Internships are an excellent way to experience the workforce in a field that interests you. As an intern, you will be exposed to many different aspects of the field. You may be responsible for some specific tasks, and you may also have the experience of attending meetings, asking questions, shadowing different workers and learning about the organization as a whole. You will meet people in the area you are interested in, make contacts, and earn referrals when you seek permanent employment. Internships can often lead to full-time jobs. Internships are also very valuable work experience to include on a resume.
Additional Internship Information
Prepare a cover letter and resume
- Utilize ASU's Career and Professional Development Services Checklist for Effective Resumes and Cover Letters to help you get started!
- Schedule an appointment with Career Services for additional assistance.
- Visit Sun Devil Career Prep for help building and reviewing resumes, practicing interview questions and exploring salary negotiation techniques.
Places to look for an internship
ASU Resources
Register with Handshake to explore internships.
Museums
Research local, state, federal and private museums and check for internship possibilities.
Libraries
Research local and private libraries and check for internship possibilities.
State, County and City Government
City planning offices, legal offices, public relations, archives and more. Check your own local government offices for opportunities near your place of residence.
You will find internship opportunities at a local level in government offices in Tempe, Phoenix, Glendale and Mesa.
Please do your research, as websites and programs are constantly changing. If you do not live in the ASU area, you can use these ideas to do some research in the areas near you.
The School of Historical, Philosophical and Religious Studies cannot approve the following experiences as internships for credit:
- Students cannot earn internship credit for duties performed as part of their current full-time position.
- The work performed by an intern that would primarily benefit the employer in a way that does not also advance the education of the student. An internship must be primarily a learning experience for the student.
- Experiences which involve door to door solicitation/sales, or that require students to market goods/services/brands to university students on campus.
Interns are prohibited from working or meeting in an employer’s private residence. - Students may not intern for themselves, a family member or relative, a friend, a significant other, a current ASU student, or any person that they have a relationship with that may be deemed as a conflict of interest (such as a coach, future in-law, or any person who reports directly or indirectly to any of the above).
- Experiences focused exclusively on manual labor (for example: working on a farm doing the work of weeding, planting, etc.). There must be additional projects and learning opportunities.
- Internship organization needs to be a legally established/incorporated and insured business or non-profit (not an uninsured sole proprietorship).
- Internships involving the sale or distribution of medical marijuana. The possession or use of marijuana on ASU’s campus is illegal under state law, the use of marijuana is illegal under federal law, and ASU complies with the Drug-Free Schools and Campuses Act.
Submit internship packet:
Submitting an Internship Packet to enroll into the PHI/HST/REL/JST 484 course, does NOT guarantee approval. Enrollment into the course requires a review of a student’s packet, the site supervisor's approval, and legal approval from ASU and/or the internship site. It is advised to submit an Internship Packet as soon as possible due to the time it can take for a student’s application to be reviewed. Without approval from all necessary individuals, a student might not be eligible to complete their enrollment into the 484 course.
Students do not automatically earn credit for only completing their internship. Students are required to participate and complete all the assignments associated with the 484 course while simultaneously completing their internship.
Term Application Deadlines
Spring (Jan–May): Due Dec 5 *This deadline is earlier due to the holidays.
Summer (May–July): Due May 1
Fall (Aug–Dec): Due Aug 1
If you need to register for PHI/HST/REL/JST 484 but cannot meet the application deadline dates, email [email protected] prior to the posted term application deadline about your situation.
**If you are accepted into the Disney College Program, you cannot earn credit through SHPRS. You can earn credit for this program through The College of Liberal Arts and Sciences by enrolling in LIA 484.
Schedule an advising appointment:
Use this link to schedule an appointment (in-person, phone, or Zoom) with Celena Gammon, SHPRS Internship Coordinator: (please choose Internship as the reason for scheduling). If your appointment is in-person, please bring the completed paperwork with you. If your appointment is via phone or Zoom, please e-mail the completed paperwork to [email protected] prior to your appointment.
After the internship packet is submitted:
SHPRS will contact you for clarification, if needed. Otherwise, after your Internship Packet has been submitted, an Adobe Sign invitation will be emailed to you and your supervisor for their required information and signature. This form is a required agreement between Arizona State University and the Internship Host (Internship Host is defined as the company, non-profit, government agency, organization, or department the student will be completing an internship for.)
CAUTION: Under no circumstances will an internship be approved to earn credit without the Internship Host’s willingness to complete this form. The Internship Host may require the form to be reviewed by their legal counsel and this can take some time.
Once SHPRS receives the completed form(s) from the Internship Host, the student will receive a confirmation email from SHPRS with instructions to finish their enrollment into the internship course.
We encourage students to pursue internships that are related to their career aspirations and bear directly on the disciplines housed within the school. Internships provide practical experience for students that complement their formal academic class-based studies. Depending on the internship site, internships may be voluntary or paid.
The number of credit hours received for an internship is based on the total internship hours completed. 45 internship clocked hours = 1 ASU credit hour.
| Credit Hours | Total Hours | Hours per Week (15 weeks) | Hours per Week (7.5 weeks) | Hours per Week (6 weeks) |
| 1 | 45 | 3 | 6 | 7.5 |
| 2 | 90 | 6 | 12 | 15 |
| 3 | 135 | 9 | 18 | 22.5 |
| 4 | 180 | 12 | 24 | 30 |
| 5 | 225 | 15 | 30 | 37.5 |
| 6 | 270 | 18 | 36 | 45 |
Q: How many hours a week will I work?
A: This will vary, depending on the site you apply to, their needs, and your schedule. Most internships will be flexible when setting up an initial schedule, but generally will be between 8 and 20 hours a week. Credit hours are based on the number of hours worked. 45 internship hours over the semester is equal to one credit. See the internship hours chart here.
Q: Will I be paid for my internship?
A: Some internships do pay minimum wage or slightly higher, but most internships are unpaid. Some employers require students to earn college credit as an intern, while others (usually nonprofit organizations) do not.
Q: Will I get college credit for my internship?
A: You can receive college credit, based on how many hours you work in your internship each week. You can find out about the hours/credits here.
If you earn credit for your internship through SHPRS, the internship should have some relationship to your major (History, Philosophy, Religious Studies, Asia Studies, or Jewish Studies). As a SHPRS intern, you will receive upper-division credit on a pass/fail basis. You will need to work with the SHPRS Internship Coordinator (Celena Gammon), to determine if your potential internship will be viable for this situation. Internship credits cannot be used toward your major, since they do not use letter grading, but they will apply to the 45 upper-division credits you need to complete your degree at ASU. Other departments at ASU may have different policies.
Q: How do I get an internship?
A: Internships are competitive because they are in great demand. You will need to identify and apply for an internship, just as you would for a job. It will be your responsibility to procure the internship prior to enrolling in a credit-bearing class. If needed, ASU’s Career and Professional Development Services can help you line up possible internship sites, write a cover letter, and prepare a resume. Visit ASU’s Career and Professional Development Services page for more information on finding an internship.
Q: Are there any restrictions on who my supervisor can be?
A: Yes. Students may not intern for themselves, a family member or relative, a friend, a significant other, a current ASU student, or any person that they have a relationship with that may be deemed as a conflict of interest (such as a coach, future in-law or any person who reports directly or indirectly to any of the above).
Q: Do I pay tuition for this?
A: Yes. Since you are receiving college credit, the cost of the internship is the same as any other class. If you are receiving financial aid, please check with that department to see if your aid will apply.
Q: I am an online student. Can I still do an internship?
A: Yes, you can do an internship in your area, and we can work with that site to complete the paperwork. Your tuition will be based on the number of credits you complete.
Q: Can I set up a volunteer opportunity for internship credit?
A: No. To set up an internship for academic credit, an agreement is put in place between ASU and your site supervisor. This agreement guarantees the number of hours that the internship site can provide during the time that a student will work there. Additionally, an internship is meant to provide a more hands-on experience than a typical volunteer opportunity.