What does a structural engineering internship do?
A structural engineering intern is responsible for supporting the engineering team on construction and structural projects, identifying cost-reduction techniques, and drafting layouts that adhere to clients' specifications, business requirements, and budget limitations. Structural engineering interns join the engineers on area visits, inspecting site foundation, and calculating dimensions and material costing. They also shadow the team's best practices and recommend ways to maximize productivity and efficiency to deliver high-quality outputs within the required deadlines. A structural engineering intern must be highly technical and analytical, especially on designing deliverables that meet quality standards.
Structural engineering internship responsibilities
Here are examples of responsibilities from real structural engineering internship resumes:
- Authore substantiation documents in compliance with FAA regulations and customer requirements to achieve type certifications and supplemental type certifications.
- Perform detailed design calculations, including load calculations in accordance with IBC, UBC, ACI 318 and ASCE 7.
- Perform drafting and design work using Autodesk programs.
- Design double-row piles to reinforce the structural system using SAP2000.
- Simulate different load conditions on the stadium roof using SAP2000.
- Assist structural engineers to conduct analysis of slabs using ANSYS.
- Calculate loads on structures using multiple building codes and ASCE 7-05.
- Perform analysis on girder frames for the hull using ANSYS workbench.
- Participate in ASCE concrete canoe and AIAS design build projects in college.
- Introduce basic BIM process and provide Revit training to new employees of JPADRI.
- Work in a team to design and draft Revit drawings for variety projects.
- Involve demolition drawings, structural assessment of existing facilities, and anchorage design.
- Perform load calculations and design of concrete foundations and slabs base on ACI code requirements.
- Work perform included modeling and designing the building using ETABS and mat foundation using STAAD programs.
- Design and fabricate a hydraulic test-rig (using SolidWorks) to measure torsion properties of laminate bars.
Structural engineering internship skills and personality traits
We calculated that 14% of Structural Engineering Interns are proficient in Structural Analysis, Revit, and PowerPoint. They’re also known for soft skills such as Leadership skills, Organizational skills, and Speaking skills.
We break down the percentage of Structural Engineering Interns that have these skills listed on their resume here:
- Structural Analysis, 14%
Performed structural analysis of aspects of rocket motor assemblies using both finite element analysis software and mechanics of materials theory.
- Revit, 10%
Received training in Revit (BIM) software as well as completed a three story model of existing structural drawings.
- PowerPoint, 6%
Performed presentations of relevant design specs through Excel and PowerPoint platforms.
- Structural Design, 4%
Gained first-hand experience working on forensic engineering and structural design for restoration of residential and commercial buildings and parking structures.
- Engineering Software, 4%
Designed steel connections using Structural Engineering software for multiple commercial building projects.
- Engineering Calculations, 4%
Performed engineering calculations and conducted basic analysis under supervision.
Most structural engineering interns use their skills in "structural analysis," "revit," and "powerpoint" to do their jobs. You can find more detail on essential structural engineering internship responsibilities here:
Organizational skills. Another soft skill that's essential for fulfilling structural engineering internship duties is organizational skills. The role rewards competence in this skill because "civil engineers often oversee several projects at the same time and must be able to allocate resources effectively." According to a structural engineering internship resume, here's how structural engineering interns can utilize organizational skills in their job responsibilities: "implement six sigma and continuously drive improvement within the company to support and achieve department and organizational goals"
Problem-solving skills. A big part of what structural engineering interns do relies on "problem-solving skills." You can see how essential it is to structural engineering internship responsibilities because "civil engineers may encounter problems during each stage of their work." Here's an example of how this skill is used from a resume that represents typical structural engineering internship tasks: "directed shop drawing review process/resolved coordination problems for vancouver's olympic light-rail transit system. "
Math skills. Another skill commonly found on structural engineering internship job descriptions is "math skills." It can come up quite often in structural engineering internship duties, since "civil engineers use calculus, trigonometry, and other mathematics for analysis, design, and troubleshooting." Here's an example from a resume of how this skill fits into day-to-day structural engineering internship responsibilities: "modeled equipment using pro/e, performed structural analysis using abaqus fea and employing mechanics of material methods in mathcad code. "
See the full list of structural engineering internship skills
The three companies that hire the most structural engineering internships are:
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Compare different structural engineering interns
Structural engineering internship vs. Co-operations engineer
A Co-Operations Engineer ensures that operations-related activities are performed in compliance with company standards and regulations. They optimize the overall efficiency of business.
These skill sets are where the common ground ends though. The responsibilities of a structural engineering internship are more likely to require skills like "structural analysis," "revit," "structural design," and "engineering software." On the other hand, a job as a co-operations engineer requires skills like "cad," "lean manufacturing," "python," and "c++." As you can see, what employees do in each career varies considerably.
Co-operations engineers earn the highest salaries when working in the energy industry, with an average yearly salary of $51,087. On the other hand, structural engineering interns are paid more in the technology industry with an average salary of $56,459.co-operations engineers tend to reach lower levels of education than structural engineering interns. In fact, co-operations engineers are 10.9% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 0.8% less likely to have a Doctoral Degree.Structural engineering internship vs. Resident engineer
A Resident Engineer is responsible for all planning aspects of a project. They maintain project engineering records, monitor and expedite weekly reports for accuracy, and develop and perform quality control procedures.
Each career also uses different skills, according to real structural engineering internship resumes. While structural engineering internship responsibilities can utilize skills like "structural analysis," "revit," "powerpoint," and "structural design," resident engineers use skills like "infrastructure," "pe," "contract administration," and "project management."
Resident engineers may earn a higher salary than structural engineering interns, but resident engineers earn the most pay in the telecommunication industry with an average salary of $100,676. On the other hand, structural engineering interns receive higher pay in the technology industry, where they earn an average salary of $56,459.In general, resident engineers achieve lower levels of education than structural engineering interns. They're 5.6% less likely to obtain a Master's Degree while being 0.8% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Structural engineering internship vs. Office engineer
The duties of an office engineer depend on one's place or industry of employment. Their responsibilities typically revolve around providing technical and clerical support to the workforce, coordinating different parties involved in a project or program, and implementing the company's policies and regulations. Moreover, as an office engineer, it is essential to produce progress reports and presentations, maintain accurate data and records of all transactions, manage schedules, perform maintenance checks, and address issues and concerns, providing corrective measures promptly and efficiently.
There are many key differences between these two careers, including some of the skills required to perform responsibilities within each role. For example, a structural engineering internship is likely to be skilled in "structural analysis," "revit," "powerpoint," and "structural design," while a typical office engineer is skilled in "construction management," "oil gas," "project management," and "primavera."
Office engineers earn the highest salary when working in the retail industry, where they receive an average salary of $85,905. Comparatively, structural engineering interns have the highest earning potential in the technology industry, with an average salary of $56,459.Most office engineers achieve a lower degree level compared to structural engineering interns. For example, they're 10.6% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree, and 0.4% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Structural engineering internship vs. Civil engineer
A civil engineer designs and supervises the construction of large-scale public works projects such as buildings, roads, tunnels, highways, airports, bridges, dams, and other substantial infrastructure. Most civil engineers work in the private industry, but some work for a government organization. Their output is almost everywhere. Many of them specialize in a specific project or practice a target profession such as in transportation, structural engineering, or geotechnical engineering. They oftentimes work at project sites, as they monitor the ongoing construction.
Types of structural engineering internship
Updated January 8, 2025
