A Multi-Method Study of Engineering Students' Perspectives of Summer Industry Internships

Undergraduate engineering students often seek internships to gain valuable industry experience during their education. Previous studies show that students generally have positive experiences and develop important skills during their internships. Academic mentors also see internships as opportunities for students to learn skills not typically covered in engineering coursework. However, existing research leaves some important questions unanswered. For instance, most studies focus on general experiences and learning gains, but don’t explore the specific aspects of internships contributing to these outcomes. Additionally, many studies rely solely on surveys, without in-depth interviews to provide a fuller picture. Finally, while much research on internship mentors considers the perspectives of academic mentors, there’s a lack of insight into the perspectives of industry mentors. This dissertation study seeks to fill these gaps by using surveys and interviews with Utah State University (USU) engineering students who participated in an externally funded scholarship and internship program and their industry mentors. The research explores three key questions: 1) What are engineering students’ experiences within internships? 2) What are the reported challenges for engineering student interns? 3) How do industry internships benefit engineering students? The survey results support previous findings, showing that students generally have positive experiences and gain valuable skills during their internships. However, the interviews revealed that many students struggle with adjusting to the unfamiliar industry environment and the greater freedom in their tasks compared to academia. Many also felt overwhelmed and turned to their mentors for guidance and structure. Despite these challenges, students identified key benefits, particularly the opportunity to continue working with the companies after their internships, either through job offers or extended internships. Industry mentors emphasized the importance of students developing soft skills and shared valuable insights into the qualities they look for in interns. Overall, this study confirms earlier research on students’ positive perceptions of engineering internships, but offers new insights into the diverse experiences and perspectives of both students and industry mentors.