Internship Considerations
- Does the internship provide an opportunity for you to develop and gain new skills beyond learning in the classroom that will be marketable upon graduation?
- Do you see yourself working long-term for this company or a similar company?
- Will the internship be with a legitimate business in which the experience itself is marketable to future employers?
- Will you have a mentor within the organization as well as other networking opportunities?
IDS398R | Internship Experience
- IDS 398R is a 1-credit internship course
- Work at least half of an academic semester (7 weeks)
- 10 hours/week minimum
- Complete a minimum of 100 hours of work
- Have a full-time professional mentor/supervisor during the internship
Additional Internships Requirements
- Internships must provide students with experience in their chosen concentration. When possible, the internship should also incorporate other degree elements (minors and clusters)
- Have a class standing of at least 70 credits
- No direct sales companies
How to Register Your Internship
- Go to the I-Plan home page.
- From the home page, click on Internship Approvals at the bottom-right of the screen.
- Click Create an Internship Request and fill out the form. Make sure you submit your request when you have completed the form.
Internship Submission Process
- Submit your application, it will be sent to your Faculty Internship Coordinator, and a master agreement will be sent to your employer
- Faculty Internship Coordinator reviews and approves for University & Department requirements
- Internship Application is sent to processing to check for a master agreement
- Master agreement is received, authorization email is sent to the student
Additional Internship Help
For more information about internships, contact interdisciplinarystudies@byui.edu.
Networking Resources
Below is a list of resources to assist in your job/internships and to aid in your networking.
Career Navigator
Alumni Network
BYU-Idaho’s alumni database. Search for alumni by location, major, industry, company, etc. to find contacts to network with.
Go to Alumni Network
Go to Alumni Network
LinkedIn BYU-Idaho Official Group
IDS Internships FAQs
Start looking for an internship two semesters in advance. By the time registration opens for the semester, you will want to already have your internship lined up or you should be applying for internships.
For example, if you want to take an internship during Winter semester:
- Start looking for internships during the two previous semesters (Spring and Fall semesters).
- When registration opens for Winter semester, begin applying for internships.
- Keep in mind that your internship timeline will likely be affected by the track system. So, be flexible about when you take your internship.
Many companies will post when they have internships. You could take the initiative and approach a company, but most students are looking at postings. The Internship & Career Services Office on campus offers resources to help you find postings for internships.
Consider these options when seeking internships:
- Visit an employer in person
- Use social media networks like LinkedIn and Handshake to find internship opportunities
- Attend training meetings at the BYU-Idaho Career Center
- Learn about available resources at the Career and Academic Advising Office
Sometimes there are internship opportunities that you may want to take advantage of that are unpaid. Make sure that what you will be doing and learning in the internship is worth the unpaid experience. But for all internships, both paid and unpaid, the university has internship grants that you could potentially qualify for. If finances are a consideration, reach out to the Financial Aid office to learn more about Internship Grants.
International internships are often not approved due to safety concerns. If you know of a good international opportunity that would greatly benefit you, start planning that earlier than you would a regular internship and have a good rationale of how it’s connected to your major. The approval process for international internships takes a lot longer and you would need to make sure that you have a really good reason for an international internship and that it is in a safe place.
No, you can’t do an internship with your family business.
Situations like this are considered on a case-by-case basis. If you are an Interdisciplinary Studies major, please email Brother Brower, the Dean of Interdisciplinary Studies, at interdisciplinarystudies@byui.edu, and explain your situation. If you are majoring in something other than Interdisciplinary Studies, please email the Internship & Career Services Office at internships@byui.edu.
- When to start: Hours begin accumulating once you're accepted into BYU-Idaho.
- Relevance: All hours must directly relate to your chosen concentration, minor, cluster, or certificate (excluding skill clusters).
- Source of hours: Both paid employment and volunteer hours are acceptable. However, missionary, ecclesiastical, and general church service hours do not count.
- Submission: Track and turn in hours on the IDS Majors Canvas Page.
- Questions: Look at the IDS Majors Canvas Page or contact ouroffice.
Pre-Internship Hour Requirements
To apply for an IDS Internship (IDS 398R) or an IDS Capstone (IDS 499) course, you must complete 100 pre-internship hours.
Tracking Your Pre-Internship Hours
You'll need to track all your hours and obtain verification for them. You can do this in the following ways:
Submitting Your Pre-Internship Hours
Once you've completed all 100 hours, follow these steps to submit your documentation:
Need help? If you have questions about where and how to complete these hours, talk to your IDS faculty mentor or contact the IDS Office at interdisciplinarystudies@byui.edu or by calling 208-496-3350.
To apply for an IDS Internship (IDS 398R) or an IDS Capstone (IDS 499) course, you must complete 100 pre-internship hours.
- When to start: Hours begin accumulating once you're accepted into BYU-Idaho.
- Relevance: All hours must directly relate to your chosen concentration, minor, cluster, or certificate (excluding skill clusters).
- Source of hours: Both paid employment and volunteer hours are acceptable. However, missionary, ecclesiastical, and general church service hours do not count.
Tracking Your Pre-Internship Hours
You'll need to track all your hours and obtain verification for them. You can do this in the following ways:
- Template: Using the Pre-Internship Hours Template (optional) can help you stay organized and make submission easier.
- Verification: Your supervisor can provide verification by writing a brief summary of your job description, the total hours you worked, and their signature.
- Email verification: An email from your supervisor containing verification information is acceptable. Upload a screen shot when submitting.
Submitting Your Pre-Internship Hours
Once you've completed all 100 hours, follow these steps to submit your documentation:
- Log in to your Canvas account.
- Click on the Courses tab on the left side of the page.
- Select the IDS Majors tab.
- Click on the Assignments bar, located just to the right of the Courses tab.
- Open the assignment titled Pre-Internship Hours.
- Click on the blue Submit Assignment tab.
- In the submission box at the bottom, select Choose File and upload the document containing proof of your 100 pre-internship hours with approval.
- Once your document is uploaded, select the Open button.
- Finally, click the blue Submit Assignment button to complete the process.
Need help? If you have questions about where and how to complete these hours, talk to your IDS faculty mentor or contact the IDS Office at interdisciplinarystudies@byui.edu or by calling 208-496-3350.