2001 AACC Annual Meeting Charlotte, North Carolina October 14-18, 2001 Charlotte Convention Center

The benefits of internship experiences during the undergraduate degree in food science and related disciplines are multiple. Academic institutions value internships because they provide educational dimensions at the personal, professional, and programmatic level that are that are not realized from the campus-based portion of a degree. Certain key elements are needed to assure that a typical summer job can turn into a learning experience that qualifies for an internship. Internships for graduate students are less common and provide challenges in terms of being compatible with the research expectations and the financial complications of graduate education. Suggestions for developing successful graduate student internships include attention to timing, confidentiality, and minimizing conflict with the schedule and objectives of traditional and non-traditional graduate education.