Internship and externship program

Qualified students

The internship course (FIN 484) is available to juniors and seniors majoring in finance, accounting and/or economics. To be eligible for course enrollment you must have completed FIN 302 or 303 and one of the following: FIN 331, ACC 340, any ECN 300- or 400-level courses.

Deadlines

An application can be submitted any time during the calendar year, but to be considered for a particular semester a student must have an approved application prior to the beginning of the semester and must enroll in the course before the late drop-add date for that particular semester. Students who enroll for this class must have met with Assistant Professor James Garrett to discuss the course requirements.

Corporate internships

Corporate internships are administered by the Department of Finance for corporations in the Phoenix metropolitan area. Companies offering internships vary throughout the year. Students can earn 3 credit hours in one semester and may continue an internship for two successive semesters with application re-approval. The credit earned is elective and meets college and university requirements as upper division (FIN 484). Working student interns must be paid a competitive hourly wage during the period employed. All students are required to keep a journal identifying the work experience and prepare a PowerPoint slide demonstrating an element of their work activities for classroom presentation.

Sponsored externships

The sponsored externship offered through Phoenix-area companies is for one semester only. Students meeting the requirements of this program must complete 10 weeks with each company. Students receive a stipend from the Department of Finance and earn up to 3 hours of credit. The credit earned is elective and meets college and university requirements as upper division (FIN 484). Students may spend up to 20 hours per week working with the sponsoring companies. Each student completes a course project demonstrating proficiency in the use of Bloomberg’s financial markets commodities news and information system.

Organizational internships

Organizational internships are offered by the Department of Finance with the cooperation of nonprofit corporations and governmental agencies in the Phoenix metropolitan area. Available internships vary throughout the year. Students earn 3 credit hours in one semester and may continue the internship for up to one calendar year (accumulating a total of 12 credit hours.) The credit earned is elective and meets college and university requirements as upper division (FIN 484). Students working with nonprofit companies and institutions are paid a stipend by the Department of Finance or wages by the sponsoring agency. All students keep a journal identifying the work experience and prepare a demonstration project of the work activity.

Requirements for internship/externship sponsors

Companies wishing to offer a sponsored internship or externship must meet certain departmental requirements that include at least the following: Pay the sponsorship fee to the Department of Finance, provide 15 to 20 hours of work experience per week, complete a final student internship evaluation form, and direct and promote completion of the internship research project.

Funding stipends

Alumni and corporate sponsors are asked to contribute to the finance internship program to support the payment of stipends to students working for nonprofit corporations and governmental agencies. Sponsors contribute to a general fund, which helps defray the direct costs incurred by the students.