Internships Guaranteed - School of Engineering

UAB is the only engineering school in Alabama to guarantee internships

Opportunities for hands-on training and experiential learning have long been key strengths of UAB's undergraduate engineering programs.

As of fall 2021, the School of Engineering is making those opportunities an official part of its undergraduate programs by offering guaranteed internships to all incoming students following their second year of engineering coursework.

To be eligible for a guaranteed internship, students must participate in the Career Readiness Program, a new initiative launched this fall by the SOE Office of Career Services.

“Our location in Birmingham gives us a great advantage over other schools because there are so many local companies that hire students for engineering internships and co-ops,” said SOE Dean Jeff Holmes, M.D., Ph.D. “We realized there is an opportunity here for us to make a guarantee that few engineering schools in the country can match.”

Admissions Undergraduate Programs Scholarships

Goal

Empower students early in their academic career
Prepare them for their desired career path
Help them gain confidence in their selected majors

Eligibility

All engineering or pre-engineering students are eligible to participate.

Timeframe

Four-semester Career Readiness Program, followed by a one-semester internship (typically summer after sophomore year).

Objectives

Communication and critical thinking
Inclusion and teamwork
Leadership and professionalism
Technology

Examples of companies where our students intern and co-op

Altec
American Cast Iron Pipe Company
BioHorizons
Brasfield & Gorrie
Honda

Fluid Solutions
LBYD
Medtronic
Mercedes
Southern Company/Alabama Power

See Where Our Students are Interning

Atharva Vyawahare
Biomedical Engineering

Interned at Southern Company’s Environmental Affairs Department

I wanted to see how I could use the things I learned in college in my everyday workday. One thing right off the bat that attracted me was the responsibilities they were giving me. Some consisted of me leading some projects or leading some components of the projects to present to company stakeholders and even reporting to the EPA. I didn’t think there was an internship out there that would give me opportunities like this, since when we think of internships we think of daily data tasks or small things. Engineering gives you an advantage to explore fields you might not otherwise have known about.
Mariam Massoud
Civil Engineering

Interned at City of Birmingham

I was asked to design a mural to go on the street near Railroad Park, and I had to do it in one day. I had used the AutoCad design program in a class during my freshman year, but that was more than two years ago, and I never thought I would use that program again. I was nervous, but the first time I saw an aerial image of the mural I was surprised at how similar it was to what I'd created in AutoCad. It was gratifying.
Praise Daramola
Electrical and Computer Engineering

Worked in the Sterne Library’s Emerging Technologies Department

We were starting a 3D printing VR studio for the UAB Library. We got to manage the 3D printers and monitor them. We had anatomy software that allowed users to look inside the human body. They could take a skeleton apart, and the software would give them a description of whatever part they are holding.
Matt Quarnstrom
Civil Engineering

Interned at Brasfield & Gorrie, where he was asked to travel to Huntsville to help repair a section of Highway 231—a major traffic artery connecting Lacey Spring and downtown Huntsville.

There was a massive landslide on a mountain that washed away a lot of road, so we had to go up and put a bridge on top of it. I was there for two and a half months. There were a lot of concrete pours, a lot of long days, but it was a really good experience.