Career & Professional Development

The Office of Career & Professional Development is located on the first floor of Egan Hall. Career & Professional Development offers a variety of assistance with your career needs. Visit a Career Counselor for assistance with career exploration, resume and cover letters, interviewing, internships, graduate school, and job searching. For undecided students or students considering a change of major/minor, Career & Professional Development offers a variety of assessments to help students identify potential career paths. Students can reach out to any Career staff to schedule a session to discuss options and take appropriate assessments. Mercyhurst University utilizes Handshake, an online career management system. Students can search for jobs (both on and off campus), internships, and career related activities, including registering for our annual graduate school and career fairs. Students can also post their resumes for review by prospective employers. All registered students are automatically given an account in Handshake which gives them 24/7 access to the website and app. Look for an email with login instructions in your Mercyhurst email account.

The Internship Program
Internships are coordinated by the Office of Career & Professional Development. During an internship, students apply concepts learned in the classroom at an appropriate company/organization. Internships are required by some majors as part of those majors’ degree requirements. However, internship opportunities are available for nearly any major at Mercyhurst. Students must complete a minimum of 60 hours in the field per credit earned. Depending on their major, undergraduate students can earn up to cumulative total of 12 internship credits.

Internship Options
Internships can occur as full-time, part-time, or summer experiences. A full-time experience allows a student to work for a period of 10 to 30 weeks. Part-time experiences are typically 10 to 15 weeks in length. Summer experiences allow students to work part-time or full-time. The number of hours for any internship experience is dependent on the needs of both the student and the internship site. Students interested in completing an internship must meet with a staff member in the Office of Career & Professional Development and complete an internship learning agreement with their internship site.

Zero Credit Option
Students planning to complete an internship experience without having to earn academic credit must enroll in this option. A zero-credit internship appears on the transcript like a credit bearing experience. Contact the Director of the Career Development for additional details.

Please visit the Career & Professional Development’s HUB page for more information about career development and internships.