Career Exploration and Development

Internship+ Program

Oberlin College & Conservatory ensures students can explore their career interests, gain real-world experience, and develop a professional network.  The Internship+ program supports the integration of co-curricular and curricular opportunities and ensures that all students, regardless of background, can access experiences that enrich their academic pursuits and help them launch successfully from Oberlin. 

Internship+ provides third-year students a unique and engaging opportunity to gain the skills and confidence to launch into a high-quality summer experiential learning opportunity. Students who participate in the Internship+ program are eligible to receive up to $5,000 to help offset costs associated with a secured, unpaid or low-paid  internship, research-based experience, or other pre-professional or performance-focused experience.

Each Internship+ student will participate in activities related to one of six career communities:

The Internship+ Funding Application is now open through April 26.

**Students must be registered with CED in order to participate in the Internship+ program and receive funding.**

Contact internships@oberlin.edu if you wish to participate and are not registered

Apply for my Internship+ Funding

Students who plan to apply for Internship+ funding must register to participate in the program for the 2023-2024 academic year.

Internship+ Registration Form

Once admitted into the program, students will need to complete the following program requirements to become eligible for funding for a summer experience. 

College of Arts & Sciences program requirements (all career communities except Music Performance, Education and Administration):

Students are required to complete all of the following:

  • Have a career advisor review and approve your resume -  prior to submitting the funding application
  • Attend one (1) Career Panel presentation -  prior to submitting the funding application
  • Attend one (1) Professional Development workshop -  prior to submitting the funding application
  • Complete one (1) Informational Interview with an industry expert and/or Oberlin Alumnus in your chosen career field
    • Will be a required element of the e-portfolio
    • Collect the person’s name, title, organization and date of the interview
    • Write a summary of the interview
  • Begin working on assembling an e-Portfolio (Digication & Resources)
    • Accessing the Internship+ template will be available after funding is approved. Students will recieve notification of their enrollment.

* Upcoming career panels and workshops will be posted in Handshake and the CED weekly email. Please contact your career community advisor with any questions about which events meet this requirement.

Conservatory program requirements (Music Performance, Education and Administration career community):

Students are required to complete one of the following:

  • PROF 200: Professional Development for Musicians (4 credit course)
  • LEAD 375: Career Readiness for Musicians (2 credit course)
  • Attend a minimum of three (3) workshops offered by CED and/or Conservatory Professional Development (such as the Professional Development Speaker Series) and create an e-Portfolio (Digication)

NOTE: The above requirements must be completed before a funding request will be reviewed.  Any requests submitted without the above steps being completed will be held for review until completed.

By participating in the Internship+ program, students will:

  • articulate how their liberal arts and artistic education contribute to their future career path;
  • gain insider knowledge of a professional field of interest and have the opportunity to bridge academic study and real-world application;
  • network with alumni, parents, and prospective employers from their career fields of interest; 
  • gain insight into workplace culture on topics related to diversity, equity, and inclusion; self-efficacy; and performance management;
  • develop NACE competencies, skills employers are looking for in candidates;
  • develop professional skills related to interviewing, resume, and cover letter writing; and
  • design a career management action plan to utilize in the future.

Upon completing the program requirements and securing a summer experience, students may request Internship+ funding. Please note that this is a separate application from the Internship+ program application, which must be submitted in the fall.

  • Funding request application opens: Friday, February 2, 2024
  • Funding request application closes: Friday, April 26, 2024

The following materials will be required for the application:

  • Detailed description about the organization, including:
  • Organization name, city/state, and website or social media page
  • Name of direct supervisor (or program coordinator if the direct supervisor is not known at the time of application)
  • Direct supervisor’s email address and phone number
  • A detailed description of the summer experience, including:
    • Internship, research, or performance description
    • Expectations/goals for the student during the experience
  • Copy of acceptance/confirmation letter or email
  • Résumé
  • Signed copy of Summer Internship Waiver form
  • Budget Request Information (detailed and reasonable)
  • Validation of completion of the Internship+ program participation requirements

Funding applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis, with applicants notified of their decision within three (3) weeks after submitting a fully completed funding request.

Internship+ funding is available to Oberlin College juniors who:

  • Are in good academic and personal conduct standing
  • Have secured (accepted) a qualified unpaid or low-paid*, off-campus summer experience by Friday, April 26, 2024
    • Internships must be full-time, 8-12 weeks (320 hours)
    • Undergraduate Research must be minimum of 6 weeks (240 hours)
    • Performance-based experiences must be a minimum of 4 weeks (can include multiple experiences)
  • Have completed all required components of the program by the required deadlines

* low-paid is the total compensation (wages, salary, stipend) is less than the funding a student is eligible to receive through Internship+. 

This information is presented for general informational purposes only and is not a substitute for the advice of a qualified tax professional. 

For international students, funding awards through the Internship+ program are subject to taxation. Only some students will be taxed at the same rate (or at all), so international students must complete tax forms in a web-based software called Sprintax Calculus.

Awarded international students will receive an email notification from Human Resources regarding their Sprintax account and required forms. The information provided in these forms will determine the taxability of the requested award amount.