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Benefits of an Internship

According to interns from BYU, students gain the following benefits through academic internships: experience, skill development, perspective, supervision, professional connections, academic credit, earnings, the opportunity to represent BYU, and to provide service to others.

History Majors: While an internship is not required, we highly encourage it, especially during your junior or senior year. History students may count up to 6.0 credits toward their major elective requirements.

Family History Majors: An internship is a required course of the Family History degree, typically completed after the capstone courses have been completed. We recommend that students do their internship during their last semester or during Spring/Summer term after their final on-campus semester. We also highly encourage students to seek internships outside of Utah.

Internships Will Help You to:

  • Gain exposure to real-world problems and issues that perhaps are not found in textbooks.
  • Cultivate adaptability and creativity in a dynamic world.
  • Increase marketability to employers. On average, only 30% of graduating seniors have job offers before graduation; however, after completing an internship, that figure rises to 58%.
  • Evaluate specific companies or specific careers prior to committing to full-time employment—a "try before you buy" type experience.
  • Ease transition from being a student to entering the workforce.
  • Increase opportunities within a company for faster advancement and growth.
  • Increase self-confidence in the workplace while developing an expanded network of associates and professionals.
  • Facilitate a higher starting salary than non-interns.
  • Have résumé-building experiences while applying academic concepts and principles.
  • Have opportunities to fund college education.
  • Have personal growth experiences and exposure to different job opportunities.
  • Have hands-on opportunities to work with equipment and technology that may not be available on campus.

    Discover

    Discover career options and professional programs within the history field.

    "Internships provide practical experience to not only test the career, but to use in interviews as examples of previous success. I feel that my internships, including this one, taught me to make better use of my history degree and prepare me for work after graduation."

    Madeline T.
    Trust Internship, Grasmere, England

    Experience

    Gain real-world experience that builds your resume and increases your job marketability after graduation.

    "This [internship] has been essential in my personal and professional development. I have learned things in the analog world that will aid me in the digital world. I have also gained a depth of experience I wouldn't have gained otherwise."

    Evan C.
    Family History in Europe Internship Spain

    Enhance

    Apply your academic coursework in a professional setting

    "Ultimately, this internship has been instrumental in refining and building on my understanding of historical work. Through extensive research, I was able to hone my skills in finding and using good and reliable primary and secondary sources and learn how to perform quality archival research."

    Joshua F.
    Intermountain Histories Internship, Provo, Utah

    Network

    Create and cultivate relationships with working professionals in your field of interest

    "I genuinely loved (my internship) the entire time. I liked Church History before, but being immersed in Salt Lake City among the Church's top Historians has taken my appreciation to a whole new level."

    Sean W.
    LDS Church History Library Internship, Salt Lake City, Utah