Construction Management Internships and Work Experience Information for Industry

The internship program can be viewed as an investment by the sponsor company. Participating companies provide interns with invaluable training and experience, and in return get the benefit of working with students before committing to full-time employment.

On average, 60-75% of Construction Management graduates accept full-time positions with the company that sponsored their internship.

CON 487 internship is a required course for credit, with prerequisites and assignments where students submit a final portfolio for a letter grade. Internships are full-time (40+ hours per week) with a sponsor company in a construction related field. Students must be of at least junior standing in the Construction Management program and complete the internship course over their final summer term. Those students completing a 24-week internship will take a semester off from coursework in addition to a summer term.

BEFORE HIRING AN INTERN, please be aware of the following requirement: interns are required to gain valuable experience in the management of construction projects and processes. General labor does not meet the requirements of the registered internship.

While the department places great value on trade experience, we encourage students to take advantage of those opportunities when satisfying their pre-internship ‘Work Experience’ and reserve the internship course for experience in management and operations. If your company would like to provide laborer or trades opportunities, please focus your recruiting efforts on our work experience students who are encouraged to gain valuable experience in the field.

The Phelps Placement Office assists in placing students on internship via the CON 267 Pre-Internship course, the career fair, and on-campus intern interviews. Contact the Phelps Placement Office for more information or to schedule interviews.

Sponsor companies should review the Phelps Internship Placement Program description for a better understanding of the types of responsibilities registered interns should be tasked with, and must agree to the Master Internship Agreement (MIA) to gain eligibility.  This MIA document is just for reference – please contact the Phelps Placement Office for an official agreement to be issued via Adobe Sign, which is only required for companies sponsoring a student completing their registered internship requirement.

All interns should have a day-to-day mentor/supervisor.

Sponsors must be licensed general contractors, subcontractors, consultants, or organizations (i.e. city, county, or federal entity). With few exceptions, residential painting, residential roofing, deck/fence building, manufacturing, testing and inspections, material handling/deliveries, landscape installation and maintenance, building/rental maintenance, service calls, etc. do not count towards a student’s Work Experience or Internship requirement. Retail sales, rental companies, and commissioned positions also are not eligible.

The Phelps Placement Office uses our CMJobs Recruiting Portal for candidate interview selection. This site enables students to access each participating company’s profile and interview dates. Students indicate interest with specific companies which is then available to recruiters along with a PDF of all intern resumes for review. Companies then review and select candidates for interviews.

During the scheduled intern interview week, industry representatives interview students and, subsequently, make job offers. Compensation and possible travel expenses are negotiated between the student and sponsor/employer. Companies are asked to notify the Placement Office of any interview no-shows, internship offers, and acceptances/declines. The student is also required to provide placement information once employment is confirmed.