Our externship program provides students with direct access to professional practice and serves as a strong pathway to post-graduation employment. An externship is a short-term placement in architecture and urban planning organizations during winterim and spring break. Benefits include exposure to a variety of firms and experiences, networking opportunities, and mentorship.
Immersive Learning
Externships take place during winter break, spring break or both, offering students and organizations impactful and immersive experiences in bite-size pieces.
Plus, students can choose to extern with multiple organizations during break to gain insight from a variety of firms and deepen their understanding about professional practice.
Extern duties may include:
- Job shadowing
- Conducting research
- Building physical models
- Preparing competition boards
- Leading design charrettes
- Creating maps or renderings
- Observing city planning or client meetings
- Attending site visits
Before completing my degree, I accepted a full-time position at a firm I was connected to as a student. I’m grateful for the mentorship, opportunities and support UWM provided to help launch my career with confidence.
For Students
See How a Practice Works
Spend a focused week learning how professional teams work, how projects move forward, and how the skills developed at SARUP connect to practice.
- Observe projects and professional workflows
- Experience office culture and collaboration
- Meet architects, planners and designers
- Explore practice areas and career paths
- Build professional confidence and connections
Application Deadline: Monday, November 2
Orientation: Wednesday, December 9
For Organizations
Bring Emerging Talent to your Practice
Host an extern for a one-week experience that offers insight into your projects, workflow and office culture while building relationships with future talent.
- Introduce your organization to emerging talent
- Build relationships with future talent
- Bring fresh perspectives into your office
- Strengthen connections with the School of Architecture & Urban Planning
- Support the future of the profession
Application Deadline: Monday, November 2
Orientation: Wednesday, December 9
2027 Externship Dates
Externship Host Firms
Each year, close to 100 students are placed in externships regionally in Milwaukee, Madison, Chicago and nationally in cities like Houston, New York and Los Angeles. Students have also found host firms as far away as Tokyo.
- AG Architecture
- Barrientos Design & Consulting, Inc.
- Berners Schober Assoc Inc
- Break Form Design
- Brininstool+Lynch
- Building Service Inc
- BWBR
- Cadence Consulting
- Christopher Kidd and Associates, LLC
- Continuum Architects and Planners
- Dan Beyer Architects
- Deborah Berke Partners
- Deep River Partners
- Design Fugitives
- Dimension IV Madison LLC
- Engberg Anderson Architects
- EUA (Eppstein Uhen Architects, Inc.)
- FGM Architects
- Foundation Architects, LLC
- Galbraith Carnahan Architects
- GGA
- Goettsch Partners
- GREC Architects
- GROTH Design Group
- HDR Inc.
- HGA
- HNTB Corporation
- Holabird & Root
- Iconica
- ISG
- JGMA
- Johnsen Schmaling
- Kahler Slater Architects
- Korb & Associates
- Lakeside Development Company
- Lamar Johnson Collaborative
- Leese & Associates
- Mortenson
- MSA Professional Services, Inc.
- MSI
- Neighborhood Improvement Development Corporation
- Potter Lawson, Inc.
- Quorum Architects, Inc.
- Ramlow Stein
- Saavedra Group Architects
- Skidmore, Owings & Merrill LLP
- Studio Gang
- TKWA
- Tredo Group Architecture
- Valerio DewaltTrain
- Vetter Architects
- Workshop Architects
- Zimmerman Architectural Studios
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
More Opportunities to Connect
We’re actively exploring additional ways for organizations and faculty to connect students with the profession throughout the year. Some of those opportunities might include: