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College of Arts & Sciences
Texas A&M University Economics

Internship for Credit Program

Master’s Internship

ECON 684 is a course for students who have secured an internship that is Economics related and wish to earn credit for this experience. Students may only be enrolled in this course after an application has been submitted and approved.

As internship experiences are becoming increasingly more important as a part of a student’s employment search, all students are encouraged to pursue these opportunities as a part of their curriculum.  The internship enables students to become familiar with work that requires the application of economics ideas, concepts and skills, to learn new skills related to economics, and to become familiar with the expectations for work in the professional world. You must obtain an internship in an organization to provide on-the-job training and applied research experience with professionals in settings appropriate to Economics and student professional interest. Since this is a course and you will receive academic credit, you will be billed tuition as you would for any other course.

Please send any specific questions you have about the application or process to Paula Verdegaal at paulav@tamu.edu

How does it work?

  • Secure a qualifying internship
  • Submit the application for ECON 684: Internship for Credit *See below for links to the application
  • Submit your official signed offer letter to the Internship Coordinator at paulav@tamu.edu 
  • If approved, you will be enrolled in ECON 684 by the Internship Coordinator:
    • 150-299 hours of internship work = 3 credit hours of ECON 684
    • 300+ hours of internship work = 6 credit hours of ECON 684
    • A maximum of 6 credit hours of ECON 684 can be applied towards your degree
    • This course will be graded on a satisfactory/unsatisfactory scale
    • Traditional tuition and fees will be applied towards this course
  • Complete internship and course assignments as detailed in the syllabus

Who Can Apply?

  • Master of Science in Economics students (full Master’s or Fastrack)
  • Completed two full semesters at Texas A&M  University
  • In good academic standing

What Internships Qualify?

  • Internship Dos and Don’ts + Information
  • Internships must include:
    • professional development
    • practical application of economic theory
    • skill building in research, writing, problem solving, analyzing, interpersonal communication, and teamwork
    • ongoing guidance from a supervisor (Cannot be a direct relative)
    • No more than 20% of the job duties can be administrative or customer service based
    • internships that would be able to be performed without the knowledge one has learned from their master’s level courses will not be approved. This includes internships that are primarily customer service or administrative based
  • Start/end dates must be within the semester dates of taking ECON 684
    • If your internship falls outside of these dates, please check with the Internship Coordinator for guidance on when to apply and enroll
  • Minimum of 10 weeks with at least 150 total hours of work
  • For more information read Internship FAQs

How to Apply and receive credit?

  1. Secure an internship and receive an official offer letter from your employer
    1. Requirements for the offer letter and internship
  2. Submit the official online application by the following due dates
    1. Spring enrollment application due by December 1 (please email Paula Verdegaal if you receive an offer for Spring after this date)
    2. Summer enrollment Application is due by May 1 (please email Paula Verdegaal if you receive an offer for Summer after this date)
    3. Fall enrollment application due by August 1 (please email Paula Verdegaal if you receive an offer for Fall after this date)
  3. Following the requirements listed in “Requirements for the offer letter and internship” above, please request to have your offer letter sent directly from your employer to Paula Verdegaal at paulav@tamu.edu

*Please note the following information*

  • Only complete applications will be reviewed and you will be individually notified if your application has been approved, denied or if additional information is needed in order to make a decision. It is the student’s responsibility to ensure that all requested supplemental documents are provided in a timely manner so that the course can be added if approved
  • Submitting an application is not a guarantee of approval
  • Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis until the due date
  •  If you secure an internship after the deadline, please email Paula Verdegaal at paulav@tamu.edu
  • If your internship is approved for ECON 684 credit, you will be sent additional instructions and the syllabus for the course directly to your TAMU email address
  • If you are unsure if your internship or potential internship will be approved for credit, please contact Paula Verdegaal at paulav@tamu.edu for a tentative review of the position/job duties
  • If you require CPT through ISS, please reach out to Paula Verdegaal at paulav@tamu.edu

Please see the list of previous Masters Internships