An economics internship is a professional learning experience that provides students with an opportunity to apply economic knowledge to “real world” experiences. 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.
How Does It Work?
- Secure a qualifying internship.
- Apply for the internship program by the deadline.
- If approved, you will be enrolled in ECON 484 by an advisor:
- 150-299 hours of internship work = 3 credit hours of ECON 484.
- 300+ hours of internship work = 6 credit hours of ECON 484.
- A maximum of 6 credit hours of ECON 484 can be applied towards your ECON 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
Eligibility
- ECON Major
- Completed ECON 202, 203, 323, and at least one additional ECON/ECMT course
- Overall GPA: 2.5 or higher
- ECON GPA: 2.5 or higher
Internship Qualifications
The job duties in an internship must be primarily composed of activities which relate to:
- Direct and practical application of economic theory
- Skill-building in research and data analysis
They must also include:
- Professional development
- Skill-building in writing, interpersonal communication, and teamwork
- Ongoing guidance from a supervisor
- A minimum of 10 weeks with at least 150 total hours of work
- Start and end dates must be within the semester of ECON 484 credit
They cannot include:
- More than 20% clerical, physical, or other labor not typical of jobs requiring a college degree
- Any initial monetary outlay by the student
- Self-employment or a continuation of the student’s current employment
- Supervision or reporting to a relative
Many worthwhile internships may not qualify for ECON 484 credit. Internships that are primarily related to sales and office support rarely qualify. Qualifying is based on the duties of the position, not the industry in which it takes place.
See two examples of letters outlining job duties for approved internships:
Application Process
- Secure an internship and receive an official offer letter from your employer
- Pay close attention to Section 8 of the Internship Policies and Procedures Document to obtain all information needed in your offer letter
- Submit the official online application by the following due dates
- Spring Enrollment: December 1
- Summer Enrollment: May 1
- Fall Enrollment: August 1
- Once you have obtained all the information outlined in the Internship Policies & Procedures document linked above, please request to have your offer letter sent directly from your employer to Omari Burton: oburton@tamu.edu
- A reminder – because you are going to be enrolled in an upper-level ECON class, you will be required to pay Texas A&M tuition and fees for ECON 484.
- You can use the tuition calculator from Student Business Services to get an estimate for what ECON 484 will cost.