Best Internships by Industry

To compile the 2021 Firsthand Internships Rankings, Firsthand surveyed more than 11,400 current and former interns in the summer of 2020. On a scale of 1 to 10, with 10 being the highest and 1 being the lowest, respondents were asked to rate their internship experiences in six core areas:

• Quality of Life (company culture, hours, work-life balance, flexibility)
• Compensation & Benefits (pay structure, subsidized expenses, technology resources, office space, perks)
• Interview Process (application process, requirements, number of interviews)
• Career Development (including four separate ratings for training and mentoring, quality of assignments, real-life experience, networking opportunities)
• Full-time Employment Prospects (opportunity to obtain a full-time job with this organization)
• Diversity (including four separate ratings for diversity with respect to women, racial & ethnic minorities, LGBTQ+ individuals, and other underrepresented groups)
• To determine an overall score for each program, the ratings were assigned relative weights based on what interns told us they most value most in an internship. The overall scores are based on the following weighted formula: 30 percent career development, 20 percent employment prospects, 20 percent quality of life, 20 percent compensation, 5 percent diversity, and 5 percent interview process.

Firsthand then compiled rankings of the highest-rated internship programs in 10 different industries, including Accounting, Construction, Consulting, Energy and Renewables, Financial Services, Health Care, Investment Banking, Media, Retail & Consumer Products, and Tech & Engineering.