INTERNSHIP COURSES
Employers recognize the value that arts and humanities students bring to the workplace. More than 3/4 of surveyed employers seek students with a strong foundation in the liberal arts.
Academic Career Courses
Consider taking an academic career course designed to address different aspects of career development, internship or job search preparation.
Learn MoreEmployers value the “soft skills” that are found in ARHU classrooms, including communication skills, teamwork, flexibility and a positive attitude. Everything else can be taught, so they look for students with the basics with whom they can work.
Benefits of Interning
- Statistics show employers use internships to identify new talent, and often treat an internship as an extended job interview.
- Internships offer the opportunity to develop marketable skills and build professional networks that can potentially lead to a job offer upon graduation.
- Ideally, internship experiences enable students to gain a sense of what it would be like to work in a particular field. It can also show you what you don’t necessarily like in a professional environment.
- Internships provide students the opportunity to connect "real world" experience with classroom learning, as well as the ability to get professional feedback from people who are working in the field.
Professional Goals and Expectations
For all ARHU internships, students must report to a professional workplace. Businesses operated out of a private home are not acceptable for university credit, and remote internships are only acceptable in limited cases.
When students embark on a professional internship they represent not only themselves, but the College of Arts & Humanities and the University of Maryland. Some of the biggest complaints from internship sites concern dependability and punctuality. Therefore, it is expected that all students applying for internships will arrive on time for their appointments with ARHU or will call if they are running late. Failure to arrive on time for your scheduled appointment may result in the rejection of your application.
Which ARHU Internship Course is Right for You?
ARHU 286
For students: with fewer than 60 credits; and/or who are in their first semester at UMD; and/or who are completing a legislative, research-based, start-up or remote internship. ARHU majors and minors are accepted.
Note: This course cannot count toward your major requirements. Students will usually not be permitted to add ARHU 286 after the deadline for adding classes in any given semester. Additionally, no retroactive credit will be awarded for ARHU 286. Summer internship courses are open to all current UMD students, regardless of major as long as it is related to an ARHU field of study. ARHU internship courses are not offered during winter term.
Minimum Requirements:
- Must be majoring or minoring in a department in the College of Arts & Humanities
- For students with fewer than 60 credits; and/or who are in their first semester at UMD; and/or who are completing a legislative, research-based, start-up or remote internship. ARHU majors and minors are accepted
- Must have at least a 2.5 cumulative GPA (transfer credits acceptable)
- Must have at least 12 college credits completed (AP and transfer credits acceptable)
- The course is offered for 3- through 6-credits, and is available for a letter grade or as Pass-Fail
- 3 credits= 135 hours on-site (9-10 hours/week)*
- 4 credits = 180 hours on-site
- 5 credits = 225 hours on-site
- 6 credits = 270 hours on-site (20-22 hours/week)*
*The total hours remain the same during a summer internship, although the hours per week will increase dramatically.
ARHU 386
For students: with more than 60 cumulative credits. ARHU majors only.
Note: This course counts as upper level credits for graduation and can also fulfill the Scholarship in Practice requirement outside the major. Students can only earn credit for ARHU 386 during the semester in which they are participating in the internship. In most cases, students cannot start their hours early, finish them late, or register for the course during one term and complete their hours during a different term. Summer internship courses are open to all current UMD students, regardless of major as long as it is related to an ARHU field of study. ARHU internship courses are not offered during winter term.
Minimum Requirements:
- Must be majoring or minoring in a department in the College of Arts & Humanities
- Must be reporting to a professional worksite
- Must have at least a 2.5 cumulative GPA on campus
- Must have at least 12 college credits completed at UMD
- The course is offered for 3- through 6-credits, and is available for a letter grade or as Pass-Fail
- 3 credits= 135 hours on-site (9-10 hours/week)*
- 4 credits = 180 hours on-site
- 5 credits = 225 hours on-site
- 6 credits = 270 hours on-site (20-22 hours/week)*
*The total hours remain the same during a summer internship, although the hours per week will increase dramatically.
ARHU 486
For students: who have already earned upper level internship credit on campus. ARHU majors only.
Note: This course can count as upper level credits for graduation. ARHU 486 must be a different experience from the internship you have already taken for credit. Generally students intern with a completely different company, but you may continue working for the same company if the job description is significantly different from the first internship description. Students can only earn credit for ARHU 486 during the semester in which they are participating in the internship. In most cases, students cannot start their hours early, finish them late, or register for the course during one term and complete their hours during a different term. Summer internship courses are open to all current UMD students, regardless of major as long as it is related to an ARHU field of study. ARHU internship courses are not offered during winter term.
Minimum Requirements:
- Must be majoring or minoring in a department in the College of Arts & Humanities
- Must be reporting to a professional worksite
- Must have completed an upper level internship course (for academic credit) at UMD
- Must have at least a 2.5 cumulative GPA on campus
- Must have at least 12 credits completed at UMD
- The course is offered for 3- through 6-credits, and is available for a letter grade or as Pass-Fail
- 3 credits= 135 hours on-site (9-10 hours/week)*
- 4 credits = 180 hours on-site
- 5 credits = 225 hours on-site
- 6 credits = 270 hours on-site (20-22 hours/week)*
*The total hours remain the same during a summer internship, although the hours per week will increase dramatically.
ARHU 489
For students: who have successfully completed ARHU 486. ARHU majors only.
Note: This course cannot count toward your major requirements or as an Advanced Studies course, but it will count toward upper level credits for graduation. Students may take on a new internship experience, or substantially deepen a current or former internship experience at a site where they have previously interned. In consultation with the faculty supervisor, some remote/online internships may also be eligible.
Students can only earn credit for ARHU 486 during the semester in which they are participating in the internship. In most cases, students cannot start their hours early, finish them late, or register for the course during one term and complete their hours during a different term. Summer internship courses are open to all current UMD students, regardless of major as long as it is related to an ARHU field of study. ARHU internship courses are not offered during winter term.
Minimum Requirements:
- Successful completion of ARHU 486
- The course is offered for 3- through 6-credits, and is available for a letter grade or as Pass-Fail
- 3 credits= 135 hours on-site (9-10 hours/week)*
- 4 credits = 180 hours on-site
- 5 credits = 225 hours on-site
- 6 credits = 270 hours on-site (20-22 hours/week)*
*The total hours remain the same during a summer internship, although the hours per week will increase dramatically.
Application Process
Remote internships are acceptable.
Once you have secured an internship, you will need to send a completed application form, a copy of your internship offer letter and a short job description to arhuinternships@umd.edu
You will be contacted to schedule an appointment with the internship faculty supervisor to review your application and eligibility.
Unpaid Internship Scholarships
Two scholarships are available through the College of Arts & Humanities to support students in unpaid internships. Basic eligibility requirements for both include:
Open to ARHU undergraduate majors (or double majors) enrolled in an internship course. During the summer, UNIV099 is also accepted. Interns complete a minimum of 135 hours with the internship site. Awards range from $250- $1,000. Apply here (applications are generally due in early June for summer, early September for fall and early February for spring). If the application link is not active, check back closer to the next application window. You only need to submit one application to be considered for both scholarships.
ARH-U Ready Scholarship: Open to students with unpaid internships in all types of organizations/fields during fall, spring and summer terms.
Foxworth Do Good Scholarship: Thanks to a generous gift from the Foxworths, this scholarship funds internships supporting underrepresented constituencies in the greater DC region during the fall, spring and summer terms.
Please contact Kate Juhl at kjuhl@umd.edu with questions about these scholarships. The University Career Center also offers the Bright Futures scholarship every summer. It is open to students completing unpaid internships with non-profit organizations or government agencies.
Internship Contact
Jeffrey Kodis
Senior Academic Advisor, College of Arts and Humanities
1120 Francis Scott Key Hall
College Park
MD,
20742