Key Responsibilities and Required Skills for University Internship

🎯 Role Definition

The University Internship is a structured, supervised position designed to give current students or recent graduates hands-on experience in an academic or campus business environment. Interns will support faculty, research teams, administrative units, or campus organizations through project work, data collection and analysis, communications and outreach, laboratory assistance, and operational support. This role emphasizes learning, mentorship, cross-functional collaboration, and measurable contributions to departmental objectives.

📈 Career Progression

Typical Career Path

Entry Point From:

Current undergraduate or graduate student seeking experiential learning.
Recent graduate or student on a gap year pursuing practical experience.
Student worker, volunteer, or campus ambassador transitioning to a formal internship.

Advancement To:

Graduate Research Assistant or Teaching Assistant.
Junior Data Analyst, Lab Technician, or Program Coordinator.
Entry-level roles in the relevant field (e.g., Junior Software Engineer, Marketing Coordinator).
Full-time administrative or academic support positions within the university.

Lateral Moves:

Student Affairs Assistant
Communications Intern or Social Media Coordinator
Peer Mentor / Resident Assistant

Core Responsibilities

Primary Functions

Assist faculty and research teams with literature reviews, annotated bibliographies, and synthesis of academic sources to support grant proposals, publications, and coursework.
Design, execute, and document experiments or pilot studies under supervision, including setting up equipment, collecting observations, and maintaining laboratory notebooks in accordance with safety protocols.
Clean, transform, and analyze quantitative or qualitative datasets using tools such as Excel, SQL, Python, R, SPSS, or MATLAB to produce reproducible results and visual summaries for faculty and stakeholders.
Support curriculum development and classroom preparation by creating instructional materials, preparing presentation slides, and compiling reading packets for undergraduate or graduate courses.
Provide direct student support as a teaching or lab assistant: lead discussion sections, hold office hours, grade assignments, and provide constructive feedback aligned with course rubrics.
Contribute to campus events and outreach campaigns by coordinating logistics, managing event registrations, communicating with vendors, and preparing promotional materials.
Draft and edit communication pieces—newsletters, social posts, web content, and internal announcements—ensuring consistency with department style guides and accessibility standards (WCAG).
Conduct stakeholder interviews, focus groups, or surveys and synthesize qualitative findings into clear recommendations and executive summaries for project leads.
Develop and maintain databases, records, and documentation for ongoing projects, ensuring version control and adherence to data governance and privacy policies (FERPA, IRB where applicable).
Prototype and test software features, basic web pages, or dashboards; participate in code reviews and use version control (Git) to contribute to collaborative development.
Perform financial support tasks such as processing invoices, tracking budgets, reconciling expense reports, and assisting with grant accounting under the guidance of the department administrator.
Support recruitment and admissions activities by reviewing applicant materials, conducting outreach to prospective students, and scheduling interviews or campus tours.
Assist in marketing and communications campaigns by creating content calendars, scheduling social media posts, monitoring analytics, and recommending content optimizations based on engagement data.
Prepare visual assets and data visualizations using tools like Tableau, Power BI, Adobe Creative Suite, or Canva to communicate findings to non-technical audiences.
Create and maintain procedural documentation, standard operating procedures (SOPs), and how-to guides that enable knowledge transfer and support continuity across teams.
Participate in iterative project planning by attending sprint planning, stand-ups, and retrospective meetings; provide estimates and status updates for assigned tasks.
Monitor and maintain laboratory inventory, order supplies, and coordinate with facilities to ensure equipment functionality and compliance with safety inspections.
Manage and respond to routine student or stakeholder inquiries via email and phone, escalating complex issues to supervisors with clear context and suggested next steps.
Execute quality assurance tasks such as proofing publications, testing data pipelines, validating experiment setups, and ensuring deliverables meet acceptance criteria.
Support alumni and donor relations efforts by assisting with outreach lists, preparing briefing materials, and coordinating donor events that strengthen institutional relationships.
Assist with diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives by contributing to resource development, event programming, and outreach aimed at historically underrepresented student populations.
Track project metrics, prepare weekly status reports, and present findings to supervisors to demonstrate progress and impact against project objectives.

Secondary Functions

Support ad-hoc data requests and exploratory data analysis.
Contribute to the organization's data strategy and roadmap.
Collaborate with business units to translate data needs into engineering requirements.
Participate in sprint planning and agile ceremonies within the data engineering team.
Provide backup administrative coverage for reception, scheduling, and document processing as needed.
Help prepare internal progress reports and final internship deliverables (presentations, posters, or written reports) for faculty and funding bodies.
Engage in professional development activities, including workshops, mentoring sessions, and seminars sponsored by the university.

Required Skills & Competencies

Hard Skills (Technical)

Proficient with Microsoft Office Suite (Excel, Word, PowerPoint) for data analysis, reporting, and presentations.
Experience with data analysis tools and languages such as Python (pandas, numpy), R (tidyverse), or SPSS for cleaning and statistical analysis.
Working knowledge of SQL for querying relational databases and preparing datasets for analysis.
Familiarity with data visualization tools like Tableau, Power BI, Matplotlib, or ggplot2 to create clear visuals for stakeholders.
Basic coding skills in JavaScript, HTML/CSS, or other languages relevant to web development and prototyping.
Version control experience using Git/GitHub or equivalent for collaborative code and document management.
Laboratory techniques and safety protocol knowledge for science and engineering internships (e.g., sterile technique, spectroscopy, chromatography) where applicable.
Competence with content and design tools such as Adobe Creative Suite (Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign) or Canva for marketing assets.
Experience using CRM and outreach platforms (Salesforce, HubSpot) or LMS environments (Canvas, Moodle) to manage communications and participant data.
Familiarity with research compliance processes (IRB, FERPA) and best practices for handling sensitive or human-subjects data.
Basic financial administration skills: processing purchase requests, tracking budgets, reconciling expenses, and using accounting systems or spreadsheets.
Ability to use project management and collaboration tools such as Asana, Trello, JIRA, or Microsoft Teams to manage tasks and communicate with cross-functional teams.

Soft Skills

Clear, professional written and verbal communication tailored to academic and non-technical audiences.
Strong organizational skills with the ability to manage multiple tasks, meet deadlines, and maintain detailed documentation.
Analytical and critical thinking: able to synthesize information, discern patterns, and make evidence-based recommendations.
Team player who collaborates effectively across faculty, staff, and student groups and is comfortable receiving and applying feedback.
Initiative and proactive problem-solving; identifies gaps and proposes practical solutions or next steps.
Attention to detail and commitment to producing accurate, high-quality work.
Adaptability and flexibility to work in fast-changing project environments and shift priorities as needed.
Cultural competence and sensitivity when working with diverse populations and confidential information.
Time management and self-motivation to balance internship responsibilities alongside academic commitments.
Professionalism and ethical conduct, including respect for institutional policies, research integrity, and confidentiality.

Education & Experience

Educational Background

Minimum Education:

Currently enrolled in an accredited undergraduate or graduate program (Bachelor's or Master's) OR recent graduate within the past 12 months.

Preferred Education:

Progress toward or completion of a relevant degree in fields such as Computer Science, Data Science, Biology, Psychology, Engineering, Business, Communications, Education, Public Policy, or related disciplines.
Coursework or certificates in research methods, statistics, programming, or project management.

Relevant Fields of Study:

Computer Science / Software Engineering
Data Science / Statistics / Mathematics
Biology / Chemistry / Physics / Engineering
Psychology / Cognitive Science / Social Sciences
Business / Marketing / Finance / Economics
Education / Curriculum & Instruction
Communications / Journalism / Public Relations
Public Policy / Nonprofit Management
Human-Computer Interaction / Design
Environmental Science / Sustainability

Experience Requirements

Typical Experience Range:

0–2 years (students and recent graduates); many internships are open to candidates with limited formal work experience but with relevant coursework, projects, or volunteer experience.

Preferred:

Prior internship, lab assistant, research assistant, student-worker, or project-based experience demonstrating application of technical skills (data analysis, lab techniques, coding, communications).
Portfolio items or examples of past work (code repository, research poster, writing samples, presentations) that illustrate abilities and impact.