What are requirements for engineering internships?

Do they just have a minimum GPA requirement or do they require that certain classes be taken? I’m still in my remedial math courses and have not even reached square one yet but thought I would ask because no matter what I major in I hope I can get an internship in it during my four year college career and if there’s not any then that means that field may not be marketable. I am looking to find work I can do during the school year other than retail ( I don’t enjoy that) or at least for the summer. Factory work pays good but it seems rough to do. I’m interested in Civil and environmental engineering.

Depends on the company. Some companies require 3.0, some 3.2, some 2.5, some 3.5, some no requirement. Some take students after freshman year of the curriculum (aka the student has taken calc 1-2, some physics, etc.); some prefer students after junior year, when they’ve taken most of the classes in their major.

For informational purposes, you could look up civil or environmental internship postings on Indeed or Monster (two job-search websites) and see what companies are looking for.

Don’t assume that if you don’t get an internship, job prospects are bad, for you or for the sector. It’s easier to get a job than it is to get an internship. The applicant to opening ratio is lower.

The requirements are different for different companies. Big companies are typically similar; rising seniors only, GPA >3.2 (advertised), GPA > 3.5 in actually (due to large number of applicants), and they will look at the courses taken. Smaller companies can have much less rigorous requirements.

My bigger concern is that you are in remedial math. While not all engineering jobs involve a lot of math, math skills are extremely important in getting thru engineering school.

A couple of points.

While an internship helps when looking for a job after graduation, it’s not a “must have”. Plenty of engineers find jobs without ever working an internship. However, if you can, an internship is recommended. The $ and experience is good, while it does help make you more competitive in the job market.

As HPuck35 said, most companies are looking for rising seniors. To them, an internship is like an extended job interview and recruitment tool. I would say at least 3 out of 4 companies would limit themselves to interviewing juniors. You can still get an internship earlier, but you have to cast a wide net, and after target smaller companies. In fact, it’s best to start looking at a freshman. If nothing else, you gain valuable experience building your resume and interviewing, that will pay off when you’re a junior.

While in college you’ll need to build up your resume. Of course, the higher your GPA the better. In addition, you’ll find that most questions asked during interviews are “behavioral questions”. “Have you ever had a conflict with a team member and how did you over come it?”. They are looking for people with decent interpersonal skills.

For that reason, don’t limit yourself to only academics. Work a part time job, join a club, take a leadership position in your club, do undergraduate research, etc. Design teams are a great example… A popular design team for Civil engineers are the Concrete Canoe design teams.

http://www.gatorasce.com/concrete-canoe.html

You can see how a significant amount of your interview could be spent talking about your experiences on this team. Civil engineers have other design/competition teams, this is only one example. You want to give yourself something to talk about, other than your GPA and classes you’ve taken.

Good Luck!

@HPuck35 I’m in remedial math not because I’m not good at it but because I never took higher level math or even took algebra II in high school due to dropping out and then coming back to finish in a short time. However, I’m not naturally good at math because I have to get help and practice. I took my first remedial math course twice to a major illness which caused me to miss a great deal of school and now i’m dropping Trig because my grandmothers death and mental health issues caused me to miss more school and not understand the material. If Engineering doesn’t work out then I plan to do a slightly less math intensive major such as Biology or Environmental Science. Good information about internships!

My son volunteered to assist a graduate student in the university Labs. This experience helped him tremendously. He interacted with professionals, got to pick their brains, etc. Initially, it was mostly cleaning up, but he was able to use specialized equipment after training.

SuperGeo599, I am sorry to imply that you weren’t good at math. Many engineering students have taken Calculus before entering college. As calculus is necessary to understanding many of the principles presented in engineering class, it is required to have those skills before starting anything beyond the most basic introduction classes. College is expensive and you want to be fully prepared to be able to finish college as efficiently as possible.

As mentioned above, many big companies view internships as long job interviews. There are typically many fewer internships available, so getting a full time position is actually easier. An internship would give me a reference point as to one’s ability to “play well with others”. A necessary trait to have in the team environment that engineering is. There are many other ways to demonstrate that ability. So it is not necessary to have in internship to get a full time job in engineering. I did undergraduate research in my college days. That also gave me a great reference in the prof that I worked under.