The Department of Accounting has a very active internship program which offers accounting majors the opportunity to earn college credit while gaining valuable experience in the accounting profession! Recruiting begins as early as sophomore year, and internships can be done either in the summer or in the spring semester of the student's senior year.
When?
Beginning in early January, most interns work either in audit (ten weeks) or tax (fifteen weeks) although sometimes students may work in other areas such as advisory/consulting. There are also opportunities for students to work in industry. Students receive six credit hours for 10-week internships or nine credit hours for 15-week internships. There is also an option for a 5-week internship (3 credit hours), and this often works well in the summer.
Ten-week interns typically return to campus the Monday after Spring Break to take two accelerated courses, Intermediate Accounting III (ACC 4550) and another course to be determined. Fifteen-week interns typically return to campus after April 15 to take a "super-accelerated" accounting elective, to be determined, over the last two weeks of the semester. In recent years, the second elective for both ten-week and fifteen-week interns has been ACC 3590 - Assessing Sustainability in a Global Business Environment.
What Is Required?
Internship candidates should generally have completed the following courses before leaving for the internship:
- Accounting Principles I & II (ACC 2100 & 2110)
- Intermediate Accounting I & II (ACC 3100 & 3110)
- Accounting Systems and Internal Control (ACC 3570)
- Individual Income Taxation (ACC 3580)
- Introduction to Auditing (ACC 4560)
Where Do I Begin?
Students should start by attending recruiting and networking events offered by the Accounting Department, Beta Alpha Psi, and/or the Student IMA. Then, students should sign up to take ACC 3000, the accounting career readiness course, in fall of their junior year. ACC 3000, along with the networking events, will prepare students for recruting and allow students to meet dozens of accounting firms that are seeking interns and permanent hire candidates.