Can you do an internship during grad school?

Yes, you can usually do an internship during grad school. While many graduate school programs require students to complete an internship to graduate, some do not allow it. Many graduate school programs require an internship (or externship) to graduate. This will typically include professional work experience in the student's chosen field and can be paid or unpaid.

Do business interns get paid?

Yes, the majority of business interns get paid for the duration of their internship. Compensation often depends on the company and duties associated with the internship and can come in several forms.

Is a graduate program the same as an internship?

No, a graduate program is not the same as an internship. Though, many graduate programs require students to complete an internship to graduate. A graduate program is an advanced college degree program beyond a bachelor's. This can include a master's degree or doctorate track.

How To Become A Graduate Internship: What It Is and Career Path

What is a graduate internship and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

4 min read

Even though graduate internships usually only last a few months, they are an excellent way to build your confidence, make industry connections, and hopefully help you get a job. A good number of graduate interns get hired full-time by the company that they intern with because they impress their bosses during their internship. They showcased their skills and the employer decided they didn't want to lose them.

Reasons to do an internship include developing your knowledge and skills in a particular field or industry, exploring different roles and finding out which one you would like to pursue, and getting insight into the way businesses work and what challenges they face on a daily basis.

An internship also gives you the opportunity to create a network of contacts who might be able to recommend unadvertised jobs, to gain valuable work experience to set you apart from other candidates, and to acquire university credits. You also get to apply the concepts and strategies of your academic studies in a live workplace environment.

Many companies require their graduate interns to have a bachelor's degree in their field of interest. Some skills companies look for in an intern include being attentive, happy to learn, and able to gracefully receive criticism. Strong communication, interpersonal, and organizational skills are also a plus. Salaries for graduate interns depend on the industry, but many earn the national minimum wage or are unpaid.

ScoreGraduate InternshipUS Average

Salary

4.1

Avg. Salary $52,511

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level

3.7

Growth rate 4%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity

8.7

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 1.11%

Asian 10.38%

Black or African American 11.63%

Hispanic or Latino 18.45%

Unknown 4.63%

White 53.81%

Gender

female 64.95%

male 35.05%

Age - 45

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 45

Stress level

3.7

Stress level is moderate

7.1 - high

Complexity level

5.8

Complexity level is intermediate

7 - challenging

Work life balance

8.0

Work life balance is good

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become a graduate internship

Explore graduate internship education requirements

Most common graduate internship degrees

Bachelor's

69.3 %

Master's

22.9 %

Doctorate

4.4 %

Start to develop specific graduate internship skills

Skills	Percentages
Patients	10.63%
Python	9.97%
Java	9.16%
PowerPoint	8.25%
C++	6.03%

Research graduate internship duties and responsibilities

Develop several Perl scripts to assist engineers to validate RTL files and automate several processes.
Develop software in python to automate the test process for both functional validation and production test process.
Script in Perl in order to efficiently automate the process of setting up simulation conditions and collecting data.
Design PHP application to automate schedule updating process.

Prepare your graduate internship resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your graduate internship resume.

You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on a graduate internship resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

Choose from 10+ customizable graduate internship resume templates

Build a professional graduate internship resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your graduate internship resume.