My MPA
Internships
Round out your Texas McCombs MPA education with hands-on experience by interning at major business partners for course credit.
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Internships often lead to job offers
A popular approach during spring semester (4th year for integrated MPAs) is to spend half a semester interning, then half a semester taking accelerated courses, making progress toward your degree. Summer and fall internships are also available. Internships emphasize leadership, teamwork, and client/management interaction while giving you insight into organizations, practice areas, and locations.
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Building Your Skillsets
The internship program is designed to give you an opportunity to combine your formal academic preparation with an exposure to the accounting profession. This experience is beneficial not only upon graduation but also during the remainder of you time in the MPA program. In addition, you'll become more aware of the skills needed to be successful in the accounting profession.
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Course Credit for Internships
Three hours of graduate credit is earned for an internship if the internship involves the completion of at least 320 hours of work activity that requires the use of knowledge and skills learned in the program. Credit can be earned for internships in public accounting as well as other market sectors that meet this standard, such as financial services, industry, consulting, and investment banking.
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More Information

You will typically complete an internship* in the spring and/or summer semester(s). If you complete a spring “busy season” internship, you can opt to intern for approximately half of the semester and complete two condensed courses in the other half of the semester. This arrangement allows you the opportunity to be enrolled full-time, make significant degree progress, and (in most cases) complete an internship without postponing your expected graduation date. If you prefer to intern for an entire academic semester (fall, spring, or summer), your graduation date will most likely be postponed.

*Internships are required for integrated MPA students but are an optional component of the traditional MPA curriculum. Internships completed prior to the start of the MPA program will not earn credit toward the MPA degree.

Employment Log

In order to earn credit for the internship course, an intern is responsible for keeping and submitting a daily journal, in their own words, of their internship. Journals consist of a chronological summary of work undertaken, formal training, and assignments and tasks performed. The number of hours worked each week as well as the numbers of hours worked to date must be included.

Internship Paper

In order to earn credit for the internship course, an intern writes and submits a paper detailing the knowledge gained from the internship experience, how internship work integrated the intern’s formal education to date and discussing other aspects of the internship, following a specified rubric.

Academic Credit

Internships are evaluated on a credit/no credit basis. Credit hours vary based on traditional or integrated status. Please speak with your academic advisor for more information.

Internship Syllabi

For more details about internships, see the Fall, Spring, or Summer syllabus.

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Start your application here.

Interns must have their applications approved prior to beginning their internships. If applications are not submitted by the due date, the completion of an additional research assignment will be required before approval.

Questions about internships should be directed to the Internship Coordinator.

Become an Intern
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Employer Commitments

Nature and Duration of Employment

The internship must contain a major accounting component requiring supervised professional judgment. The intern must work a minimum of 320 hours.

Internship Training

An integral part of the internship is the formal training program provided by the sponsoring firm or company. Students will submit an Internship Information Form filled out by their supervisor.

Post-Employment Evaluation

The employer provides a brief evaluation of the intern’s performance at the conclusion of the internship. While the firm may opt to instead submit their own form, the program office would prefer the standard evaluation whenever possible.  However, we will gladly accept either.  Submission information is on the bottom of the form.