For those graduates working toward an ultimate goal of licensure to practice architecture, the internship period is intended as a continuation of the process of architectural education, to provide specialized training and knowledge about architectural practice that is not usually covered in the academic setting. Ironically, the internship is perhaps the most inadequate phase of the continuing education of emerging architects, due to the lack of interdisciplinary training and experience. I believe that the internship process should involve not only the application of architectural design methodologies, but also a daily work flow that forces interns to grapple with exactly the
kinds of decisions and dilemmas that managers confront daily. By rigorously and realistically expanding an intern’s ability to deal with a wide range of critical business problems, the architectural internship program will, effectively, make the connection between architectural knowledge and the changing needs of the profession, clients, communities and society as a whole.

During my college years, many students expressed the desire to, ultimately, manage their own architectural firm. Although the majority of the students had become extraordinary designers, few had ever experienced job shadowing a project manager or high level executive during the short duration of their internship programs. Instead, students felt that they were treated as, “CAD Junkies”, whose specific purpose was to complete computer-related design tasks. It was clear that the students had not been adequately exposed to the business-related aspects of owning a successful firm. The first architectural internship that I completed during graduate school was at a large International firm (2,000+ employees) that specialized in a wide range of design disciplines, including project management, urban design and planning, interior design, graphic design, and architecture. To my dismay, my internship experience was reflective of most traditional architectural internships. I was not involved in any of the projects from the beginning to the end, but was sporadically assigned small computer aided drafting tasks during the projects. The most disappointing part of my experience was that I was not exposed to any of the organizational or management processes of the company.

Although most architectural internships provide different experiences, the one underlying commonality that all architectural firms share, and to which all architectural interns should be exposed, is the fact that all firms are operated as businesses. Regardless of the size or concentration of the firm, there are certain strategies and organizational procedures that are necessary for the firm’s survival in the corporate world. It is essential that architectural interns are given proper education and hands-on experience, outside of solid architectural design, for what is necessary to make an architectural firm function. The architectural profession can benefit from the integration of business strategies and organizational techniques; the architectural field can also provide valuable insights that can assist in the growth of the business sector. Making connections between architecture and other fields to strengthen communities must begin with the
architectural internship.