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Internship vs practicum student

The differences between interns and practicum students can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a practicum student has an average salary of $49,447, which is higher than the $35,254 average annual salary of an internship.

The top three skills for an internship include powerpoint, financial statements and C++. The most important skills for a practicum student are group therapy sessions, mental health, and crisis intervention.

Internship vs practicum student overview

InternshipPracticum Student
Yearly salary$35,254$49,447
Hourly rate$16.95$23.77
Growth rate-5%4%
Number of jobs51,0649,737
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 68%Bachelor's Degree, 71%
Average age4742
Years of experience2-

What does an internship do?

Interns are trainees who are engaged by a company to work for them for a brief period. Interns usually use this opportunity to gain actual work experience, fulfill university or college requirements, and ensure that they are working towards the right career path for them. They sign on for a fixed amount of time. The responsibilities of interns depend on the company and the department that handles them. They do a variety of tasks that exposes them to the type of work that the company is engaged in and to the different aspects of the professional world.

What does a practicum student do?

Practicum students are responsible for applying their classroom learning to practical application, depending on their chosen field. A practicum student shadows an experienced staff of an organization and learns everything on how a certain profession works. Practicum students must be detail-oriented and fast-learners to perform basic duties as their mentor advises, such as performing administrative tasks as- needed. A practicum student should have excellent communication and organizational skills, as well as the ability to focus on the learnings for evaluation.

Internship vs practicum student salary

Interns and practicum students have different pay scales, as shown below.

InternshipPracticum Student
Average salary$35,254$49,447
Salary rangeBetween $24,000 And $49,000Between $35,000 And $68,000
Highest paying CitySan Francisco, CA-
Highest paying stateAlaska-
Best paying companyQorvo-
Best paying industryTelecommunication-

Differences between internship and practicum student education

There are a few differences between an internship and a practicum student in terms of educational background:

InternshipPracticum Student
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 68%Bachelor's Degree, 71%
Most common majorBusinessPsychology
Most common collegeWestern Carolina UniversityUniversity of Washington

Internship vs practicum student demographics

Here are the differences between interns' and practicum students' demographics:

InternshipPracticum Student
Average age4742
Gender ratioMale, 42.0% Female, 58.0%Male, 19.2% Female, 80.8%
Race ratioBlack or African American, 9.8% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 18.1% Asian, 10.3% White, 56.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.0%Black or African American, 9.7% Unknown, 3.9% Hispanic or Latino, 12.5% Asian, 3.7% White, 69.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5%
LGBT Percentage6%9%

Differences between internship and practicum student duties and responsibilities

Internship example responsibilities.

  • Lead enrollment process efficiently through securing proper registration forms, official transcripts, immunization records, and IEP documentation as needed.
  • Manage all company financial transactions through QuickBooks.
  • Design PHP application to automate schedule updating process.
  • Manage a web-base graphical interface that utilize a SQL database to better track fabrication lab operations.
  • Organize online recipe content through the blog, design flyers for it and spread the contest word through twitter and blog.
  • Develop sponsored post strategy for LinkedIn and Facebook.
  • Show more

Practicum student example responsibilities.

  • Help veterans and their families learn to manage symptoms of PTSD through education, self-awareness, and becoming aware of triggers.
  • Shadow physicians in specialties of pediatrics, family medicine, obstetrics and gynecology, and r oncology.
  • Work with the general population including pediatrics and geriatrics using E-Stim, ultrasound, and various modalities.
  • Work one on one with students to provide psycho-education and mentoring around issues of anxiety, depression, and PTSD.
  • Format and re-image windows tablets.
  • Contribute to online marketing campaign using Facebook.
  • Show more

Internship vs practicum student skills

Common internship skills
  • PowerPoint, 10%
  • Financial Statements, 6%
  • C++, 5%
  • Mental Health, 5%
  • Data Analysis, 4%
  • Facebook, 4%
Common practicum student skills
  • Group Therapy Sessions, 9%
  • Mental Health, 9%
  • Crisis Intervention, 8%
  • Substance Abuse, 8%
  • Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, 7%
  • Individual Therapy Sessions, 5%

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