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Why is an internship
required?
We feel that
filling an internship position is a very important part of earning an Equine
Science degree. Internships offer students knowledge and understanding of
certain equine issues that are sometimes difficult to touch on in a classroom
setting. An internship provides the intern with invaluable practical learning
experiences that enhance their on-campus education. These are only a few
reasons why we require all senior Equine Science students to complete a
one-semester horse industry internship before they receive their diploma.
Interning is a great opportunity to learn more about an equine industry or
area that is of the student's primary interest. Interns develop useful skills
that they can take with them upon graduating. Not only does the internship expand
the student's experience and knowledge, it provides the intern with an
important means of networking within the horse industry. Intern positions can
provide a vehicle for graduate placement, either in a permanent position at
the internship site or through the many valuable horse industry contacts
interns make during their internship. During the course of the internship,
the student has a chance to show others in the horse industry what they
have learned from the Equine Science Program at SIU.
Some of SIU's Equine Science students have interned with some of the nation's
leading trainers, breeders, clinicians, racetracks, and other equine
enterprises! These internships offer the student several opportunities,
including:
- Allowing students to learn
and/or practice skills that cannot be adequately covered in the
university setting.
- Involving the student
directly in an aspect of the horse industry in which he/she intends to
seek employment.
- Encouraging the development
of contacts with professional horsemen active in the student's chosen
occupational area.
- Giving the student an
opportunity to learn advanced management methods, obtain wisdom, and
gain experience from horse professionals in their chosen field.
- Providing the student with
the opportunities needed to better enhance their chances of obtaining a
job or meeting the requirements for admission to graduate or
professional school.
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