Cooperative education and internship experiences are a great way for students to take their marketing education to the next level. These experiences provide opportunities to apply the skills and knowledge gained through coursework to marketing-related projects in the business setting. An added benefit is the impact on salaries for those who have participated in an internship or cooperative education program. According to the University of North Dakota’s 2008-2009 Placement Survey of 2006-2007 Graduates done by the Office of Institutional Research, “The participants of these programs also reported an average salary of $2,393 higher than those who did not participate in such programs. The difference was especially seen with women’s salaries. On average, women who participated in an internship or co-op earned $4,016 more than women who didn’t. For the men who participated in an internship, their salary was $2,341 more than men who didn’t participate in such activity” (p. 3).
The Department of Marketing makes a distinction between the cooperative education (MRKT 397) and internship (MRKT 497) experiences based on student qualifications and the opportunity offered by the employer. For the co-op, the student must have a GPA of at least 2.5, completed MRKT 305 (Marketing Foundations), and the work situation should provide the student with the opportunity to assist with marketing activities and understand the role of marketing for that company/organization. It must also be a paid experience. Qualifications and expectations are raised for the internship. The student must have a minimum GPA of 2.75, completed 12 credits of Marketing (to include MRKT 305), and have the opportunity to create/develop/plan marketing activities and hopefully because of timeline, follow through with implementation and evaluation. The experience can be either paid or non-paid. For both types of experiences, students must work at least 70 hours for each credit. Generally students take the courses for three (3) credits. Only three credits of either the co-op or internship will count as a Marketing elective but students may take both for up to eight (8) credits; the additional credits can be used as general business electives. Most students do local internships during Fall and Spring semesters but take advantage of other opportunities during the Summer, including international internships.
Co-ops and internships are valuable experiences for students, not only from the standpoint of working in the marketing field, but to make contact for future job prospects. The following messages from Marketing graduates illustrates how an experience helped them get started in their careers.
I thought this internship experience was amazing! I learned so much in such a short period of time. Everyone told me that I would learn a lot from this internship, but you don’t really believe them until you actually get your hands dirty and actually start “doing” instead of just hearing. I wouldn’t have changed anything about this experience and I would definitely recommend this to every student, especially marketing students. I actually got to buy ad space, make ads, plan a budget, work across functional levels, make newsletter, etc. I really experienced marketing. There were no negative experiences during the course of my internship, and one huge unanticipated positive experience is that the marketing director had recently left, so I got a chance to fill the position, which I did.
Andy Nephew, Spring 2009
Marketing Director, Retrax
The internship experience with Ford Motor Company was one of the greatest implementations of total coursework and knowledge I have done to date. Sitting through classes it is difficult to think strategically how what we have learned will help in the workplace. It was amazing how I researched the amount of quantitative and qualitative data with different marketing programs being implemented throughout the company. Going to numerous meetings a day consisted of looking at metrics of campaigns being used throughout the United States. We then would decipher which techniques and campaigns were effective.
Rob Bremer, Spring 2008
As I sat there on my balcony in Lisbon, Portugal in August, I had wondered how I got there....
This summer I had the experience of a lifetime; I interned with Microsoft in the marketing department. I started in May and worked hard until my last few days in August on an event called “Inner Circle.” Inner Circle, as I began to learn, is an event for the top 1 percent resellers of Microsoft products; the cream of the crop in college terms. I worked daily assisting in the planning of the event which included, but was not limited to—registration, communications with the partners (attendees), communications with multiple contacts on our events team from Fargo to England to Portugal, personal itineraries, and smaller details such as what furniture would be in the hospitality suites. I flew over to Portugal for two days in June for a site inspection (taste testing and seeing our hotel) and then for ten days in August for the event.
Although this all sounds very glamorous, the hours were long and the work at times was very overwhelming. Long hours and stressful situations over the summer taught me more, though, about events and marketing than any book or lecture ever could.
Having the experience of an internship with a company such a Microsoft has taught me many valuable tools that can only be obtained by hands on learning. Not only have I now accumulated tools of “the real world,” but I have new contacts that have already led me to greater heights. An internship is a valuable tool that will be beneficial for day-to-day tasks such as time management and communications; it also provides a solid source of experience to talk about in an interview. I would recommend an internship to anyone with the ambition and motivation for success!
Christen Anderson, ‘08
“The Northwestern Mutual Financial Network internship program has helped me to develop as a business professional, given me real-world business experience, and has allowed me to make some money! As an intern for a year and a half, I was exposed to the skills and knowledge that are needed to work in the insurance and financial services industry. I was given the opportunity to continue my career with Northwestern after graduation and now work in a full-time position. The internship allowed me to decorate my resume. I was able to add awards, recognitions, as well as licensures and designations. The best things that I have learned as I have jump-started my career: self-discipline and self-motivation. I love where I am at in my career, because I am in a position where I get out what I put in.”
Bethany Blomquist, ‘07
Financial Representative, Northwestern Mutual Financial Network
“After graduation I moved to the Minneapolis area and started job hunting. My boss from my internship with the Grand Forks Chamber of Commerce actually put me in contact with the Saint Paul Area Chamber because they had a job opening in the Small Business Group. After a few rounds of interviews I was offered the position, largely due to my previous Chamber experience!”
“My position is as the Manager of Small Business. About 60% of my job is event planning. The focus of most of the events I plan is networking and education for small to medium-size businesses and business owners. The other 40% of my job is to manage the Chamber’s suite at the Xcel Energy Center. The Chamber subleases our suite to small and medium-size businesses and I take care of all the contracts and tickets, deal with billing and pricing, etc. for the home MN Wild games, MN Swarm games, and some concerts and other events. I also plan the ‘Kick-Off Luncheon’ held in August for the start of the Wild season. It is my biggest event drawing 600-700 suite holders, season ticket holders, Wild players and staff, and Chamber members.”
“While I was an intern at the Grand Forks Chamber I didn’t expect that my contacts there would be useful for me in my job hunt because I was not planning on staying in the area after graduation. Much to my surprise, if it weren’t for them I would never have even known to apply for this job. And if I hadn’t done a good job there they wouldn’t have given me the recommendation.”
Stephanie Moore, ‘05
Manager of Small Business, Saint Paul Area Chamber of Commerce
For more information on available internships and for a list of companies used for past internships, visit the internship kiosk in the Marketing Department (Gamble 118), visit http://business.und.edu/forms/index.cfm or stop by the office of Dr. Mary Askim-Lovseth, 777-2930, Gamble 175D. Approval of all Marketing internships for credit is provided by Dr. Askim-Lovseth.
List of Companies used for RECENT Marketing Internships
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