Business Internship Program, you gain access to a pool of high-quality professionals and students who are as eager to learn as they are to contribute to your business. Students can provide fresh ideas, unique perspectives and new approaches to solving everyday problems. This partnership is also an opportunity to recruit and evaluate potential future employees as well as develop a partnership with the College of Business.
“We’ve been very impressed with our Louisiana Tech College of Business recruits. They’ve demonstrated strong strategic and analytical skill sets while being well balanced tactically.”
What’s Expected of your Company
To ensure students gain insight and real-world knowledge from the internship experience, we expect the following from sponsoring companies:
- Provide substantive and challenging work assignments for students and provide ongoing, structured supervision by a primary supervisor.
- Orient interns on company culture and policies, office procedures, and specific job duties.
- Establish work schedules that will accommodate the student’s academic responsibilities.
- Complete the Learning Contract prior to the start of the internship and provide an evaluation of the student’s performance upon completion of the internship.
Internship Guidelines
It is our goal to offer our students internships that are primarily educational in nature. To certify this, we follow specific criteria and guidelines provided by the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE). This ensures internships align with recently enacted federal guidelines.
Internships must meet the following criteria:
- The internship must be an extension of the classroom, providing a space to apply knowledge to practical work. It must not be to simply advance the operations of the employer or be the work that a regular employee would routinely perform.
- The skills or knowledge learned must be transferable to other employment settings.
- The experience has a defined beginning, end and job description with desired qualifications.
- There are clearly defined learning objectives related to the professional goals of the student’s academic coursework.
- There is supervision by a professional with the expertise or professional background in the field of experience. Routine feedback is provided by this experienced supervisor.
- There are resources, equipment and facilities provided by the host employer that support learning objectives and goals.
Advertising an Internship
We believe it’s important to let the internship application process mimic that of the real job search process. That is why we ask employers to post internships directly to Handshake, the University’s centralized job posting site. Here, employers are able to form an official recruiting relationship with the University and its students. Posting is always free and easy. Click here to register for Handshake.
Contact
For additional information on internships, contact:
Kyle O’Neal
Director of the Humana Student Services Center
koneal@latech.edu
318.257.2497