Experiential Learning

Internships and Service Learning

NYU has a strong commitment to community involvement. Students have an extraordinary array of formal and informal hands-on learning opportunities that help to connect theory to practice. The broad spectrum of experiential learning opportunities available to students at NYU ranges from internships to service learning, and includes both public service and community-based activities.

While each school offers its students somewhat different opportunities, all view the chance for engagement in the life of New York City and, in specific, professional areas of interest as powerful ways to enrich students' education. Experiential learning opportunities expose students to new ways of understanding, engage them in relevant activities, and help them make connections between their coursework and their workplace. Collectively, these experiences help to enhance the student experience and make NYU students, and thus the University, a major resource to New York City.

Internships

Internships are course, program, and/or career related activities that fall on a continuum from participant-observation activities, such as apprenticing on a film-shoot, to fully engaged activities, such as contributing copy to a journal. When credit-bearing, internships are generally department or course-based, and directly related to the field for which the student is preparing. Such internships, which are unpaid, tend to draw on knowledge and skills developed through coursework.

Other internships are paid and are often associated with the Wasserman Center for Career Development. Such internships may be related to coursework and are almost always linked to students' career aspirations. This type of internship is attractive to many students, both for financial reasons and as a means of professional development. Register today for Handshake at the Wasserman Center to gain instant access to a variety of amazing opportunities and resources. Check out Wasserman's Experiential Learning page for more information about internship opportunities through the NYU community.

Students interested in civic engagement can find additional internship and grant opportunities through the Office of Civic Engagement.  These opportunities include America Reads/America Counts, NYU Jumpstart, and NYU's Public Service Corp.  The NYU Civic Team also provides students with volunteer and internship opportunities at New York City not-for-profit and government agencies.

Service Learning

Service learning typically deepens the linkage between academic and experiential learning. This linkage can be accomplished in several ways. Public service learning often involves course-based internships, as well as field experiences with pay. Community-based learning can also involve course-based internships, but noncredit service-learning initiatives can be developed as well. Explore these service learning options with your academic advisor to make sure you are aware of all that is possible.  Additional places to explore experiential learning opportunities are also listed below: