Internships

Student Internships 

The MALS major currently requires students to complete either a semester-long internship or an education abroad program.

Experiential learning—learning by doing—is at the heart of a liberal arts education. Internships are a key platform in experiential learning. Internships give students who are preparing to enter the job market a valuable opportunity to apply what they’ve learned to real-world situations, while employers benefit from the work of engaged, creative students who are trained as critical thinkers, strong communicators and problem solvers.

Under the guidance of MALS faculty, students complete a semester-long internship with an academic or administrative unit at UT, a local non-profit organization or a government agency, or a company of their choosing. Students are required to register for MAS 375, the in-class component of the internship, which allows them to reflect on their professional experience and learn to apply the MALS curriculum in the real world. The internship course is only offered during the spring semester, and MALS majors should plan to take the course after their sophomore year and before they graduate.

Liberal Arts Career Services also provides internship search resources and support for Liberal Arts Students. 

 

Education Abroad

As part of the College of Liberal Arts, MALS encourages students to consider all of their education abroad options. A number of faculty-led programs exist that allow our majors to travel and study both abroad and in the United States. Below are two examples of current programs that students can consider for education abroad. These programs are not housed in MALS and might not be offered on a regular basis

One international program is the Latinx Identities Across the Americas (Maymester) offered by the College of Education. This interdisciplinary course is based in Puebla, Mexico and introduces students to emergent research on Latinx identity in K-12 and higher education, focused on the topic of masculinity as it is theorized and practiced in the U.S. and Mexico. Students are hosted by the Universidad de las Americas Puebla and have the opportunity to participate in service-learning projects with local organizations. This Maymester course takes place between the end of May and third week of June.

Another option is a domestic program such as The Global City offered by the African and African Diaspora Studies Department. This summer course, held in New York City, offers a unique learning experience since the City itself is the classroom. This course reveals how America’s largest metropolis has been transnational since its very inception: from the conquest of indigenous land, to the city’s involvement in the U.S. slave trade and plantation economy, to its central role in the industrial revolution, to its status as a destination point for migrants from around the world and, finally, to its emergence as the preeminent center of world finance. This course takes place mid-June to mid-July.

For more information contact our Senior Academic Program Coordinator, Luis Guevara, at lvg@austin.utexas.edu.