The Professional Development Center at Westminster College

Explore Majors & Careers

Not all students know exactly what they want to major in and do after graduation! It’s ok not to know. Visit us early, and chat with us often – we’ll help you make sense of your interests and experiences and show you how they fit in to your path to success.

Here are some ways you begin to help sort things out:

1. Self-Assessments

   Assessments: A self-assessment is a method used to help clarify relationships between your personal values, personality type, and professional interests. Assessments are a wonderful way to measure guiding principles that help define priorities in your life and career. We strongly encourage you to take assessments throughout your lifetime since values and interests may change over time in response to influential personal events. Listed below are several resources to use if interested in taking a self-assessment.

   Self-Directed Search: A career interest inventory that measures personal preferences that align with specific occupational fields or areas of study. To take the assessment, call the Professional Development Center at 724-946-7338 to schedule an appointment to take the inventory.

2. Shadow a Titan

3. Make an Appointment with a Counselor

Internships

Why Do I Need to Do an Internship?

• An internship is the best way to gain real world experience in a career field of your interest.
• With an internship, you can determine if a career field is a good fit for you. You’ll learn things about the industry and job functions that that cannot be taught.
• Some internships lead to a full-time position within the same organization.
• An internship looks amazing on a résume and will give you material to reference during an interview for a full-time position.

When Should I Get an Internship?

• It’s never too early to do an internship!
• Internships aren’t just during the summer. Plenty of them are during the school year.
• The summer after your junior year is a crucial time and you should have an internship lined up for this period.
• Ideally, try to have two internships before you graduate.

How Do I Find Internship Opportunities?

• Find an internship on Handshake!
• Informational interviewing! This step is critical and often overlooked. These are simply conversations with people – often people you already know or alumni- who work in your field of interest to gather information.
• Using LinkedIn – a great way to find contacts that it is easier than you think. Use our guide to help you make the right connections.
• Searching internship Websites.

How do I register for an internship?

• Contact Jen Hough, Assistant Director of the Professional Development Center at houghja@westminster.edu or stop into the Professional Development Center on the 2nd floor on the McKelvey Campus Center.
• Internship Guidelines

Internship Funding Opportunities

Class of '64 Intern Sponsorship Fund

Class of 1964 Golden Anniversary Celebration Class Project

This fund was established by members of the Class of 1964 as a gift to the College in honor of their Golden Anniversary Celebration in October of 2014.

Recognizing the value of experiential internship opportunities as a way for students to enhance their classroom study through the exploration of career options and acquisition of professional skills, and recognizing that in today’s working environment significant expense can be associated with high-quality internship experiences, the Class of 1964 has chosen to endow The Class of 1964 Intern Sponsorship Fund.

Income from this fund will be used annually to provide competitive funding for students who accept eligible, credit-worthy unpaid internships. The sponsorship is administered through the Westminster College Professional Development Center where an application process requiring a personal statement, resume and unofficial transcript is in place together with an established timeline for application submission.

Applications are reviewed by a committee of Professional Development Center counselors, Westminster College faculty and College administrators. Final selection is at the discretion of the Internship Coordinator.

Applications can be picked up in the Professional Development Center. Deadline for application is the 3rd Monday in April.

Fetters Intern Sponsorship Fund

Recognizing the value of experiential internship opportunities as a way for students to enhance their classroom study through the exploration of career options and acquisition of professional skills, and recognizing that in today's working environment significant expense can be associated with high-quality internship experiences, Mr. and Mrs. N. Craig Fetters, II have endowed The N. Craig Fetters, II '64 and Linda Wood Fetters '65 Intern Sponsorship Fund.

The sponsorship is administered through the Westminster College Professional Development Center where an application process requiring a personal statement, resume, and unofficial transcript is provided, along with a completed application.

Applications are reviewed by a committee of Professional Development Center counselors, Westminster faculty and administrators. Final selection is at the discretion of the Internship Coordinator.

One sponsorship will be awarded each year and the deadline is the 3rd Monday in April.

Please stop in the Professional Development Center for more information.

Suzanne Lilly Internship for Intellectual Disability Fund

Westminster College, in cooperation with the IM4Q grant coordinator, Dr. Gary Lilly, has endowed funds to support internships that benefit the mental health/intellectual disabilities population.

Income from this fund will be used annually to provide competitive funding for 1 student who accepts an eligible, credit worthy, unpaid internship in the mental health/intellectual disabilities area, with preference given to internships located in Western PA. The sponsorship is administered through the Westminster College Professional Development Center where an application process requiring a personal statement, resume, and unofficial transcript is in place together with an established timeline for application submission. The deadline is the 3rd Monday in April.

Please stop in the Professional Development Center for more information.

Dr. Christie and Ben Nelson Internship Fund

This Fund was formalized in 2021 by Dr. Christie and Mr. Benjamin Nelson in support of the mission of Westminster College to help men and women develop competencies, commitments, and characteristics which have distinguished human beings at their best.The liberal arts tradition is the foundation of the curriculum continually designed to serve this mission in a rapidly changing world.

This fund is awarded to enhance their classroom study through the exploration of career options and acquisition of professional skills, and recognizing that in today's working environment significant expense can be associated with high-quality internship experiences, Dr. and Mr. Nelson have chosen to endow The Dr. Christie and Ben Nelson Intern Fund.

Income from this Fund will be used annually to provide competitive funding for students who accept eligible, unpaid or underpaid internships, co-ops, and similar programs. The sponsorship is administered through the Westminster College Professional Development Center where an application process requiring a personal statement, resume and (if available) offer letter from an organization, company, nonprofit, NGO, or related stating pay amount (or lack thereof) and location of position. Applications are reviewed by a committee of Professional Development Center staff, Financial Aid Director, Westminster College faculty and College administrators. Final selection is at the discretion of the Professional Development Center.

All application materials must be complete and submitted by March 31 of each year. Please stop in the Professional Development Center for more information.

The Job Search

The first step in searching for a job is to know what you’re looking for. That means setting goals and gaining focus. You can do that by:

• Researching career paths
• Making an appointment with a career advisor to identify strategies best suited to your interests

Once you start searching you want to:

• Respond to posted and publicized opportunities.
• Research and contact potential employers directly.

Establish and utilize a network of professionals, friends, family, faculty and alumni (LinkedIn, Professional Networking Symposium)

Resume Ready?

Document your experiences - As you prepare for your internship and job search we want to make sure your toolkit is packed and ready to go. You’ll be surprised at what skills you’ve acquired through experiences that you can weave into your resume, cover letter, and LinkedIn profile to make yourself stand out to employers.

Determine What Sets You Apart?

The first step is to take a look at the skill areas that employers look for when searching for interns and new hires. It’s time to think about experiences you’ve had in your organizations and involvement, classes, volunteering, and employment. In addition, consider how to demonstrate that you possess the competencies that employers desire.

Resources