International Business Internships
The internship opportunities available to Minnesota State Mankato International Business students provide students with a rich extension of the classroom experience. Each internship is designed to provide the student with a learning experience not possible in the traditional classroom setting. Students are not only exposed to many of the functional areas of international business while participating in internships, but they also gain valuable organizational experience working as part of an international business team. Performance in an internship can help build a student's professional network, transition into a job offer or serve as a reference for a full-time job application.
International Business internships are available at a variety of organizations, both for-profit and non-profit and can usually be found year-round. Since there are few internships that are specifically labeled as International Business internships, International Business majors are encouraged to pursue Marketing or business-related internships with companies that have international operations and include duties related to the company’s international operations. A student who has a job doing International Business-related work may earn internship credits.
We strongly encourage internships for International Business graduates. If you would like additional assistance after reviewing the resources on this page, please contact the Internship Office.
The College of Business requires that you register for the term when you are doing your internship. You cannot earn credit retroactively for an internship that is already complete.
If you need help finding an internship, please email cobinternships@mnsu.edu or schedule an appointment by calling 507-389-2963.
Internship Qualifications:
- 45 hours of work is equivalent to 1 credit hour of internship.
- The job duties in the position must primarily be international business or international business-related (80% or more).
- The person you report to, or your company mentor, should be in an international business or international business-related field.
Unsure If an Internship Qualifies? Email the job description to cobinternships@mnsu.edu.
*Use the following format for labeling all internship documents: LastnameFirstname_nameofdocument.
1. Goals Statement
- In a one-page letter briefly summarize your academic and professional background, your career goals, and your internship objectives. The internship objectives are the specific things you hope to learn, experience, and achieve by doing this internship.
- This letter should be written in a format similar to a standard cover letter and be addressed to the Department Chair.
2. DARS Report
- Access your DARS. Copy and paste this document into Word before attaching to your application.
3. Job Description (From Employer)
- This document lists your duties and the projects you will work on during your internship.
4. Internship Offer Letter (From Employer)
- Letter should be written on company letterhead and include your start date, end date, and number of hours you will work each week.
IF YOU ARE DOING A CO-OP, you also need to submit a Co-op Form:
- Complete Co-Op Eligibility Process Form and Agreement - Only required if pursuing co-op status.
- Click here to learn more about what Co-Op entails.
- Please schedule an appointment by calling 507-389-2963 or email cobinternships@mnsu.edu if you have additional questions about Co-Op status.
- Once you have filled out the co-op form, collected the required signatures, and submitted this form to the Registration and Academic Records office, the registration staff will register you for the co-op course.
- Log into Handshake Experiences. If you’ve never been on Handshake, follow the instructions to get started.
- Click on “Submit An Experience”.
- Fill out the "Submit An Experience" form and click “Create Experience” at the bottom.
- Click “New Attachment” under Attachments on the left of the page to upload the required documents (see Step 2 above).
- Email your Department Chair to notify them that you submitted your application.
Once you have gotten permission from your Department Chair, register for the course in eServices.
IBUS 498—(Up to 3 credits) - International Business Internship Credit
Satisfies one of the elective courses in the International Business program. Each credit requires a minimum of 45 hours of work. You will have to pay for these credits like any other class.
IBUS 497—(Up to 9 credits) Additional Internship Credits
Allows students to earn additional credits that will count towards their overall credit total, but do not count towards their major or other required goal areas. Each credit requires a minimum of 45 hours of work. You will have to pay for these credits like any other class.
IBUS 398—IBUS Co-Op Status
Zero credit full-time student status. Learn more about what Co-Op entails.
If you have questions about which course to register for, please email cobinternships@mnsu.edu.
Before your internship ends and you are able to receive a grade, you must complete the following.
1. Stangler Internship Initiative Modules
- Complete the Stangler Internship Initiative Modules on D2L.
- It is highly encouraged to complete them before your internship starts to be prepared for the professional workplace from day one!
- You must complete the modules before you can receive a final grade.
2. Final Employer Evaluation
- Your employer will receive an email with a link to the evaluation.
- This email will be sent 3 weeks before the end of the semester and must be completed before the end of your internship.
- It is the student’s responsibility to remind their supervisor to complete this evaluation. If your supervisor needs a new copy of the evaluation link, email cobinternships@mnsu.edu. Please suggest to your supervisor to check their spam folders.
3. Final Student Evaluation
- You will receive an email with a link to the evaluation.
- This email will be sent 3 weeks before the end of the semester and must be completed before the end of your internship.
- If you need a new copy of the evaluation link, email cobinternships@mnsu.edu.
4. Final Written Paper
- ·The final paper should be 5 pages including the following:
o Brief description of the background of the industry and organization you were associated with during the internship. Include the short-run and long-run outlook of the organization and the possibilities of future positions for college graduates with this organization and other organizations in the same field (approx. 1 page).
o Briefly describe the major areas for which you were responsible during your internship (approx. 1 page).
o Review the detailed list of objectives for the internship experience that you submitted with your internship application. Examine and discuss how each objective was met or not met. This review should represent around 50 percent of the paper (approx. 2 pages).
o Evaluate how well the internship met your internship goals. Relate your internship to your academic training. How could your internship experience have been improved? Provide other comments that are relevant to your internship experience (approx. 1 page).
- The report should be typed, meet collegiate writing standards and be 5 pages in length. Both the content of the final report and the quality of your writing will affect your grade which will be given by your Department Chairperson.
- The final paper must be uploaded to Handshake Experiences. Click “View Details” under your internship, then “New Attachment” on the left side.
Important Notes:
· You will not receive any information for the internship course on D2L. Everything will be processed through Handshake Experiences.
· All internship course requirements are due the Friday before Finals Week. If your internship continues after the semester ends and you will not be able to complete the requirements by the deadline, email cobinternships@mnsu.edu to arrange an alternate deadline
If you have any questions, email your Department Chair or cobinternships@mnsu.edu.
