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The objective of the NCE Intern-preneurship Program is to provide UNL students with an experienced-based entrepreneurial learning opportunity. The NCE facilitates student placement in new and emerging enterprises with excellent leaders/mentors to ensure that UNL’s best and brightest business leaders of the future have an opportunity to apply their skills in an exciting entrepreneurial environment. The program is open to anyone interested in entrepreneurship, business and non-business majors alike. Ideal candidates for this program are students who would like to someday start their own business and be in an ownership position; students who will create jobs rather than take jobs. If you’re simply looking to pad your resume with a quick and easy internship, this program is not for you. We’re interested in high-caliber students who have a strong desire to learn, apply their skills, and create a tangible and positive impact on their host organization.
The NCE would like to partner with local entrepreneurs and entrepreneurial organizations who are willing to contribute to the education of UNL's aspiring entrepreneurs. Host companies may be in either the start-up stage or growth stage. Established companies may also be eligible if the company founders are still actively involved in the business. The host organization should assign an entrepreneurial mentor who will spend time in direct contact with the intern. The intern should be provided with meaningful work, have access to key decision makers, and be afforded the opportunity to effect change within the company. Organizations who are interested in hosting an intern should complete the application found on the Application Process page of this site.
Interns work 120 hours for an entrepreneurial host organization, approximately 12 hours per week for 10 weeks during the spring or fall semester. Interns register for ENTR/MNGT 399 Entrepreneur Internship or GRBA 890 Graduate Internship and complete coursework to gain 1-3 credit hours, depending on the amount of coursework chosen by the student. In addition to working closely with a host organization mentor, students will meet individually with the course instructor and in forum sessions with other interns (approximately 6 meetings total). The primary graded assignment for the course will be either a "consultant's report" or a specific project assigned by the host organization. Some host organizations may have the intern develop a business plan or marketing plan, create a web page, design promotional material, or perform research on the competition or new potential products. If the host organization chooses to place the intern in multiple areas for a more general experience, a "consultant's report" at the end of the semester will serve as the primary assignment. Other assignments for the class may include oral presentations, weekly journals, entrepreneur interviews, or a field experience paper.
