Women’s Studies is part of an array of humanities degrees offered at many colleges and universities. An internship in women’s studies is not always necessary to complete your degree. Your choice of a university and your career goals will ultimately determine if an internship is appropriate or necessary.
Is an Internship Required?
Graduation requirements often vary from university to university, and even program to program. A women’s studies program at one university may require its students to partake in an internship as a graduation requirement. Another university may not. The simplest way to determine if an internship is required for a program is to contact that program’s department head or point of contact listed on their website directly. You may also be able to find this information in your university’s general catalog.
Skills Earned in Women’s Studies
The skills earned with a women’s studies degree may go beyond the obvious. Graduates in women’s studies may bring many skills to the table for potential employers and internships. Women’s studies students may have experience gathering and analyzing data and making decisions based on inferential statistics. Working in groups and alongside professors can help to build project management skills. The multicultural focus of a women’s studies degree can be translated over to any employer or internship site. Being a humanities degree means that women’s studies graduates have honed their communication and writing abilities clearly and efficiently.
Long Term Goals
The biggest factor that can determine if an internship is recommended or necessary has to do with what your goals are upon graduation. Unlike a degree in engineering or chemistry, women’s studies may not have as clear of career path. But that does not mean this degree is any less employable. Is your goal is to one day work as an advocate for women? Or as a counselor working with women who have been through trauma? Chances are that you will need to apply to a graduate program in counseling or social work. Such programs may require or recommend an internship in a related area before applying. If your goal is to work within human resources a local business, an internship may not be required. However, it may set you apart from other applicants applying to the same job.
Related Resource: 20 Best Deals on Colleges for Women’s Studies
Reasons to Consider an Internship
Internships provide clear experience for students seeking to enter the workforce. Whether paid, or unpaid, that experience may:
- yield a job in the future
- a reference letter in the wake of a job
- a positive work experience
All of these can be used to expand upon your resume when you’re seeking employment. Even if an internship in women’s studies is not required to complete your degree, you may find yourself in a better position when seeking employment than if you did not complete one at all.