IDS Internships | Interdisciplinary Studies | BYU-Idaho

# IDS Internships

Interdisciplinary internships offer you a hands-on, professional experience that directly relates to your Interdisciplinary Studies program.

Beginning Spring 2026 you must have completed 100 pre-internship hours to enroll in IDS 398R. For more information see our IDS Canvas page or contact our office.

## Internship Considerations

- Does the internship provide an opportunity for you to develop and gain new skills beyond learning in the classroom that will be marketable upon graduation?
- Do you see yourself working long-term for this company or a similar company?
- Will the internship be with a legitimate business in which the experience itself is marketable to future employers?
- Will you have a mentor within the organization as well as other networking opportunities?

## IDS398R | Internship Experience

- IDS 398R is a 1-credit internship course
- Work at least half of an academic semester (7 weeks)
- 10 hours/week minimum
- Complete a minimum of 100 hours of work
- Have a full-time professional mentor/supervisor during the internship

## Additional Internships Requirements

- Internships must provide students with experience in their chosen concentration. When possible, the internship should also incorporate other degree elements (minors and clusters)
- Have a class standing of at least 70 credits
- No direct sales companies

## How to Register Your Internship

1. Go to the I-Plan home page.
2. From the home page, click on ****Internship Approvals**** at the bottom-right of the screen.
3. Click ****Create an Internship Request**** and fill out the form. Make sure you submit your request when you have completed the form.

## Internship Submission Process

1. Submit your application, it will be sent to your Faculty Internship Coordinator, and a master agreement will be sent to your employer
2. Faculty Internship Coordinator reviews and approves for University & Department requirements
3. Internship Application is sent to processing to check for a master agreement
4. Master agreement is received, authorization email is sent to the student

## Additional Internship Help

For more information about internships, contact interdisciplinarystudies@byui.edu.

## Networking Resources

Below is a list of resources to assist in your job/internships and to aid in your networking.

Career Navigator

BYU-Idaho's official database for internships and jobs. 
 
Go to Career Navigator

Alumni Network

BYU-Idaho's alumni database. Search for alumni by location, major, industry, company, etc. to find contacts to network with. 
 
Go to Alumni Network

LinkedIn BYU-Idaho Official Group

The official BYU-Idaho Linkedin group. 
 
Visit BYU-Idaho LinkedIn

## IDS Internships FAQs

Start looking for an internship **two semesters in advance**. By the time registration opens for the semester, you will want to already have your internship lined up or you should be applying for internships. 
 
For example, if you want to take an internship during Winter semester: 

1. Start looking for internships during the two previous semesters (Spring and Fall semesters).
2. When registration opens for Winter semester, begin applying for internships.
3. Keep in mind that your internship timeline will likely be affected by the track system. So, be flexible about when you take your internship.

Many companies will post when they have internships. You could take the initiative and approach a company, but most students are looking at postings. The Internship & Career Services Office on campus offers resources to help you find postings for internships. 
 
Consider these options when seeking internships: 

- Visit an employer in person
- Use social media networks like LinkedIn and Handshake to find internship opportunities
- Attend training meetings at the BYU-Idaho Career Center
- Learn about available resources at the Career and Academic Advising Office

Sometimes there are internship opportunities that you may want to take advantage of that are unpaid. Make sure that what you will be doing and learning in the internship is worth the unpaid experience. But for all internships, both paid and unpaid, the university has internship grants that you could potentially qualify for. If finances are a consideration, reach out to the Financial Aid office to learn more about Internship Grants.

International internships are often not approved due to safety concerns. If you know of a good international opportunity that would greatly benefit you, start planning that earlier than you would a regular internship and have a good rationale of how it's connected to your major. The approval process for international internships takes a lot longer and you would need to make sure that you have a really good reason for an international internship and that it is in a safe place.

No, you can't do an internship with your family business.

Situations like this are considered on a case-by-case basis. If you are an Interdisciplinary Studies major, please email Brother Brower, the Dean of Interdisciplinary Studies, at interdisciplinarystudies@byui.edu, and explain your situation. If you are majoring in something other than Interdisciplinary Studies, please email the Internship & Career Services Office at internships@byui.edu.

- ****When to start:**** Hours begin accumulating once you're accepted into BYU-Idaho.
- ****Relevance:**** All hours must directly relate to your chosen concentration, minor, cluster, or certificate (excluding skill clusters).
- ****Source of hours:**** Both paid employment and volunteer hours are acceptable. However, missionary, ecclesiastical, and general church service hours do not count.
- ****Submission:**** Track and turn in hours on the IDS Majors Canvas Page.
- ****Questions:**** Look at the IDS Majors Canvas Page or contact ouroffice.