An Internship is an opportunity where fourth year students gain a program-related experience in a professional work environment for at least one semester full time. Supervised, discipline specific work experience completed for academic credit. In the School of Business, internships will be 6, 8, or 12 months of paid full time job experience.
Open only to ADMN or ECON single major full-time students from both campuses. Internships can be anywhere in Ontario, or Canada. There will be some local opportunities (Peterborough, Durham & surrounding area) but students should be prepared to relocate to other cities within Ontario. While working full time on an internship, students cannot enroll in other academic courses.
Application Deadlines:
Internships are available each September and January terms. The application deadline is normally 6 months prior to the start of term. Email Deb Earle at schoolofbusinessinternships@trentu.ca for exact deadlines. Students are strongly encouraged to apply in third year.
Students, please read our Q&A (Question and Answer Document) for detailed internship information.
Students Testimonials:
Accounting Internships Lead to Post-Graduation Jobs
Two fourth-year School of Business students gained valuable real-world experience with financial firms
A new internship course has created career opportunities for two School of Business students who have landed jobs in their field immediately upon graduation.
The students secured positions with local accounting firms following participation in the fourth-year course: The Business Internship. Students in this course have the opportunity explore their career options in greater depth as they gain practical industry experiences relevant to their subject area. This course, which was first introduced in January 2021, builds on in-class knowledge with paid real-world experience where students spend 6, 8, or 12 months working full-time in the accounting industry.
Students were put to task in tax season
“They knocked this opportunity out of the park,” notes Dr. Kirk Collins, associate professor in the Trent School of Business. Professor Collins’ tapped into his own industry connections with renowned local accounting firms such as BDO Canada LLP and Grant Thornton LLP to enhance the experience for students in this program. These companies took the opportunity to gain a fresh perspective with the addition of a student intern.
“Students were put to task, they went through the technology that these firms use, completed audits, and were put on tax season,” Professor Collins explains, “You couldn’t ask for more. These internships were an application of everything they have learned throughout their four years.”
Both students were well supported by the firms through a virtual on-boarding and had lots of opportunities to learn on the job
Concrete career perspectives
“The internship program allowed me to gain practical public accounting skills at an established firm, putting 6-months of actual accounting, tax and assurance experience onto my resume. I was trained and exposed to real clients and assurance software that I would not have been otherwise,” explains recent Business graduate Sandie Ashley Lewis, who was recently hired by Grant Thornton LLP, where she completed her internship. “Having these skills has prepared me both physically and mentally for my career as an accountant; since the program has put everything into a concrete perspective.”
Kaitlyn Kunashko, also a recent Business graduate notes that the internship “was valuable not only for the real-world experience, but also for the job security it has ensured me post-graduation." Kaitlyn was hired at BDO where she completed her internship.
“The plan is to expand into other areas of business,” says Deb Earle, departmental academic advisor and internship coordinator with the School of Business at Trent. “The School of Business believes in partnering with other organizations to offer experiential education opportunities, placements, and internships, for our undergraduate fourth-year Bachelor of Business Administration students.”
Course Description:
ADMN-ECON 4890Y: Business Internship
Designed for students interested in gaining in-depth, practical industry experience, while enhancing their classroom knowledge with real-world, paid industry positions. Students spend 6, 8, or 12 months working full time in industry and return to Trent for a final term. Students apply, interview, and compete for limited positions. Course is graded on a pass/fail basis.
ADMN prerequisite: A minimum 75% cumulative average and 14.5 university credits including ADMN and ECON credits required for a single major in years 1-3. Only open to ADMN single majors.
ECON prerequisite: A minimum 75% cumulative average and 14.5 university credits including ECON credits required for a single major in years 1-3 and 2.0 ADMN credits. Only open to ECON single majors.
Not for credit toward a major in Business Administration or Economics. Not open to co-op students.
Open to students from both the Durham and Peterborough campus.
For more information please contact:
Deb Earle, Internship and Co-op Coordinator
Email: schoolofbusinessinternships@trentu.ca
