Why hire a RISD intern?
RISD interns bring creativity and productivity to their jobs while gaining hands-on experience and a deeper understanding of their intended career path. Hiring RISD students as interns allows employers to foster a stronger connection to RISD, while identifying potential candidates for future employment.
Through Artworks, the Career Center job and internship board, employers gain access to a pool of talented and dedicated students and alumni from one of the most outstanding art and design schools in the world.
Employers can post their opportunities for free, build their brand to attract excellent candidates, and grow their talent pipeline. ArtWorks is password protected and only accessible to RISD students and alumni.
Profiles of RISD Academic Majors
What are the building blocks of a successful RISD internship experience?
Employer Checklist:
- Provide a formal job description for the internship including: job title, responsibilities, qualifications, hours of work per week, and start / end dates.
- Indicate if the internship is paid, unpaid or includes a stipend to cover transportation and lunch while the student is an intern.
- Include stated learning objectives relating to the professional goals of the student’s academic coursework or interests.
- Students should engage in real work with meaningful contributions to your operations.
- Provide an orientation and training for the intern and for the department the intern will work for in your organization.
- The intern should be supervised and receive frequent feedback by a professional in the student’s field of interest.
- Provide resources, equipment, and facilities to sufficiently support the student’s internship work.
- Maintain a safe and a positive, professional environment for the student.
- When hiring a RISD student, approve the internship by signing the Student / Employer Internship Agreement.
Student / Employer Internship Agreement
What are the considerations between paid vs. unpaid internships?
Unpaid internships cause economic hardship for most students. RISD therefore encourages internship sponsors to pay their interns at minimum wage or above.
Alternate forms of compensation include stipends to cover daily meals or travel costs, or credit tuition reimbursements for internship credits.
When do RISD students participate in internships?
Summer is the most popular time for internships for both students and employers. Wintersession internships occur over 5 weeks in January and February. Students may work as part-time interns during fall and spring semesters if their class schedule allows.
RISD 2024-25 Internship Deadlines and Timetable
How many hours are students required to work during an internship?
Architecture students are required to work a minimum of 280 hours total during their internship experience to meet RISD’s accreditation requirements.
All other students are required to work a minimum of 100 hours in total to earn academic credit for their internship experience. Most students work a minimum of 15 hours per week and a maximum of 40 hours per week.
What are the guidelines for in person, hybrid, and remote internships?
Essential criteria for employers and students:
- Confirm the supervision arrangements for the intern including: regularly scheduled check-in meetings to review work/projects, respond to questions, and monitor progress and outcomes.
- Confirm the approach to check-in meetings: In person, Zoom, Skype, Google Hangouts, Google Chat, Phone, and/or other modalities.
- Arrange for in person and onsite meetings between the supervisor, intern and other staff to orient the intern to their job and work culture.
- Discuss access to any necessary technology and tools that are required to perform the job (ie. software, proprietary programs, shared files and/or other equipment). The employer is responsible for providing the tools and equipment needed for the student to perform the work.
What is the criteria used by RISD to approve a credit-bearing internship?
Credit-bearing internships provide career-related experience of sufficient challenge to college-level students. International students are required to earn academic credit for an internship in the US to remain in compliance with their visa. If international students are participating in an internship outside of the US they are not required to earn academic credit for the experience but still need to register their internship in ArtWorks. Students earning academic credit for an internship may also be paid.
Internship credit requires approval of the student’s academic department, who will evaluate the experience for academic merit. This occurs through an internal RISD registration process initiated by the student upon acceptance of an internship offer. At the conclusion of the internship, students and internship supervisors are required to complete evaluation forms that are used for grading purposes.
Does RISD host an internship and/or career fair?
Internship Connect is an annual event taking place in the Fall at the Rhode Island Convention Center in Providence, RI. 70+ companies & organizations; 400+ students participate.
Employers/Organizations build their brand with students through networking and information sharing about their upcoming internship opportunities.
Interested in attending? Email us at risdcareers@risd.edu
What are the Career Center's Social Equity & Inclusion Principles and policies?
Learn more about hiring RISD students, the RISD Career Center Principles of Social Equity & Inclusion, and our Policy on Student Competitions.