Business internships - University of Wollongong

Enrol now in BUS391: Professional Experience in Business to maximise your career opportunities.

This program allows you to:

Test drive an industry to narrow your potential career.
Gain real-world experience that employers seek.
Convert academic theory into industry skills.
Prepare you for the job interview process.

Taking part in the business internship program has been one of my greatest experiences at UOW. The opportunity to apply the skills and knowledge I have learned to real, meaningful projects while being able to contribute to my host organisation gave me an amazing sense of achievement. It has shown me the direction I want to take my career.

Adam Silvio
Investment Governance Lead at icare NSW

Students who are enrolled in:

Bachelor of Business or Bachelor of Business Administration

Students who have:

Completed 72 credit points (including core subjects)
WAM of 65
Demonstration of good reflective, critical analytical thinking and essay/ report writing skills

If you are currently completing either the Bachelor of Business or Bachelor of Business Administration and you wish to enrol in BUS391, you may do so as part of your elective subject selection. Students enrolled in the Sport Marketing and Management major will undertake BUS391 as a core subject.

There are 3 phases to the application process;

Phase 1:
If you meet the subject pre-requisites, you can submit an application including a cover letter, resume, copy of your enrolment record via the UOW Student Placement System Sonia Online (Login using your University Sign In).

If you are having difficulty logging in then please contact the Business Internship Team for assistance

Phase 2:
If successful in getting through phase 1, you will be required to complete a video interview reviewed by the Business Internship Team.

Students will be shortlisted for interviews with Industry Partners based on performance in phases 1 & 2.

Phase 3:
Industry Partners select appropriate students based on their application and interview performance.

Students selected for an internship will be enrolled into bUS391.

Spring Session 2023

Applications open: Tuesday 28 February 2023

Applications Close: Friday 17 March 2023

Attend Information Session

Apply now

By the end of my internship, I was offered a full-time Graduate Auditor role

“I really wanted to gain experience in my field of study. Thanks to the Business Internship program, I secured an internship as an Audit Intern with BDO. Including BUS391 in my degree has been the best decision, as it not only improved existing soft skills but also provided me with valuable insights to understand the corporate world and gain additional technical skills. The experience has been a medium for me to understand and reflect on my future career goals and growth opportunities”. Pranjli Parashar Bachelor of Commerce (Accountancy) Graduate Auditor - BDO, Sydney

Real experience for your career

Hear Jorge Perez, Manager, Business Internships, talk about how our internship support and process assists students to get the right experience and opportunities to apply their learning within real world practice.

Internships is an add-on to what they learn at the University. We learn theory concepts but we don't necessarily get taste off of the workforce. Once they go into an internship, they're able to put that theory into practice.

The idea is that the internship program that we run on is actually supported by a team at the Faculty of Business. We actually source the opportunities. We know our industry partners. We put students through our recruitment process which is very similar to what they'll face when they go into industry and you know university degree is great but you need that experience.

A lot of recruiters will ask for that two to five year experience. How do you get that as a university student when you are studying? Internships give you that. It's the combination of workplace experience and university degree, combining it and then be able to go to a job interview and say: “yes, I've got the experience you require”.

Internships is an add-on to what they learn at the University. We learn theory concepts but we don't necessarily get taste off of the workforce. Once they go into an internship, they're able to put that theory into practice.

The idea is that the internship program that we run on is actually supported by a team at the Faculty of Business. We actually source the opportunities. We know our industry partners. We put students through our recruitment process which is very similar to what they'll face when they go into industry and you know university degree is great but you need that experience.

A lot of recruiters will ask for that two to five year experience. How do you get that as a university student when you are studying? Internships give you that. It's the combination of workplace experience and university degree, combining it and then be able to go to a job interview and say: “yes, I've got the experience you require”.

BUS391 Subject Components

What is involved?
Practical Component
Academic Component
Support and Resources

COMM391/BUS391 supports the 16 day internship program where you will be matched with a pre-selected Industry Partner arranged by the Business Internship team. Your host organisation will provide you with tasks where you will gain valuable industry related experience to become ‘work-ready’. The application process will prepare you for job hunting post-graduation, making your resume more competitive and experiencing real interview questions.
You are required to attend compulsory workshops/lectures/tutorials and complete a combination of individual and group assessments during the semester as part of the program.

a. Students are encouraged to complete the practical component (a minimum of 5 out of 16 days) during the semester break (July or December - January) before the session starts;

b. Complete the performance evaluation with the supervisor by week 8 of the session;

c. Maintain a diary of events with examples and relevant reading of academic journals.

a. 6 compulsory lectures and tutes;

b. 4 individual in-class assessments;

c. 2 journal articles to be read before each class;

d. Group assessment requires students to work on and off campus together;

e. Final assessment requires cross disciplinary research and critical analysis of internship experience

Students are strongly encouraged to attend the pre-internship workshop before commencing the placement (generally conducted last week of November for autumn session and the last week of June for spring session). Students are also strongly advised not to undertake BUS391 as a fifth subject.

Draft subject outline and access to Moodle site will be given to students 1 month before the session commences.

Please contact the course coordinator for clarifications about the academic component and the workload commitments before applying for the internship.

Academic And Business Internship Team

Associate Professor Shamika Almeida - Course Coordinator
40.G12a
02 4221 5688
shamika_almeida@uow.edu.au

Jorge Perez - Manager, Business Internships
40.G13g
02 4221 3376 / 0447 357 832
jorge_perez@uow.edu.au

Carol Kendall - Business and Law Internship Officer
40.G13c
02 4221 3618
business-intern@uow.edu.au

Ho Chi Minh City Internship

Gain international industry experience in an energetic and fast-paced economic center surrounded by beautiful natural scenery and close to the coastline with a dynamic internship in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. $3000 New Colombo Plan Mobility Grants are available for domestic students undertaking BUS391.

Discover more about the internship

Internship stories

Internship first, followed by graduate employment. You will be pleased to know UOW is ranked among the world's top universities for the quality and employability of our graduates (QS World University Rankings, 2020).

The 7 things you'll learn from doing an internship Why I choose to work and study

Interested? Get more information

Contact the Business Internship team

0447 357 832 business-intern@uow.edu.au