WSU Tri-Cities

The Career Development Center

Internship Opportunities

Student Internship Opportunities at WSU Tri-Cities

WSU Tri-Cities promotes a range of internship options for students.  These include internships:


  • For pay
  • Not-for-pay
  • For academic credit
  • Not-for-credit

Benefits of Internships

Explore Career Options:  Internships provide an opportunity to identify a range of options within a career field. They also offer a chance to find out if a particular career is a good fit for a student’s values, interests and goals. Since, internships are generally short-term, students can test their future careers without committing additional time and money in a degree that won’t work for them.

  • Gain Valuable Work Experience:  An internship provides the opportunity to gain hands-on work experience in the desired career field.  Interns gain an increased awareness of their own skills, attributes, personal qualities and values.  They also find out what it’s like to work in a business environment, investigate organizational cultures, enhance their career-related skills, and strengthen their written and verbal communication skills.  Interns often find that this experience enhances their interest and performance in their academic classes as they can experience the career application of what they learn from their professors and textbooks.

Have a Competitive Edge in the Job Market:  Employers are usually more interested in applicable work experience over other qualifications of prospective employees. Students with limited or no experience in their desired field find that internships are often the only way to get the work experience needed to be successful in today’s competitive job market.  Students who have completed internships obtain employment more quickly following graduation. An internship is a great opportunity to gain confidence, obtain resume-enhancing real world experience, develop additional career-ready skills, and build a network of industry references. Build professional connections:  Internships can provide a great environment for students to find a mentor who can provide information about career opportunities based on his/her own experiences and professional connections.  Interns can also take the time, when appropriate, to ask the professionals at the work place questions about their job responsibilities and their career journey.  Internships are a great way to meet people who can connect students with contacts in the industry. Plus, references from people in the industry will really add weight to a resume. Transition into a Job after Graduation:  Internships are the top way for employers to find new professional staff in the U.S.   Employers often use internships to “try out” prospective employees.  At the same time, students can use their internship experience to determine if they have a “good fit” with a potential employer. 

Types of Internships

  • Internships for Pay

Internships for pay are an employment arrangement between the student and the employer.  These internships or student employment opportunities may be with a for-profit company, a public agency or not-for-profit organization.  The student and employer are responsible for negotiating job responsibilities, day/hours/location of employment, compensation, and other customary employment parameters.

  • Internships without Pay
  • For-profit companies:  The Department of labor considers there to be no employment relationship between a for-profit company and a student intern, and the Fair Labor and Standards Act (FLSA) minimum wage and overtime provisions do not apply to the intern, if six criteria are met (see http://www.dol.gov/whd/regs/compliance/whdfs71.htm).
  • Public agencies and not-for-profit organizations:  Individuals who volunteer or donate their services for public service, religious or humanitarian objectives, not as employees and without contemplation of pay, are not considered employees of the organizations that receive their service, according to the Department of Labor. Under the FLSA, a public agency volunteer cannot receive any compensation, but may be paid “expenses, reasonable benefits, or a nominal fee, or any combination thereof.”  As a general rule, the Department finds that a fee (apart from expenses) paid is nominal as long as it does not exceed 20 percent of the amount that otherwise would be required to hire a permanent employee for the same services.  If a stipend exceeds $600 in a calendar year, it must be reported as 1099 income.  It is recommended that all nonprofits using volunteers have these individuals sign agreements at the beginning of the volunteer relationship to clearly establish that there is no expectation of compensation and that the work they are performing is ordinary volunteerism and not related to any commercial enterprise.
  • Internships for Credit

Students may work with their academic advisor and a faculty member to identify the options for receiving academic credit for their internship experience.  It is recommended that the student, faculty member, and employer sign an agreement that documents the scope of the student’s work, deliverables, and duration of the internship.

Local Internships


National Internships


International Internships

The Career Development Center, 2710 Crimson Way, Washington State University Tri-Cities, Richland, WA 99354-1671, 509-372-7600, Contact Us