Engineering Career Services
College of Engineering

Undergraduate Summer Internship

Summer Internships:

The Summer Internship Program is for students seeking engineering-focused employment only during summer months. Summer internships provide students with exposure to industry-based engineering work while enabling the employer to fill short-term project needs.

Student may be eligible to pursue academic credit for the experience concurrently with the internship. Retroactive credit for an internship experience is not available.

Academic Credit for Summer Internship

Summer Internship Position Criteria:

  • Duration – A minimum of 12 weeks during the Summer term
  • Full-time hours – 40 hours/week unless determine by law
  • Paid – hourly, salary, or stipend
  • Modality – in person/on-site work location required. Virtual/remote positions are not approved
  • Engineering Work – primarily focused on performing engineering tasks
  • Supervised by an Engineer – direct supervisor or employment mentor must have an engineering-related background

Engineering Student Eligibility:

  • Progression-
    • Undergraduates in the College of Engineering
  • Good academic standing – academic probation may limit participation in academic credit for summer internship
  • Have at least ONE semester remaining after the internship prior to graduating
    • Remaining semester must include required coursework for COE degree completion – not including second majors or certificates
    • Students cannot graduate while on academic credit for a summer internship

NOTE: Academic credit is required for all F-1 Visa holder students who have accepted an internship.  Learn more about CPT requirements here

Frequently Asked Questions – Undergrads

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What is the difference between a co-op and an internship?

The College of Engineering defines a co-op as a:

  • Requiring a minimum commitment of 15 weeks during an academic semester (fall/spring). Most co-op opportunities consist of a semester and the adjacent summer.
  • Full-time (40 hrs/week)
  • Paid
  • Engineering-focused work experience under the supervision of an engineer

An internship is defined as a: summer-only experience that is full-time, paid, focused on engineering work and supervised by a qualified engineering.

Students accepting a co-op must enroll in the required academic credit course during the spring or fall term in which they are participating in the co-op.
Summer interns may choose to take credit. Credit for co-op and internship must be completed concurrently with the experience. Retroactive credit is not offered.

Note: International students on F-1 visa are required to take credit for summer internship as well as co-op.

What are the basic requirements to obtain credit for a summer internship?

Positions must meet the following: related to a students’ major, competitively paid, full-time (approx. 40 hours/week), performing engineering work, and under the supervision of an engineer. Duration of the experience, and modality of work (ie. virtual/in-person/hybrid) can also play a role in whether an opportunity is deemed eligible for credit. Fully remote positions are rarely approved.

Part-time and/or unpaid positions are not eligible for internship credit, and are not formally recognized as internships by Engineering Career Services.

How many weeks am I required to work?

Summer internships must run a minimum of 12 weeks, and the dates of employment must correspond with the summer academic term.

May I work for..

A family owned business?

Students are not eligible for academic credit if they are working in a family owned and/or managed organization. Additionally, students may not report to or be supervised directly or indirectly by a family member. Please contact ECS with any questions.

A College/University campus?

Positions in research labs are not eligible.  Credit may be an option for support services like physical plant and maintenance that are related to a student’s course of study.

Registering for credit, tuition & additional classes

Academic Credit:

Academic credit for internship is an optional credit for U.S. citizen and permanent resident students.
International Students studying at UW-Madison on an F-1 visa are required by CPT policy to enroll in academic credit for all internship positions.

To start the process of pursuing academic credit for an internship, a student must: submit an electronic notification of the JOB OFFER through Handshake (Experiences), attend an orientation session and submit a copy of their offer letter to ECS for review

Approval of the internship must be given by ECS prior to course authorization for enrollment being granted by ECS. Additional steps apply to international students.

Here is information on how Internship or Co-op Credit applies to each major

Tuition:

All undergraduate students participating in a credit-bearing internship are required to enroll and pay for the one-credit intern/co-op course.  Students pay for only one credit of tuition, plus fees and prorated differentials. Companies may provide tuition reimbursement to cover the cost associated with the one-credit course; make sure to ask the employer ahead of accepting an offer. For specific tuition costs visit: https://bursar.wisc.edu/tuition-and-fees/tuition-rates

Additional Classes with Internship Credit:

Students are not allowed to take any in-person/on-campus classes while on a credit-bearing internship as the internship is a full-time, professional work experience.
Students may elect to enroll in ONE additional online, asynchronous mode course during the duration of the summer academic term. Contact ECS if you have additional questions.

What about financial aid and scholarships?

Financial Aid: Students are not eligible for new student loans or grants while on academic internship.

Students appropriately enrolled in the one-credit co-op course will remain recognized as a full-time student. By doing so, student loans will remain deferred and you will also be able to maintain parental or university health insurance. Every student accepting a co-op must register for the one-credit co-op course and complete educational assignments.

Scholarships: 

  • CoE/Department Scholarships are generally not awarded during the summer term for enrollment in academic internships
  • Students who are recipients of outside scholarships will need to check with the outside scholarship administrator for eligibility during the internship