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Internships

Learning beyond the classroom

students working with salmon outside of lab

Students work with salmon at the John Fryer Aquatic Animal Health Laboratory, OSU's regional fish disease facility.

Get job experience solving real world problems

Many majors at OSU require internships or a mentorship component. Internships not only help build your critical thinking and problem-solving skills, they also make you attractive to employers and help you stand out from other job applicants.

Internships are any temporary, paid or unpaid, student training experiences at a company or organization in your field that help you gain skills and qualifications for your career.

These experiences can help you figure out what jobs interest you, since they're hands-on and embedded in real life. In a recent survey, more than half of all college graduates said that an internship got them a job after graduation.

Chris Marshall and students looking at insect samples

The Oregon State Arthropod Collection began in the 1870s and has grown to nearly three million preserved insect specimens. It is the largest university-owned collection in the Pacific Northwest and among the largest in the country.

Internships help you gain professional skills to land your first job

  • Studies show that a post-college candidate is much more likely to land a full-time, rewarding career after completing an internship.
  • Employers and hiring managers tend to look more favorably on job candidates with internship experiences.

Want more info about the benefits of internships? Indeed’s complete guide to internships gives plenty of reasons why internships are worth it.

Impactful internships in diverse academic journeys