Skip to content
HomepageBlog
Log in
The internship series

Top 10 internships for computer science majors

Here are the top options to kick-start your career with hands-on experience.

As a college student, you might wonder what kind of computer science internships are available to you. Whether full time or part time, these work experiences provide a lot of real-world practice that can help you better understand your career field and provide qualifications for your resume.

The good news is that there are a lot of internships available to you through your school’s department of computer science. Your college will have a lot of resources to help you learn more about these internship opportunities. You might also find positions through personal connections and social media platforms like LinkedIn.

Some of the top internships for computer science majors include:

  • Web developer
  • Computer science professional
  • Software developer
  • Software engineer
  • Information technology (IT) professional
  • Python developer
  • Web engineer
  • IT help desk professional
  • Computer programming instructor
  • Computer engineer

Many of these regular semester and summer internships are paid (often $10 to $20 an hour) and can lead to well-paying jobs with starting salaries of $40,000 to $70,000 a year.

Keep reading to learn more about these computer science internships.

1. Web developer intern

As a web developer intern, you’ll use your training to create, test, and maintain websites, including the site or interface layout, different site functions, and navigation features.

An internship can provide hands-on experience using web development tools for real-world projects. In many cases, internship positions help undergraduate and graduate students land full-time jobs.

Future employment opportunities

Your job prospects are good, whether you want to work in the computer systems design industry or in sectors like advertising, publishing, management consulting, or financial service.

Demand for web development services is projected to grow 23% from 2021 to 2031.

Salary outlook

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), web developers and digital designers can enjoy a median pay of $78,300 per year or $37.65 per hour.

Skills needed

People applying for a web developer internship might need a variety of soft and hard skills, including:

  • Technical knowledge. Many employers offering internships want candidates with a variety of technical and coding skills, such as JavaScript, HTML, and Python.
  • Communication skills. It’s not enough to be able to develop solutions to technical problems — you need to explain them to clients and managers.
  • Problem-solving and troubleshooting. You’ll face a lot of technical challenges requiring the ability to solve problems on the fly and troubleshoot.

2. Computer science intern

As a computer scientist, you’ll combine your engineering, mathematics, and science learning to understand and develop computers, networks, hardware, software, databases, and more.

It might be difficult to handle a computer science internship with a full course load, but it can pay off by adding practical skills to your theoretical knowledge.

You’ll work as part of a team to learn how to write lines of code, test and debug software, and study computer languages in an actual work setting under the supervision of programming and developing professionals.

Future employment opportunities

The U.S. demand for computer scientists is expected to grow substantially, with 3,300 job openings a year. Bachelor’s or master’s degrees can lead to careers in software development, database administration, or computer programming, or roles like computer support specialist or web developer.

Salary outlook

According to the BLS, the median pay for computer and information research scientists is $131,490 per year or $63.22 per hour.

Skills needed

Some of the skills required for a computer science internship include:

  • Customer service skills. While dealing with technical problems is important, you’re usually doing work on a client’s behalf.
  • Different development languages. Depending on the company, you’ll need knowledge of C++, Python, Java, and other programming languages.
  • Problem-solving abilities. Computer science is a technical field. Your success depends on solving complex problems.

3. Software development intern

Someone wanting to create computer applications or programs can gain a lot of practical experience with a software development internship. Consult with a career services adviser at your college to see if you can get an entry-level position working under the supervision of a senior person in the field.

This may involve working on software development projects requiring testing new program features or taking on some project management responsibilities. In some cases, the internship may count toward your coursework.

Future employment opportunities

The outlook for the profession is rosy, with a projected 25% job growth through 2031. You can use your degree to get work in computer systems design and related systems in manufacturing, or you might work on a development team for software publishers.

Salary outlook

The median pay for software developers is $109,020 per year or

$52.41 per hour.

Skills needed

Required software development internship skills could include:

  • Attention to detail. You’ll probably work on complex projects under tight deadlines, so paying attention to detail and avoiding time-consuming errors is important.
  • Collaboration. You’ll likely be part of a larger development team, so the ability to work effectively with team members is essential.
  • Programming languages. A software developer needs to know a variety of programming languages, including JavaScript and Python.

4. Software engineer intern

Software engineers create software solutions for businesses, including web applications, mobile apps, robots, operating systems, machine learning programs, cybersecurity systems, network systems, and more.

A software internship is a training position offering real-world experience with computer programs and engineering skills to create a variety of computer and network applications, controls, and software.

We’ve got an inside peek into the life of a software engineer.

Future employment opportunities

Your college degree and internship program experience can help you land jobs ranging from front-end and back-end engineers to data engineers and cloud architects.

Salary outlook

Software engineer salaries can run from $72,029 to $181,832 a year.

Skills needed

A software information internship will likely require a variety of skills, including:

  • Fluency in various coding languages. These might include object-oriented programming, Java, and Python.
  • Analytical skills. You might need superior analytical skills to understand the scope and intricacy of a project and be able to complete it correctly.
  • Creativity. As much as computer engineering is a technical field involving working with algorithms, it often requires creative, out-of-the-box thinking to find work solutions.

5. Information technology (IT) intern

IT professionals can perform a huge range of tasks, including testing, building, installing, repairing, or doing the upkeep of the hardware and software of intricate computer systems. An information internship can prepare you for these tasks with hands-on training.

Check out our handy guide on getting an IT internship.

Future employment opportunities

There’s a huge and growing demand for IT professionals in fields that include computer and information research scientists, cybersecurity analysts, network architects, and others.

Salary outlook

According to the BLS, the median salaries for different IT branches can range from $57,910 to $131,490.

Skills needed

Some of the hard and soft skills required for an information technology internship include:

  • Technical skills. These range from coding skills to database management to quality assurance.
  • Time management. IT professionals often have to do self-directed work on complex projects, so knowing how to manage your time is essential.
  • Knowledge sharing. IT people usually work in larger teams who depend on shared knowledge and trial-and-error experience to help one another.

6. Python developer intern

Professionals design, test, and debug projects using this popular programming language. An internship provides hands-on skills in Python programming so it’s easier to find a job in the field.

Actual work projects help flesh out theoretical coding skills and provide a chance to be part of a team environment.

Future employment opportunities

The outlook for Python development professionals is good. There’s a lot of work available due to the popularity of the programming language.

You could find a career in artificial intelligence engineering, data science, machine learning, software development, web development, and much more.

Salary outlook

The average Python developer’s salary is $98,824, usually between $90,331 and $107,838.

Skills needed

It’s good to have these skills to excel in your Python developer internship:

  • Thorough knowledge of Pythonprogramming language. This might cover data structures, data types, exception handling, file handling, and generations.
  • Front-end technologies. A knowledge of CSS, HTML, and JavaScript is often required to ensure the client- and server-side technologies match.
  • Collaboration. Embracing teamwork and cooperation is essential to becoming a good Python developer.

7. Web engineer intern

A website engineer uses their coding skills to create and monitor web applications and destinations. You can use the practical experiences of a web engineer internship to learn skills and best practices from veterans in the industry. Work might include coding, testing code, formatting graphics, and learning to deal with clients.

Future employment opportunities

The demand for web engineers is steady in today’s digital age. Graduating web engineers may decide to work for themselves as consultants or work for companies across a variety of industries to develop web applications and experiences.

Salary outlook

The average salary for a web engineer is $94,865 per year or $46 per hour.

Skills needed

Applicants need a good cross-section of skills to land a web engineer internship, including:

  • Design. Web engineers often have to work with web designers, so a functional knowledge of design is very useful.
  • Computer programming languages. You’ll need a variety of coding and programming languages to create websites and applications.
  • Client collaboration. Explaining solutions in a language clients understand is important.

8. IT help desk intern

An IT help desk provides technical support to help users resolve issues and complete specific actions. Someone wanting to join an IT help desk after graduation can get practical experience during an internship.

You might answer customer questions about technical issues, learn to respond to tickets raised by the help desk system, and resolve a wide range of issues.

Future employment opportunities

There’s strong demand for IT help desk professionals who provide support for computer users and computer networks. The jobs tend to be full-time for companies, requiring night and weekend work to meet the needs of around-the-clock service.

Salary outlook

The median annual pay for computer support specialists is $57,910 per year or $27.84 per hour.

Skills needed

Here are some helpful skills to have for an IT help desk internship:

  • Customer service. The job involves helping users with technical issues and explaining things in a language they understand.
  • Technical skills. You need a thorough understanding of the operating systems, software, and devices related to a job.
  • Analytical abilities. Resolving technical issues on-site or remotely requires the ability to think through problems logically.

9. Computer programming instructor

The job of a computer programming instructor is to teach students about computer operations, processes, software, and hardware. An internship can provide professional experience and a better understanding of the field.

You might divide your time between improving your technical skill sets and learning to communicate information to students.

Future employment opportunities

Universities, professional schools, and junior colleges are some of the biggest employers of computer programming instructors.

Salary outlook

The annual median wage for postsecondary computer science teachers is $84,760, with salaries ranging from $48,620 to $165,880.

Skills needed

Qualifications for becoming a computer programming instructor intern include:

  • Relevant education experience. You probably need a bachelor’s degree or higher in computer science, a teaching license, and practical work experience.
  • Mathematics. This hard skill is required to help students understand computer programming.
  • Interpersonal skills. Computer programming teachers must understand student needs and communicate in a way that helps them progress.

10. Computer engineer intern

Computer engineers design, research, develop, and test different computer systems and components. A computer engineer internship might combine hands-on work with chances to learn about different careers in a company or the field.

While you might get independent projects, you’ll usually work under the supervision of a veteran staff member. Your deliverables could include developing applications, debugging code, and documenting new applications.

Future employment opportunities

Computer hardware engineers tend to work in research laboratories, developing and testing different computer models, or in systems design manufacturing settings. Computer software engineer jobs can range from video game design and full-stack engineers to mobile developers.

Salary outlook

According to the BLS, the median salary for a computer hardware engineer is $128,170 per year, and it’s $105,071 for a computer software engineer.

Skills needed

Hard and soft computer engineer skills required for an internship may include:

  • Technical savvy. These skills cover programming, coding, and network architecture.
  • Creativity. Besides having the technical chops, you may need creativity to imagine new solutions in emerging areas (e.g., robotics).
  • Focus. Working through complicated problems in this area often requires concentration, great patience, and a determination to see things through to the end.

Who’s hiring?

If you want to land an internship or job in your area or a related field, Handshake can help with the top 100 companies hiring students right now!

We provide relevant background material on each company, share reviews from people who have worked there, and answer relevant questions.

Plus, you can apply for any job or internship right on our platform. Try it out today!

Sources:

Find the right jobs for you. Get hired.