Beyond the Classroom
It’s never too early to search for opportunities beyond the classroom.
Students looking for opportunities outside of the classroom should begin their search at least one semester in advance.
Internships
Make an appointment to talk with the University Career Center & The President’s Promise and/or your department internship coordinator and faculty advisor. Research shows that having an internship (or multiple internships) drastically increases your ability to obtain a full-time position upon graduation, especially since most employers use their intern pool as a direct talent pipeline. The most recent NACE Internship & Co-op Survey reported that 44.6% of employers’ hires came from their internship programs. The College of Arts and Humanities ensures that students can have an internship experience prior to graduating, offering numerous credit-granting courses for experiential education at the college and departmental level.
Internships enable students to gain a sense of what it would be like to work in a particular field as they develop marketable skills and establish contacts that may lead to a job offer upon graduation. To get started, visit the University Career Center & The President’s Promise website and sign up for an account with Careers4Terps, a free web-based job posting service, to search for internships and employment.
See Internship FAQs below.
Study Abroad
The twin emphases of the Department of American Studies at the University of Maryland—the construction of difference and the cultures of everyday life—aim to provide students with an understanding of how Americans make sense of their experience, past and present.
The perspective gained by immersion in another way of life can be invaluable in enhancing the understanding of one’s own “culture of everyday life.” Moreover, globalization demands increased awareness of other cultures and the learned capacity for cultural engagement, which can be gained from studying in another country.
Students who enter the major as freshmen and sophomores should consider planning their schedules to include a semester abroad. Students who enter the major as juniors may find it difficult to take a semester abroad, but shorter experiences are available during winter and summer sessions. Currently, only 10-12 percent of majors in the College of Arts and Humanities elect to study outside the United States. The percentage of American Studies majors is even less, but those who have ventured abroad have attended universities in Korea, Australia, the Czech Republic and Argentina, among others.
For more information, please visit the Education Abroad website.
Internship FAQs
What is an internship?
An internship is a trainee position. When the university grants credit for work experience, it is with the expectation that the student is participating in experiential learning which is tied to an academic field.
How do I arrange for credit for an internship?
In order to earn credit, you must register for experiential learning credit (AMST386, ARHU386, etc.) during the semester in which you will be doing the work. For example, if you do an internship in June, July or August, you must register for AMST386 during summer session. Prior to registration, you need to submit a completed, signed Internship Proposal Form to the Internship Coordinator. You can download the form HERE or pick one up in the main AMST office.
How may I use internship credits towards my degree?
You can apply three internship credits towards one of your upper-level AMST requirements. If you take additional credits, they will count towards the 45 credits needed for the ARHU upper-level elective requirement.
What kinds of internships do AMST majors have? How do I find one?
Because the credits are applied toward the focus area, most internships reflect those interests. The campus Career Center is the best source for internship ideas and announcements. Examples are given below:
Business/Econ
Private sector firms in your preferred field
Education
Tutoring organizations, youth programming
Ethnic Studies
Political advocacy, multicultural organizations
History
Archives, museums, libraries
Material Culture
National Park Service, museums
Media Studies
Broadcasting, print media, American Film Institute
Popular Culture
Sports marketing, fashion industry
Will I get paid for an internship?
That depends on the internship site; many private sector and some public sector internships are paid. Others are credit-only, so be sure to read the fine print and ask!