Undergraduate Internship Credit
An economics internship is a professional learning experience that provides students with an opportunity to apply economic knowledge to “real world” experiences. Internships enable 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.
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
Application Process
- Secure a qualifying internship with 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 deadlines
- Spring Enrollment: December 1
- Summer Enrollment: May 14
- Fall Enrollment: August 1
- *Late applications will not be accepted and retroactive credit will not be given
- 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
- Applications are reviewed on a rolling basis until the deadline. You will be notified via Texas A&M Email of the Department's decision.
Additional Information
- Only complete applications will be reviewed
- Submitting an application does not guarantee approval, there is a possibility of denial
- The Department of Economics uses your official Texas A&M email account for communication regarding internships
- You will be notified when a decision has been made regarding your application
- An email will be sent if additional information is needed
- It is the student's responsibility to ensure that all requested supplemental documents are provided in a timely manner
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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 (cannot be a direct relative)
- 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
- Retroactive internship credit will not be given for completed internships
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
Review the Internship Guidelines Document for more details
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:
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Approved Internship Steps
- You will receive an email to your Texas A&M email notifying you of your approval
- Additional instructions will be emailed with the syllabus to your official TAMU email address
- You are responsible for monitoring your Texas A&M email account and meeting all deadlines from The Department of Economics. Should you miss any deadline that prevents the undergraduate Economics Advisor from enrolling you in ECON 484 by the add/drop deadline of the ECON 484 application semester in which you were approved, then you will not receive credit for your internship.
- Retroactive ECON 484 internship credit will not be considered or given.
- Once you have taken care of your Registration Readiness, you will be enrolled in ECON 484 by an advisor based on these guidelines:
- 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
- Complete the internship and course assignments to receive a grade
- Reminder – because you will be enrolled in an upper-level ECON class, you are required to pay Texas A&M tuition and fees for ECON 484
- Use the tuition calculator from Student Business Services for an estimate of ECON 484 costs