Externships
Muhlenberg facilitates these short, hands-on opportunities for students to explore future career paths each winter break.
The Muhlenberg Career Center’s winter externship program connects students to one- to five-day excursions over winter break. During externships, current students shadow alumni, parents of Muhlenberg students, or other volunteers. The program goes beyond traditional job shadowing by emphasizing hands-on engagement and meaningful interaction. Students often participate in projects, attend meetings, and engage in discussions with professionals in the field. No student is too new to begin this type of career exploration — even undecided first-year students are encouraged to take advantage of the externship program.
How an Externship Became a Career
After the Career Center facilitated an opportunity to shadow Mitch Hanna ’14, a marketing professional at a local construction management company, Brianna Moyer ’24 landed an internship and then a job there.
Externship FAQs
What is an externship?
An externship is a short-term, observational experience that typically lasts anywhere from one to five days. Students shadow a professional to learn about a career or industry firsthand. Unlike internships, externships are not about completing tasks or projects; rather they focus on observation, exposure, and informational meetings with professionals. At Muhlenberg, our structured externship program helps pair students with professionals across a variety of industries during winter break.
What is the difference between an internship and an externship?
The main differences between an internship and an externship are duration and depth. Internships last weeks or months and typically involve real work responsibilities while externships last anywhere from a day to a week and focus on observation and learning. Externships do not typically involve performing any job duties. Externships are a great low-commitment way to explore a career or industry before investing in a longer internship commitment.
How long does an externship last?
Most externships will last one to five days. At Muhlenberg, we have a structured externship program that is coordinated between the student and host for a single business day or multi-day visit during winter break.
What do students do during an externship?
During an externship, students will typically shadow their host professional (attending meetings and asking questions about their day-to-day), tour their workplace, and have informational conversations with other professionals at the host office about potential career paths. Each year, Muhlenberg alumni in multiple states generously volunteer their time to host current Mules at their worksites and offer career advice.
Are externships only for students who already know what career they want?
No. In fact, externships can be particularly useful for students who are still exploring career options and want to test out an area of interest. Students who have a clear career goal in mind also use externships to gain a more specific view of a particular employer or role and to build important connections at a target company for upcoming opportunities. In addition, for students who are considering pursuing medical school, externships, or clinical observations, are critical for a strong application. At Muhlenberg, your career coach will work with you to locate externships that might be a good fit for your goals.
Can first-year college students participate in externships?
Yes! In fact, it’s encouraged! Externships are one of the most widely accessible experiential learning opportunities for first-year and sophomore students since they don’t require prior experience or a specialization/major. When Muhlenberg students meet with their assigned career coach in their first semester, they will review the process for locating and applying to externships in Handshake.
Are externships paid?
Externships are typically unpaid, since they are short in duration and do not require any work output. Students should not expect compensation for an externship in the way they might for an internship. Muhlenberg students are encouraged to reach out to the Career Center if they are in need of financial assistance to take advantage of the externship program.
Can students earn academic credit for an externship?
At Muhlenberg, externships do not meet the criteria for academic credit due to their short length. Students can, however, earn academic credit for an internship.
Do students need to provide their own transportation?
In most cases, yes. Students are typically responsible for arranging their transportation to and from the host site. Stipends may be available to offset travel costs but oftentimes, students are encouraged to seek a host site that is within a commuting distance from their winter break location or home. Each year, externship sites are located across Pennsylvania, New Jersey, New York, Connecticut, Washington, D.C., and beyond, so there are many locations to choose from that may ease transportation needs.
How should I prepare for an externship?
Students who would like to participate in an externship should research the profession and host site in advance of applying. The Muhlenberg Career Center hosts a workshop for students to help them prepare for their shadowing experience. Workshop topics include attire, preparing thoughtful questions, how to make a great first impression, and how to build a lasting relationship with your host.
What questions should I ask during an externship?
Strong questions to ask during an externship focus on day-to-day responsibilities, possible career paths, industry trends, and advice for students entering that field. Additional questions might cover what skills matter most in the role or company or what the host wishes they’d known earlier in their career. In addition to great questions to ask, there are also some questions to avoid. Anything that you can find easily by doing a little research online or anything that may center on a company scandal or negative headline should be avoided. A Muhlenberg career coach can partner with you to help finalize a set of questions prior to your shadowing experience to ensure you maximize your time with your host.
Can an externship help me get an internship?
Yes! An externship gives students a clearer sense of what to look for in an internship and gives them a professional contact who might offer advice or a referral. In fact, Muhlenberg has multiple stories of externs who turned into interns through our program. Read one such story here.
How do I apply for a Muhlenberg externship?
Current Muhlenberg students can apply for externships through Handshake in the late fall (around November 1 each year). The Career Center coordinates host sites, matching students to hosts, application timelines, and required reflections at the close of the program. Students should check availability since host professionals and organizations can change each year. Applications typically consist of a resume and short letter of interest expressing your motivation for observing a specific host site.
Host an Externship
Alumni, parents, and other friends of the college are welcome to host students for these transformational opportunities.
Important Considerations for Potential Hosts
- This program runs once a year, during winter break (mid-December to mid-January).
- There is a chance that you won’t be matched with a student; it depends on our application pool.
- You can allow your student to shadow you for one to five days.
- Students are required to find their own transportation to their externship location.
- While we ask students to do research on the job/industry they will be observing, it is still likely that the student will have limited knowledge about your field of work.
Previous Externship Host Sites
- Taxic Real Estate Advisors
- Family Medicine at LVHN
- Fidelity Investments
- Ambulnz by DocGo
- Bergen County Prosecutors Office
- Olney Theatre Center
- OGC Solutions/Santomassimo Davis LLP
- Hearst Media Company
- Quaker Houghton
- Central Bucks School District
- Novartis
- KYW NewsRadio
- Catalyze
- WFMZ
- Premier Orthopaedics
- NorthStar Memorial Group, LLC
- Smithtown Pediatric Dental
- Hackensack Meridian Health
- Comprehensive Cancer and Hematology Specialists
- ABC’s “The View”
- Quest Diagnostics Incorporated
- Agilitas Energy
- Alvin H. Butz, Inc.
- Flaum Eye Institute
- Johnson Controls Inc
Take the Next Step
Please contact the Career Center at [email protected] with any questions about participating. You may also sign up to be a host using the form below.
Carlee Davidson ’26
“I have always dreamed of being a pediatrician, so having the opportunity to shadow a pediatrician [Chris Raab, M.D. ’93] was incredible, really. It was exactly what I wanted to do.”Read More About Carlee Davidson
Experiences With Impact
Katelen Estrada ’29 Interns With Civic Theatre of Allentown
Estrada, a theatre and education double major, was the production stage manager for two shows and worked with middle and high school students.
Kabir Burman ’27 Interns With ArtsQuest
The political science and media and communication double major had a public relations internship with the arts nonprofit.
Noah Rosenfeld ’28 Interns With the Allentown Environmental Advisory Council
The statistics and psychology double major compiled a report related to data center legislation and presented it to Allentown City Council at a public hearing on August 5.
Internships at Muhlenberg
The Career Center also can connect students to internships, which are one way students are able to fulfill the experiential learning requirement in the Muhlenberg curriculum.