Instructors

Description

Overview

The Entrepreneurial internship allows students to earn credit while working as an intern for their company sponsor during the semester. Under the guidance of a faculty member serving as an entrepreneurial coach, students have a chance to apply concepts learned in the classroom and acquire new skills as they address real life challenges.

In this course, the student assumes an employee role in the company. Internships typically involve students serving in a functional role with an entrepreneurial focus, such as product management, entrepreneurial marketing and sales.

Students are expected to spend a minimum of 120 hours on the internship throughout the semester. 

Eligible internship opportunities  

The internship must:

• Be an unpaid internship during the Fall or Spring academic semester – credit will not be given retroactively for past internships or for summer unpaid internships
• Is sponsored by a new venture (a young company with a small team, such as a startup or new small business), a small non-profit, or a small entrepreneurial group within a larger organization (for profit, not for profit or government agency).
• involve work content that is highly entrepreneurial in nature that exercises business skills such as marketing, sales, product management, user research, financial analysis and more, in support of developing new products, services, solutions or markets
• comprise a minimum of 120 hours of work during the semester

Enrollment Process

• Students first need to identify an eligible unpaid internship from an organization that fits criteria (see above), and receive a job offer for this internship.
• Students should then browse the DEC faculty directory at https://derbyecenter.tufts.edu/about/faculty and reach out to a faculty member who might be a good fit to serve as their coach. If you don’t have a faculty coach in mind, we can also help you find one. 
• Students should then email entstudent@tufts.edu to communicate their interest in taking the entrepreneurial internship course. They will be sent an intake form that includes the following key information:
  • The name of the company
  • Role/Position for the internship
  • Tasks and responsibilities
  • Why this internship is a good fit
  • Job description in PDF format
  • Start and end date of the internship
  • Other logistical information
• Our team will reach out to determine if you are eligible, and if so, we will guide you through the rest of the process to enroll in SIS.

Restrictions on Enrollment

Registration requires departmental consent. A student can receive credit for up to 2 semesters for this course. THe internship course can only be taken once a semester. The student cannot receive internship credit for the same role in the same company twice. 

Pre-requisites:

Students who wish to take the internship course should ensure that they have completed coursework or have acquired training outside the classroom that gives them the skills to succeed in their proposed role.

Learning Outcomes and Objectives

Learning Outcomes

Upon completion, students will:

• Have achieved custom learning objectives jointly developed with their faculty coach and company sponsor
• Have developed first-hand knowledge of how teams are built, nurtured, and managed
• Have learned how to apply theoretical approaches to real life scenarios through project  immersion and practice
• Have developed practical proficiency in applicable business skills 
• Have developed good practices in managing work
• Have acquired good professional communications skills and habits 
• Have a better understanding of how well this type of organization and role aligns with their personal and professional goals, objectives, and work styles

Shared Learning Objectives (for all students who take this course)

• Work with their faculty coach and company sponsor to develop and accomplish custom learning objectives
• Learn to plan and manage work both on a weekly basis and over the entire course of the semester
• Lead and contribute to projects that utilize relevant business skills such as marketing, sales, financial analysis, consulting, product management and more
• Acquire self-management and project management skills
• Develop good habits in communicating with their supervisor and peers for collaboration, and in giving and receiving constructive feedback
• Assess how the role, work content, type of organization, and company culture aligns with their professional purpose, values, and aspirations

 Custom Learning Objectives (customized for each student)

Custom learning objectives will be jointly defined by the student, their entrepreneurial coach and their company sponsor at the beginning of the semester via iterations for their internship proposal.

Custom learning objectives are typically framed around two themes:

• Learning how to work effectively in a fast-paced entrepreneurial environment through immersion over the course of a semester.
• Applying specific frameworks, concepts and skills learned in the classroom to a real- life startup

Please note that in an entrepreneurial environment, strategy and priorities can both change rapidly. The learning objectives should capture the spirit of the mindset and skillset that the student wishes to learn, and be revisited throughout the semester to ensure it captures any significant changes in expectations or priorities in the company sponsor’s goals and objectives.

Interested in taking this course?

Please fill out the intake form and someone will follow up. Thanks.