Student and company reactions to a university internship program: content analysis

This study adds empirical support to internship research by providing a content analysis of student and business reactions to the business internship program at Abilene Christian University in Abilene, Texas. The results of this study appeared highly related to anecdotal accounts from the literature review. The most common cited advantages of the program across disciplines concern meaningful work for students and knowledge application. The most common disadvantages were the lack of communication in the company and lack of clear expectations. The most common host company suggestions for student interns were to cultivate good communication skills, punctuality, and time management. The most common student suggestions for host companies were to communicate clear expectations and give the intern a variety of experiences. Keywords: Internship program, content analysis, communication, expectations, students, companies