All students at St. Edward’s University immerse themselves in hands-on experiences, internships and research projects through experiential learning opportunities. Under the guidance of our compassionate mentors, students gain invaluable real-world skills essential for making meaningful impacts across diverse communities.
What to Expect
All undergraduate students will complete at least one introductory and one advanced experiential learning opportunity on their journey toward earning a degree.
- Introductory Experiential Learning exposes students to foundational learning opportunities beyond the classroom.
- Advanced Experiential Learning provides more robust and meaningful learning opportunities with additional engagement required of the student in both time and effort.
Setting You Up For Success
The five categories for Advanced Experiential Learning opportunities will help you establish and accomplish your goals and often include community-based activities and efforts to address societal concerns.
Internships and field experiences are forms of experiential learning that integrate knowledge and theory learned in the classroom with practical application and skill development in a professional setting. They provide students with the opportunity to gain valuable applied experience, make connections in professional fields they are considering for career paths, and give employers the opportunity to guide and evaluate talent. This includes:
- Internships for credit, not for credit, paid, or unpaid and can be completed within the major.
- Fellowships that provide tuition or aid to support the training of students for a period of time. Usually made by educational institutions, corporations, or foundations to assist individuals pursuing a course of study or research.
- Course-based experiential learning typically involves active field work and in-course professional experiences (ex. consulting, case studies, job shadowing) built into the syllabus and recognized/evidenced by credit earned in the course.
*Adapted from the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE)
In undergraduate research, scholarship, and creative inquiry, the goal is to involve students with actively contested questions, empirical and/or qualitative observation, cutting-edge technologies, and the sense of excitement that comes from working to answer important questions. With an emphasis on process, the Council for Undergraduate Research defines undergraduate research as “a mentored investigation or creative inquiry conducted by undergraduates that seeks to make a scholarly or artistic contribution to knowledge.”
With faculty guidance, students select a research question and conduct an independent investigation. Students will learn about research methodology, how to search relevant literature and databases within their field of study, craft a proposal or summary of the question, and present their work in written and/or oral form.
Study abroad, either for a year, a semester or a summer, offers students a unique opportunity to learn in another culture and is one way to foster a globally minded perspective throughout St. Edward’s. Domestic travel experiences also invite students to apply what they are learning in the classroom to new environments. Study abroad and domestic travel will challenge students to grow both academically and personally.
Service-learning is distinguished by being mutually beneficial for both students and the community and directly complementary to the coursework. Service-learning is growing rapidly and is considered a part of experiential education by its very nature of learning, performing a job within the community, and serious reflection by the student.
Service-learning involves tackling some of society’s complex issues like homelessness, poverty, lack of quality education, pollution, and more. Volunteering is characterized by performing acts of service within the community in pursuit of a more just world.
Student leadership experiences are offered on and off campus through a wide variety of university and partner institutions or organizations that allow for valuable work and life experience. According to NACE, leadership is the ability to “leverage the strengths of others to achieve common goals and use interpersonal skills to coach and develop others.” This includes:
- Hired and/or elected positions include paraprofessional students hired to provide programming, activities, services and other co-curricular opportunities for student learning and engagement informed by university and departmental mission. This also includes selected or appointed students who advocate for constituents, provide leadership and service, and facilitate programs.
- Peer mentorship programs are typically defined by a relationship between students in which one has more experience than the other in a particular domain and can provide support, knowledge, and potential transfer of skills.
- Student employment opportunities are paid roles through a combination of regular hourly jobs, work-study positions, and off-campus Community Federal Work Study Internships.
- Assistantships are a form of paid employment in which students assist a faculty or staff member and perform related duties.
Criteria Overview
To ensure an enriching, rigorous experience across the board for all students — through dedication and investment of time — an Advanced Experiential Learning opportunity must fulfill the following criteria:
- Quantitative: 60 clock hours within a semester (equal to 1 credit or 4 hrs/week for 16 weeks)
- Intentional: Purposeful and planned experiences with clear goals and intended outcomes
- Beneficial: Support for students’ interests, career readiness and aspirations
- Supervised: Ongoing faculty, staff, supervisor and/or community involvement in all phases