Internships, field work, and undergraduate research are among the many ways students in UT’s College of Arts and Science gain real-world experience before graduation.
By taking advantage of undergraduate opportunities to work in businesses, nonprofits, communities, and laboratories, students graduate from the College of Arts and Sciences with documented experience and professional networks that stand out in the work world.
Employers are increasingly looking for demonstrated workplace skills more than high GPAs in making hiring decisions. Experiential learning through internships, field work, and undergraduate research experiences allow new graduates to speak confidently about how they already have applied what they learned and the key workplace skills they have mastered, such as problem solving, communication, and teamwork.
The benefits of an internship can start immediately, allowing students to apply the skills learned in coursework to real situations and ensuring they love the career path they are on. Ashley Holt (’25) completed a 10-week paid summer internship at Unum Group’s corporate headquarters in Chattanooga, Tennessee, and joined the company as an actuarial assistant after graduation. “The internship experience solidified my passion for actuarial science,” she said.
The advantages gained through internships and other experiential learning may continue beyond the first job offer, with faster career progression, greater job satisfaction, and higher pay.
UT Offers Unique Opportunities
World-renowned faculty and programs, an R1 research institution that works closely with Oak Ridge National Laboratory, and alumni networks that span the globe open doors to Volunteers in the College of Arts and Sciences.
Through the Department of Anthropology, students take courses at the Anthropology Research Facility—better known as the Body Farm—where law enforcement professionals and researchers from around the world also train.
Matt Sullivan (’24) transferred to UT after his sophomore year in college and graduated with a forensic concentration in anthropology. “The opportunities to work at the Bass Building and the Anthropology Research Facility really excited me,” Sullivan said. “I would get an experience that I wouldn’t get anywhere else.”
With recommendations from his professors, Sullivan was allowed to tour the Knox County Regional Forensic Center and shadow death investigators at work. “When it came time to interview with them for a job, they already knew my name, my face, my personality, and most importantly, they knew that I was interested in the work, plus that I could handle it,” Sullivan said. Shortly after graduation, he began work as a Knox County medicolegal death investigator.
While pursuing a double major in anthropology and religious students, Gabby Puckett completed an internship at the McClung Museum of Natural History and Culture on campus and then traveled to Cyprus to take part in the Makounta-Voules Archaeological Project and conduct her own research.
“Dr. (Erin) Darby has been an incredible mentor,” Puckett said of the associate professor in religious studies. “She has really helped me figure out where in the world I want to study and connected me to all sorts of opportunities in the field.”
College professors also helped Puckett find funding opportunities for undergraduate research and provided feedback on her applications
College Supports Internships
Departments in the College of Arts and Sciences encourage students to gain experience through internships, connect undergraduates with work opportunities, and in many cases offer funding beyond what is available through the university and outside organizations.
The School of Art, for example, offers internship awards. Art students’ internship experiences range from working with a muralist on a painting near campus to a cinema studies major working in the scripting department of Omaha Productions in Los Angeles.
The Department of Psychology encourages students to serve internships or volunteer in education, healthcare, nonprofit, and business settings.
Sydney Bull (’25) completed a yearlong internship with the nonprofit McNabb Center, spending 200 hours working with high school students who struggled with substance use.
“I saw my coursework in action,” Bull said. “I took a Skills for Counseling class my freshman year, and I was able to see how a lot of these skills helped me form stronger relationships with the students.”
“Counseling is a field that is hard to understand fully before you’re in it,” she said. “Being able to work closely with the staff at the McNabb Center gave me a clearer picture of what they do on a daily basis.”
Internships, service-learning, and research are among the ways that students earning a language and world business degree can fulfill degree requirements, ideally combining language and professional experience.
Loren Greer (’19) interned with the Hispanic nonprofit HoLa Hora Latina during her sophomore year, which included helping to plan a festival in Knoxville and working with artists. “It was a wonderful opportunity for me to practice my Spanish language. I would not be the person I am today without the knowledge gained at HoLa,” said Greer, now an executive zone business manager for the Greater Nashville zone at Frito Lay.
Undergraduate Research Contributes to Knowledge
Like an internship, undergraduate research opportunities allow students to explore important topics and gain experience while making a real-world impact.
UT’s Appalachian Justice Research Center, for example, offers multiple projects in which students work with faculty from across the university and community partners.
“Students in the lab course gain valuable experience in conducting research and applying solutions that directly support the needs and priorities of Appalachian communities,” said sociology Professor Michell Brown, co-director of the center with law Professor Wendy Bach. “They also have the opportunity to earn their undergraduate minor or graduate certificate in justice studies.”
In areas such as the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular and Cellular Biology, faculty members ensure undergraduates are involved in all aspects of research.
Coursework Shows Professional Skills
Even regular courses in the College of Arts and Sciences allow students to build a portfolio of work accomplishments and experiences that stand out on resumes and during interviews. Internships, community projects, and undergraduate research engage students in the types of work they may be doing after graduation.
A public history course includes internships at places such as the East Tennessee Historical Society and the opportunity to work on local projects, such as researching history for markers along the Tennessee River. The Department of History also offers undergraduate research funding for Honors students working on their thesis.
Students work with state and local governments, nonprofit organizations, and campus partners during the GIS in the Community course, putting geographic information science to work creating maps and supporting research that benefit communities, making life and lives better.
Recently the course, through the Department of Geography and Sustainability, also took students to Costa Rica, where they gathered data and worked with local leaders facing environmental and urban planning issues. “I have been able to fully decide on and execute a project that had the capacity for a positive impact on a real audience,” said Ellie Bernstein (’26), who worked on transportation analysis for the project.
While earning a bachelor’s degree in geography, she also served internships with the City of Knoxville’s Housing and Neighborhood Development Department and the East Tennessee Development District, plus worked on research with a geography professor.
See UT’s Division of Student Success or talk with a college faculty advisor for more information about internships and other opportunities to gain the types of experience that build a more competitive resume.