FAQ

To position CMA students for immediate impact to industry and to gain unique practical knowledge, we determined internships paired with academic rigor of the BIT 4964 Field Study course meets these goals.

Typically, students will find opportunities becoming available in July or August. This means you MUST START EARLY and you must attend all relevant career events. However, your opportunities begin now. Start developing your resume, create a LinkedIn and Handshake profile, build relationships with professors and recruiters, coordinate with peers, friends, and family.
Transfer students, especially CMA, should begin searching for internship opportunities before transferring since their time is limited to complete the requirement before graduation.

Attend Career Events found through Pamplin or on Handshake.
Use Job Search Platforms including Handshake, LinkedIn, Zip Recruiter, Indeed, and Career Shift
Leverage LinkedIn as a networking tool, and ensure your profile indicates you are open to work.
Attend or volunteer for the fall and spring Business Horizons every year.
Reach out to Pamplin Career Services and ensure you receive the Career Connect Newsletter every week.
Review Career and Professional Development for career fairs and resources.
Discuss opportunities with BIT Dept and faculty sponsor.
Leveraging connections with family and friends.
Coordinate with local or hometown businesses.

Typically, students complete their internship in the summer prior to senior year. However, students have completed internships as early as the fall of their junior year and extending into your last semester prior to graduation. Students may qualify to complete the field study in any semester, and even over multiple semesters, either on location or virtually. When applying for the BIT 4964 Field Study course and determining the specific semester, at least 150 work hours (half of the required 300 hours) must be completed during the enrolled semester.

Review the Eligibility requirements and the Competency/Task list
Once you have secured an internship that will allow you to improve upon at least five competencies/task, you should apply. These competencies/tasks may adjust as late as the beginning of the Field Study course until you identify or are assigned your internship supervisor/mentor. You should apply using the link and ensure you are signed into Google with your vt.edu email address. Responses of approval will begin to be sent out two months prior to the enrolled semester.

The BIT 4964 Field Study course is a three-credit class. Your costs will depend on in-state/out-of-state status. Refer to the Bursar page.

There are no unique scholarships available for the Field Study at this time. Please review the below links for financial opportunities.
- Financial Aid
- NIST Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship

Yes, contact Cranwell International Center for Visa authorization procedures.
An offer letter from the student must be submitted to Cranwell International Center.
A Curricular Practical Training letter is required from your Academic Advisor after completing training.

Until all coursework and evaluations are completed for the BIT 4964 course, an “X” grade will reflect on your unofficial transcripts in HokieSpa.
The “X” grade will be replaced with the earned grade when internship and BIT 4964 coursework requirements are complete.

Yes. Students will include contact information for the internship supervisor. The instructor will send out two short 10-minute surveys to complete at separate times during the internship. These surveys responses will impact student grades.