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Internships / Work Experience

One of the biggest benefits of being a UWM student is internship opportunities, professional connections and close proximity to Milwaukee companies and businesses. Students can find paid, relevant work experience on-campus, too, which is convenient for busy schedules and great for building resumes.

More than 1,3000 companies host UWM interns each year, and many of those internships are paid and turn into job offers at graduation. There are hands-on work opportunities on campus as well, from being a student graphic designer in a campus office to volunteering as a paralegal in UWM’s legal clinic.

All students are encouraged to visit the Career Planning & Resource Center, where they can get help with cover letters and resumes, interview prep, and finding job and internship opportunities.

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Engineering student standing in front of Harley-Davidson where he did his internship
Erick is a mechanical engineering major who interned at Harley-Davidson, where he helped design, develop and test motorcycle parts. “I had an awesome manager who wanted me to get experience in a lot of different things,” Erick says. “I even got to meet the CEO of Harley-Davidson during my internship!”
UWM student sitting on couch with laptop in front of her
Hope, a marketing major, did three internships during her time at UWM: at Direct Supply, Northwestern Mutual and the Milwaukee Brewers. “There is so much opportunity here in Milwaukee,” Hope says. “If you put in the effort and the time, you’ll be successful here.”
UWM student (white woman) in lab holding up a petri dish
Alexis is a biomedical sciences major who interned at the Milwaukee Health Department where she processed COVID-19 tests during the height of the pandemic. “Studying from a book is one thing, but actually using that knowledge to diagnose a patient is completely different,” she says.
UWM student who did an internship standing with laptop and wearing a suit
Cedrick is public health student and an intern in health care administration at Advocate Aurora Health, helping to plan, direct and coordinate health services.
UWM art student sitting in art studio
Jason interned at ArtsECO, where he led virtual art classes for kids and worked with local art teachers. “We also have monthly teacher meet-ups where we meet with fellow art education majors and MPS teachers,” he says.
UWM student in business casual sitting in front of open laptop
Megan majored in human resources, marketing and finance and completed an internship at Badger Meter, where she reviewed applicants and recruited interns.
UWM student standing in architecture office space
Christopher is an architectural studies major who interned at Eppstein Uhen Architects (EUA), an architecture, interior design and planning firm.

Internships

Doing an internship is one of the most important things a college student can do for their future career — more than 91% of employers prefer to hire candidates with internship or other work experience, according to the National Association of Colleges and Employers. UWM students get connected to internship opportunities in the city through on-campus career fairs, faculty with professional connections, and more. Many of those internships are paid and can be done year-round instead of just in the summer.

A few popular places where UWM students intern include: Advocate Aurora Health, GE Healthcare, Harley-Davidson, Hoffman York, Manpower Group, Milwaukee Brewers, Northwestern Mutual, and more!

UWM volunteer paralegal student sitting in legal clinic at desk with lawyer
Volunteer paralegal students work alongside the legal clinic’s on-staff attorney.

Paralegal Program

A campus resource free to UWM students is the University Legal Clinic, which offers legal assistance with landlord/tenant disputes, traffic citations, contracts, noise violations and more.

UWM students interested in law can apply to be volunteer paralegals. They get hands-on legal experience and their responsibilities include: interviewing students, communicating with opposing parties, conducting legal research and developing legal analysis with the clinic’s on-staff attorney.

Learn About the Paralegal Program
UWM student sitting in front of window holding laptop
As an information technology management major, Jamie works at UWM’s Help Desk as a desktop support supervisor. “Campus jobs offer a lot of flexibility, because they understand you’re a student first and an employee second,” he says.
UWM student using spade in UWM veggie garden on campus
Nina is a conservation and environmental science major and works in UWM’s Office of Sustainability. “I’m in charge of the garden beds in front of the Physics Building and do a lot of the composting on campus. I get to have service-learners every semester, too, so I’m showing them how the composting system works on campus and why composting is so important,” she says.
UWM student holding coffee mug and standing in front of bookcases in Women's Resource Center
Mia graduated from UWM with a degree in social work. As a UWM student, she was a program coordinator in the Women’s Resource Center on campus. Her work directly related to her career goals of wanting to work with and help women facing gender-based violence.
UWM student wearing backpack and walking near Golda Meir Library
Davien, a dance major, is a resident assistant (RA) on campus and an essential part of UWM’s student support system. He says, “Within my first weeks as an RA, I’ve had so many knocks on my door from new students who just need someone to talk to. That’s what I’m here for!”
UWM student sitting on Lake Michigan beach with backpack and water bottle
Maddy, a film studies major, applied to work as an orientation leader and was later promoted to team lead. “I’ve gotten to work with some really amazing people on campus and gotten to help connect students with campus resources,” she says.

On-Campus Student Employment

More than 3,500 students work on campus, and many of those roles have either direct relevance to a student’s major or future career — or they provide a way for students to get professional experience for their resumes. Across UWM, you’ll find information science majors working in IT support, art students doing graphic design for campus offices, communication majors working as orientation leaders and more.

Besides offering hands-on work experience and a convenient way to build your resume, working on campus is a form of financial aid that helps many UWM students pay for the costs of college.

View Campus Jobs