Students and Alumni Services

Experiential Learning Opportunities (Coming Soon)

Learn by doing.
Experiential learning bridges the gap between academic knowledge and real-world experience. The Engage Center for Experiential Learning and Career Readiness helps students and alumni connect with meaningful opportunities that build skills, enhance resumes, deepen career clarity, and prepare you for life after graduation. These opportunities include internships, co-ops, service learning, research, and work-based projects — all designed to support your career development journey.

Search and Apply for Experiential Learning Opportunities

What is Experiential Learning?

Experiential learning is a hands-on approach to education that helps students apply classroom learning in real-world settings, develop skills, and gain meaningful experience through reflection and practice. Learn more about how BSU is defining experiential learning below.

  • Experiential Learning (EL) is a dynamic educational approach where students learn by doing and engage in reflection on their experiences (Kolb, 1984).

    Unlike traditional lecture-based methods, experiential learning immerses students in practical, hands-on activities that take place in real-world settings or simulations. These activities may occur in the community, workplace, labs, expert-led environments, role-plays, or various other applied contexts and situations, essentially turning the entire campus and world beyond into an interactive classroom. This approach places students at the center of the learning process, fostering authentic and meaningful learning experiences that unleash students' potential for growth and transformation. As a result, experiential learning enhances knowledge, develops skills, clarifies values, and empowers students to contribute to their communities (AEE, 2024).

    Across the university, experiential learning is integrated into the curricular and co-curricular activities, both on and off campus. These experiential learning activities may take many different forms including capstone projects, e-portfolios, entrepreneurial ventures, freshmen seminar, internships, research, study abroad, and more.

Types of Experiential Learning

Explore over 30 types of experiential learning opportunities designed to help you apply classroom knowledge in real-world settings. These experiences vary in format, duration, and focus, allowing you to choose opportunities that align with your academic goals, career interests, and personal strengths. Click the categories below to learn more about the associated experiential learning activies and find experiences that fit your academic and career path.

  • The experiential learning activities in this category engage students in hands-on field and work based experiences where they can apply their academic knowledge, skills, and abilities to investigate and work in the natural environment or workplace settings and situations.

    Examples include:

    coming soon...

  • The experiential learning activities in this category engage students in hands-on community and global based experiences where they can apply their academic knowledge, skills, and abilities to connect, lead, and serve as well as discover cultures and engage with a diversity of people in local, state, national, or global community settings and situations.

    Examples include:

    coming soon...

  • The experiential learning activities in this category engage students in hands-on project and problem based experiences where they can apply their academic knowledge, skills, and abilities to solve complex and novel issues as well as produce value-added projects, performances, and products in a variety of settings and situations.

    Examples include:

    coming soon...

  • The experiential learning activities in this category engage students in hands-on research and writing based experiences where they can apply their academic knowledge, skills, and abilities to inquire and investigate questions for discovering new knowledge as well as scaffold and revise substantial writing and publications in a variety of settings and situations.

    Examples include:

    coming soon...

Benefits of Experiential Learning

Students and alumni directly benefit from participating in experiential learning opportunities. Participants consistently report that these experiences help them grow academically, professionally, and personally by allowing them to apply what they learn in real-world settings.

  • Through experiential learning, you can:

    • Deepen your understanding of coursework by applying concepts beyond the classroom
    • Build your personal and professional brand through meaningful experiences
    • Explore career options and clarify professional interests
    • Solve complex, real-world problems using critical thinking and creativity
    • Sharpen industry-specific and transferable skills valued by employers
    • Make informed academic and career decisions with greater confidence
    • Expand your professional network by connecting with employers, mentors, and peers
    • Practice essential career readiness skills, such as communication, teamwork, and leadership
    • Gain valuable resume experience that strengthens job and graduate school applications
    • Make a positive impact through work that contributes to organizations, communities, and society
    • Discover and advance your “Why” (purpose) by aligning your values with your goals

    Experiential learning empowers you to move beyond theory, gain confidence through action, and prepare intentionally for the next phase of your career journey.

  • High-Impact Practices (HIPs) are teaching and learning approaches grounded in experiential learning and supported by extensive research. These practices have demonstrated significant educational benefits for students, including—and especially for—students from demographic groups historically underserved by higher education (AAC&U, 2024).

    Research shows that participation in experiential learning and other HIPs is associated with:

    • Increased odds of student retention
    • Improved graduation rates
    • Higher cumulative GPAs
    • Deeper learning and personal development
    • Greater student engagement inside and outside the classroom
    • Improved post-graduation outcomes, including higher rates of employment, continuing education, and increased earning potential

    Studies also indicate that students experience even stronger success outcomes when they participate in multiple High-Impact Practices, reinforcing the value of sustained engagement throughout their academic journey. By participating in experiential learning opportunities, students gain more than experience — they build momentum toward academic achievement, career readiness, and long-term success.

Experiential Learning Programs (Coming Soon)

  • Community-Based and Service Learning Program
  • Learning Communities Program
  • Strengths 2nd Year Experience Program

Search and Apply for Experiential Learning Opportunities

🎓 University & Student-Focused Platforms

💼 Internships & Work-Based Learning

  • Internships.com (Chegg Internships) - https://www.internships.com
    Internship and experiential learning opportunities across industries.
  • Indeed (Internships & Entry-Level) - https://www.indeed.com
    Search internships, fellowships, applied learning roles, and project-based work.
  • Glassdoor - https://www.glassdoor.com
    Internship and experiential job search with employer reviews and insights.
  • AngelList / Wellfound - https://wellfound.com/jobs
    Startup internships, project-based roles, and applied learning opportunities.
  • Parker Dewey (Micro-Internships) - https://www.parkerdewey.com
    Short-term, paid, professional projects for students and recent graduates.

🔬 Research, Fellowships & Academic Experiences

🌍 Service Learning, Civic & Nonprofit Experiences

🏛 Government & Public Sector Experiences

  • USAJOBS – Students & Recent Graduates - https://www.usajobs.gov/students
    Federal internships, Pathways Programs, and applied learning roles.
  • GoGovernment – Federal Internship Finder - https://gogovernment.org/federal-internship-finder
    Centralized federal internship search tool.
  • State & Local Government Job Boards
    (varies by state and city)
    Experiential and internship opportunities within public service agencies.

🌐 Global & International Experiences

🎨 Creative, Media & Industry-Specific Platforms

🤝 Networking & Experiential Engagement

  • Meetup - https://www.meetup.com
    Professional groups, project teams, and community-based experiential learning.
  • Eventbrite (Professional & Career Events) - https://www.eventbrite.com
    Workshops, hackathons, competitions, and experiential events.