As a condition for earning the master's degree, students are required to complete either a thesis, an internship, or both. The internship involves practical work experience in an applied setting performed under the joint supervision of a practicing professional and a faculty internship coordinator. It is normally a full-time work assignment (usually paid) and is completed during the summer between the first and second year of graduate study. Policies and procedures governing internships can be obtained from the I/O-HRM Program Director.

Where to Start:

The ASU I/O-HRM program maintains relationships with several organizations. Students may choose to complete their internships at these sites, or they may find a novel organization at which to complete their internship. Many students take their internships at organizations in the state of North Carolina, but a large number go elsewhere to gain experience. A number of students also take internships "back home." Be sure to pick up a copy of the "Internship Resource Manual" which is available from the I/O-HRM Program Director.

Past Internship Sites:

In the past few years, out students have held internships at a wide variety of sites. A sample of the organizations includes the following:

• AdvantaClean
• Alex Lee, Inc.
• Aramark/Nabisco
• FirstCharter Bank
• K-Mart Corporation
• Lowes Foods
• Lowe's Hardware
• Merchants Distributors, Inc.
• Wake Forest University-Baptist Medical Center
• Russell Reynolds Associates
• SAFT America
• SciQuest.com
• Shurtape Technologies
• Sperduto Associates
• Target Corporation

Recent Highlights:

Jennifer Houseworth

• Internship Role: HR Generalist
• Duties Performed: Job Analyses, Design and Implement Performance Appraisal program, Update and Create Policies and Procedures (with emphasis on attendance), Design and Conduct Selection Interviews/Procedures, Create Training for Trainers Handbook and Conduct Training, Create Employee Handbook
• Quotable: "This internship allowed me to have considerable autonomy in designing and implementing HR policies and procedures. Since I currently hold the position of Assistant Director within this organization, I also have the advantage of implementing everything I did during my internship. I have the opportunity to do follow-up and amend any implementations as well. My internship supervisors were more than supportive. Overall, this internship allowed me the opportunity to utilize and gain experience in nearly every facet of education received through my graduate courses in our program, thereby making me more marketable."

Andrew Kavulic

• Internship Role: HR Representative
• Duties Performed: Job Analyses, Implemented a Structured Selection Program, Implemented an Employee Safety Awareness Forum

Dru Carpenito

• Internship Role: Executive Assessment Intern
• Duties Performed: Reviewed Upper Management Talent, Risk Assessment of an Organization in a Merger/Acquisition Scenario, Upper Management Candidate Assessment, Developed a Benchmark Database for Cross-Industry and Job Function, Developed Interview Questions

Jesse McKinney

• Internship Role: HR Intern
• Duties Performed: Created an employee handbook, developed organizational charts, composed an instructional manual

Libby McHaffie

• Internship Role: HR Intern
• Duties Performed: Supervised and Collected Inventory Assessment Data, Developed Training Processes for the Inventory Process
• Quotable: "I really enjoyed my experience. I learned how to survey and interview people in a mid-large size organization. I also became more acquainted with conducting time studies. Overall, this internship was very beneficial to my professional development in the field of HR."

Josh Livesey

• Internship Role: HR Generalist
• Duties Performed: Created Job Analyses, Developed a Train-the-Trainer Program, Conducted Follow-Up Interviews with Newly Hired Employees, Performed Selection Test Validation, Interviewed Employees to Find Multigenerational Families Within the Organization
• Quotable: "This internship was a very good experience. I was able to apply much of what I had learned and see it in a more applied setting. For me, I think those kinds of 'hands-on' learning experiences teach in a more personal and meaningful way."