Internship Program
An internship is required of all undergraduate students in the NESAD Interior Design program. The internship program is designed to give senior students experience in, and exposure to, the realities of the professional world of art and design in order to better prepare them for employment upon graduation.
Current Internship Positions
Information for Students
Information for Employers
Current Internship Positions
The Interior Design program at the New England School of Art and Design manages a list of current internship positions. Employers may submit internships using our online form.
Current Internship Positions - download and print document
Submit an Internship - online form
Information For Students
Current Internship Positions - download and print document
Internship Program Guide - download PDF
Finding An Internship
Internship opportunities will be posted on the Interior Design bulletin board and in the Job opportunities notebook. There are also some internships posted in the Coop Learning Office at Suffolk University. However, it is the student’s responsibility to find an appropriate internship! Don’t forget to check out trade publications. The yellow pages lists many of these companies also, with the advantage that they are all local listings. Networking: pursing leads that you hear of by word of mouth, is often the most effective method of searching. You can network at local Interior Design events, and at meetings of any of the local trade associations (IIDA, ASID, ISP, NEIDC, IFMA, AIA). Alumni of NESAD/SU work all over the Boston area and can often be a good source of information about internships. Professional Contacts (people that you meet at informational interviews, or other places) can also provide you with good leads.
Negotiating for An Internship
Make sure that you talk very specifically about what your job responsibilities will be, and who will supervise your work. The interview should be a two-sided process. You want to get an internship that gives you the greatest amount of creative experience as possible! This is not to say you should refuse to make Xeroxes or work in the resource library…but it is important that you participate in as many learning activities as possible. Your learning is your “payment” for your internship.
Making the Most of Your Internship
You should always treat your internship seriously and professionally Show up to work on time. Act responsibly. Always meet deadlines. Your internship is often your best reference when you look for full-time work! And, many internships have led to full-time jobs. Be assertive. Suggest ways that you may more fully participate in the work of the firm. Even if you do only production on some jobs, you can do some creative work for the project on your own time and have it critiqued. Try to experience all of the “jobs” at your company… Use your internship as a trial run for the “real world.”
Waiver of Internship Requirement
A student who has completed work in an appropriate situation, with or without a salary, may petition to have the Internship requirement waived, with the approval of the Interior Design Program Director. Please note: a waiver does not earn credit. In order for a waiver to be considered, the student must have been employed for a minimum of 8 hours per week for a semester. Any student wishing such an exemption must complete a Request for Exemption from Internship Requirement form. Should the student be currently involved in such an equivalent situation, a verification form will be sent to his or her employer at the end of the 15-week period.
Information For Employers
Submit an Internship - online form
Internship Program Information & Evaluation Sheet - download PDF
Program Overview
An internship is required of all undergraduate students in the NESADSU Interior Design program. The internship program is designed to give senior students experience in, and exposure to, the realities of the professional world of art and design in order to better prepare them for employment upon graduation. Under this program students will, with the aid of a faculty advisor, identify an appropriate work situation directly related to their intended area of professional concentration. In such a setting students will work on a part-time basis and will function essentially as apprentice employees. The objectives of the Internship Program are purely educational, and students are not ordinarily paid for their internship time as they receive academic credit instead. Reimbursement for meals and travel expenses is acceptable
Internship Requirements
Students are required to spend the following time allotments during the semester:
- 120 work/study hours (15 weeks – 8 hours per week) with a local Interior Design or Architecture firm.
- 15 classroom hours (8 meetings – 2 hours per meeting) with the Faculty Advisor.
- The total for the semester: 135 hours.
Interior Design students will be required to observe and participate in all office procedures permitted by their place of internship which should include:
office management, material and technical library resources, client relations, proposal writing, design contracts, drafting, schematic design, design development, coordination bidding, construction administration, and furniture design.Students may not be able to participate in all the activities noted above but should be able to observe the majority.
Internships must be documented with the following:
- Internship Application Form: Name of company Supervisor’s name Job description, activities and duties.
- Internship Time Sheet (s): Daily log of time worked with start/finish times Initialed and signed by supervisor.
- Internship Evaluation Form: Supervisor’s evaluation of student performance.
- Student Notebook/Journal of Observations: Daily journal of activities and observations Includes student’s evaluation of the internship.
- Attendance: classroom meetings.
Regulations Governing Internships
- All internships must be confirmed in writing in advance.
- Time sheets of hours worked must be provided in order for credit to be granted.
- All Internships must be approved and supervised by the Interior Design Program Director or another designated faculty member.
- Internships are limited to senior students and will ordinarily be completed during spring semester of the senior year.
- A maximum of 6.0 credits may be earned. Internship credit does not exempt students from courses required by their Major Program.
- Tuition: part-time students will be billed for internship credits at the same rate as for academic courses and Internship charges will appear on the student’s bill.
- By signing the Internship Application Form the employer agrees to the terms and policies of the Internship Program as outlined on this page.
- Waiver of Internship Requirement: A student who has completed work in an appropriate situation, with or without a salary, may petition to have the Internship requirement waived, with the approval of the Interior Design Program Director. Please note: a waiver does not earn credit. In order for a waiver to be considered, the student must have been employed for a minimum of 8 hours per week for a semester. Any student wishing such an exemption must complete a Request for Exemption from Internship Requirement form. Should the student be currently involved in such an equivalent situation, a verification form will be sent to his or her employer at the end of the 15-week period.