Shiley School of Engineering: Internships, Externships, and Co-ops

You are strongly encouraged to complete at least one internship related to your field of study before you graduate so that you are competitive when it's time to start your career.

The Shiley School has four (4) formal programs as well as the ongoing assistance provided by the University's Office of Career Services:

1. MECOP - Multiple Engineering Cooperative Program: Allows students to voluntarily experience two six-month internships. [For now, this opportunity is available for UP's mechanical engineering students and computer science students only.] The paid internships take place during the summer and fall after the third year and the summer and fall after the fourth year in the program. MECOP interns, therefore, complete their degree in five years (note that internships constitute one full year). There is an application and interview process to participate in the MECOP program. Students apply during March of their sophomore year. Students selected to represent the University of Portland then go through a MECOP interview screening process in May. Those selected into the MECOP program take a MECOP seminar course during their junior year and go through a placement screening process for the company. If you are interested in participating in MECOP or want to learn more, see the associate dean, Kitty Harmon, or your academic advisor.

2.  Externships for Sophomores:  An externship or job shadow experience is a one day opportunity for students to gain an understanding of a business, industry, and career. Students have an opportunity to  gain insight into a specific industry of interest by shadowing a career volunteer in the workplace. Externships are short-term opportunities with long-term benefits. This is a new program that we are piloting for civil engineering majors in 2013. For more information, contact Career Services or the Deans Office.

3.  Bonneville Power Administration:  P rovides paid internships with benefits for majors in civil engineering, electrical engineering, mechanical engineering, and information technology. The internships for BPA generally happen during the summer.

4. NASA Oregon Space Grant Consortium: With membership in the consortium, UP students are eligible to apply for scholarships, internships, sponsored projects, and research grants. Various internship opportunities exist, including working at a single NASA facility over the summer, working for NASA Academy and spending several weeks at multiple NASA facilities, and receiving a fellowship to work on a specific research project. For more information, go to intern.nasa.gov and look under SOLAR or Student Opportunities for eligibility and details.

5. Office of Career Services: Should be a first stop to look at the extensive list of summer and semester internships. Also, every year, our Society for Women Engineers and the Office of Career Services co-host an Engineering & Science Career Fair.