Internships and Experiential Learning

A student works on a robotics project in a lab.

Gain invaluable real-world experience related to your interests, passions and goals through internships, fellowships, volunteer programs and other experiential learning opportunities. Between UCLA and Los Angeles, you’ll have access to an amazing array of options.

73%

of undergraduates complete at least one internship as a student

Students make connections and learn about opportunities at an internship fair.

Prepare for Life Beyond the Classroom With Internships

Internships are an ideal way to gain hands-on experience and make important connections related to your future. Here, you have access to hundreds of stellar opportunities, both on campus and around L.A. You may earn academic credit, too. Through our Career Center, which offers resources including Handshake and Parker Dewey, students discover and endless options in a vast array of fields.

Testimonials

A portrait of Drew Nishikawa

I really liked working with people with disabilities, and just showing them that, ‘Hey, I have a disability as well. If I can do it, you can do it.’

Leading Industries in Los Angeles

Hollywood. Music. Lifestyle brands. These may be the first things that come to mind when you think of L.A., but an astounding number of major industries are booming in the City of Angels. What does this mean for you? More opportunities to learn outside the box, deepen your experience and make connections related to your future.

  • Aerospace
  • Automotive
  • Banking
  • Bioscience
  • Community Organizations
  • Design and Lifestyle
  • Digital Media
  • Entertainment
  • Fashion
  • Finance
  • Government
  • Healthcare
  • Information Technology
  • Manufacturing
  • Medical Technology
  • Tourism
  • Trade
#19

largest economy in the world (if L.A. County were a nation)

LA Almanac (2020)
#4

college for aspiring entrepreneurs

College Choice (2023)
The founders of Cool Haus pose with their food truck.

Put Your Entrepreneurial Skills to Work

Love to invent, improve and revolutionize? Develop and launch new ideas with Startup UCLA and connect resources through Bruincubate. Join Sigma Eta Pi, a co-ed entrepreneurship fraternity, and clubs like Bruin Entrepreneurs for workshops, pitch events and networking nights.

Enroll in the Entrepreneurship Minor to gain practical knowledge and real-world experience.

Testimonials

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Through the Daily Bruin, I was able to secure an internship and now a full-time staff position with People Magazine, which further established my desire to pursue a career as an entertainment journalist.

Leadership Skills

Lead the Way

Boost your leadership skills in a multitude of meaningful ways on campus and off. These are just a few examples of opportunities that can make a difference for you and your community:

Students participate in a rowing club.

Clubs and Organizations

With over 1,000 clubs and student organizations, you have ample opportunities to pursue leadership roles. And if you don’t see the club you’re looking for, lead the way toward its creation.

A student volunteer helps go through bins of golden apples.

Community

Participate in community-service projects managed by the Community Programs Office Student Association, which strives to help students from underserved areas. You can also join in on events and programs run by the UCLA Volunteer Center.

An instructor talks to a group of students in Charles E. Young Research Library.

Training

Hone your public speaking and communication techniques with the Bruin Leaders Project. Participate in leadership workshops and the LeaderShape Institute, which promotes leading with integrity. And help manage the Daily Bruin and other student-run media with the Communications Board.

A music minor playing her guitar in a class smiles up at someone off-camera.

Choose a Minor That Includes an Internship

If you’re interested in the music industry, entrepreneurship, professional writing or community engagement and social change, sign up to take the related minor. Each of these professional minors include an internship where you’ll make incredible connections and sharpen your skills.

Fellowships

Deepen Your Learning in Your Field of Interest

Gain unique professional development experience with fellowships, which offer short-term learning opportunities in a wide variety of fields of interest. Fellowships across campus include:

Undergraduate STEM Fellows Program

Supports students who will be conducting a STEM research project with a UCLA faculty mentor

The President’s Global Food Initiative Fellowship

Supports student-generated research and projects that focus on food issues

The President’s Sustainability Student Fellowship

Awards students whose work supports UC’s Carbon Neutrality Initiative

Volunteer Center Fellows Program

Funds student leadership for a number of community-service initiatives

 

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