A Success Index for an Academic Internship Course in Economics

Renatte Adler (), Cynthia Bansak () and Katherine Wolf ()
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Renatte Adler: Department of Economics, San Diego State University
Cynthia Bansak: Department of Economics, San Diego State University
Katherine Wolf: Department of Economics, San Diego State University

No 4, Working Papers from San Diego State University, Department of Economics

Abstract: Many students understand that majoring in economics will give them access to numerous entry level careers. Upon graduating, however, they may have a great deal of uncertainty about career direction without the information and skills necessary to make the successful transition from classrooms to employment. This may be due to a gap between university professors' views of appropriate preparation of graduating students and the stated need for preparatory skills that managers of multinational companies require when hiring recent university graduates. To address this gap, the Economics Department at San Diego State University offers an Internship course that is integrated as an academic program within the major's curriculum. The intent is to provide job experiences that allow economics majors to apply theoretical concepts in the global workplace. In operation for 17 years, the internship program has enrolled over 2,700 students. In this paper, we analyze data obtained from student interns to estimate the success of professional internships before graduation at SDSU. While returns from students’ general work experience before graduation have been identified in wage estimation models, the type of work experience has not been investigated, nor have other benefits that students experience when internships are a part of their education. To analyze the benefits of internships, we develop a Success Index that incorporates seventeen variables addressing programmatic goals. Within our sample of students completing internships, we find that economics majors achieve half of these success indicators, on average. The success index is positively associated with hours worked, spring semester enrollment, high tech job descriptions, and experience in non-governmental organizations. In addition, we discover that adding skills to the bundle acquired through an internship leads to a higher probability of a job offer.

Date: 2003-12

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