The Mathematics/Computer Science BA Program | Academic Requirements | Student Learning Outcomes | Minor in Mathematics/Computer Science | Courses | Faculty | Internships | Mathematics/Computer Science Links

Mathematics/Computer Science: General Internship Information

What is an Internship?
An internship is an opportunity to gain valuable work experience in a student's area of academic study or in other fields of career interest. Internships are supervised both within the work setting and by a faculty member who is knowledgeable in a discipline related to the internship.

Who is eligble?
Internships are open to any Purchase College student who has earned more than 28 academic credits, regardless of whether the student is currently enrolled in a degree program.

The Value of an Internship
Each student has a particular set of career or educational goals for an internship. However, in general, internships provide an opportunity for:

• career exploration
• gaining work experience related to career interests
• enhancing academic course work through practical job experience
• exposure to professionals in a chosen field
• building job networking contacts
• acquiring positive job references outside the academic community
• increasing self-confidence

Academic Credit
Up to 4 credits may be obtained for an internship, which consists of 150 hours of field work and a related academic project that is assigned by the academic internship advisor. Internships of lesser time commitment may be arranged for two or three credits.

Application Procedure
The Career Development Center maintains a complete listing of available internships in many fields. Anyone interested in applying for an internship should contact the Career Development Center to discuss available settings and to learn about the application and approval procedures. All internships must be approved by the Career Development Center.

Internships for mathematics/computer science students
Students are strongly encouraged to pursue an internship while at Purchase. In recent years students have interned at Fidelity Investments, Stolt Parcel Tankers, IBM’s T.J. Watson Research Center, and the College’s Campus Technology Services department. In past summers Purchase has particpated in a summer internship program that is organized by the New York New Media Association (NYNMA) and supported by a grant from the New York State Department of Education. They were placed at new-media companies in Silicon Alley, including sidewalk.com and developer.com. Below are some links to Web resources related to internships and career opportunities in mathematics and computer science.

Internship Opportunities in Computer Science

Association of Computing Machinery Internship Page

National Academy of Sciences Career Planning Center

Mathematical Association of America Career Page

Association of Computing Machinery Career Page