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

What is a product engineering internship and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

4 min read

Quoted experts

Janet Kolodner Ph.D.,

Robert Taylor

A Product Engineering Intern works alongside of and aids Product Engineers in the creation of products, but also in the creation of machinery and tools which are then used to manufacture said items. A person in this position will gain knowledge and experience which will familiarize them with the industry.

An Intern's tasks vary, and may include turning 2D designs into 3D, doing mechanical design calculations, processing documents, doing quality control and so on.

The academic requirements of the job vary from employer to employer, but generally, a person must be attending a college and be in the process of obtaining a diploma in Engineering or Design, or a related field.

What general advice would you give to a product engineering internship?

Janet Kolodner Ph.D.

Professor of the Practice and Co-Director of the program, Boston College

I know people need to eat and have a roof over their heads. The important thing, however, is to not settle for the wrong thing too soon. People should think about what they enjoy and what gives them a feeling of purpose, think about what they might want to accomplish over a lifetime (or in the next 5 or 10 years), and make sure they choose to do something that will put them on that path. Or, if they don't know what they want to accomplish, they should think hard about the joy they might get (or not) from a position and the extent to which it uses their strengths well. They shouldn't be afraid to try out something they haven't thought about if they are thinking it could offer possibilities of enjoyment and accomplishment. We can't all do exactly what we think we will be doing, but we often can make the most of what's available.

ScoreProduct Engineering InternshipUS Average

Salary

3.4

Avg. Salary $43,381

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level

4.9

Growth rate 19%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity

3.0

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.13%

Asian 14.19%

Black or African American 4.72%

Hispanic or Latino 11.23%

Unknown 4.89%

White 64.84%

Gender

female 43.05%

male 56.95%

Age - 34

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 - 34

Stress level

4.9

Stress level is manageable

7.1 - high

Complexity level

8.2

Complexity level is challenging

7 - challenging

Work life balance

4.6

Work life balance is fair

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become a product engineering internship

Explore product engineering internship education requirements

Most common product engineering internship degrees

Bachelor's

76.5 %

Master's

12.5 %

Associate

7.0 %

Start to develop specific product engineering internship skills

Skills	Percentages
Python	11.06%
C++	7.48%
Data Analysis	6.77%
Product Development	6.27%
PowerPoint	4.61%

Complete relevant product engineering internship training and internships

Accountants spend an average of 1-3 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New product engineering interns learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as a product engineering internship based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real product engineering internship resumes.

Research product engineering internship duties and responsibilities

Manage all USP reference standards and HPLC columns for laboratory.
Manage all sample inventories, as well as order samples from vendors for NYC, Seattle, and Canada office.
Perform product design of minimally invasive medical devices utilizing SolidWorks.
Monitor production by hosting weekly WIP team meetings.

Prepare your product engineering internship resume

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

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