Student internships - Business Economics and Law

Prerequisites

To be eligible to enrol in an Economics program WIL placement course you must: 

• be a BEL Faculty student
• have WIL elective course available in your program plan
  • Check your program plan to find out when you can take your WIL course.
• attain a minimum overall GPA of 4 (except for ECON7999, which is 5.5)
• secure your own industry placement
• have your placement approved by the BEL Faculty.

Secure your placement

You must secure your own industry placement (internship) and get WIL Advisor approval before enrolling in a WIL course.

Use our resources to help find and secure an internship opportunity:

• Get help securing an internship.
• Connect with our industry partners.

Placement details

Types of placements

• Unpaid internships must be approved before starting.
• International placements must be paid.

Using your current workplace

If you want to complete an internship at your current workplace, you must:

• complete at least 120 hours of higher-grade duties — tasks different from your usual role
• obtain your supervisor's permission for these duties
• confirm you'll have appropriate support for the full 120 hours.

Requirements

Your internship must meet these requirements: 

• 120 hours with one organisation.
• Duties at your placement must relate to your field of study.
• You must have an industry supervisor with relevant experience.

Course timings

Internships may begin up to 8 months before the start of your enrolled semester as the following practicum courses are only offered once per year:

• ECON3380 
• PPES4999 
• ECON7999.

Placement approval

BEL Faculty needs to approve your placement before you can enrol in your chosen course. The approval process takes about 4 weeks. 

Note: You need to secure your internship before you can apply for approval.

How to apply for placement approval

Follow these steps to complete your application:

1. Submit the WIL Application Form with your resume to find out if you're eligible. Submitting this form does not lock you into participating in an internship. See When to apply below.
   We'll be in touch to confirm your eligibility by email within 2 weeks of submission.
2. Ask your internship supervisor to complete the relevant Learning Agreement.
   • Paid placement Learning Agreement (PDF, 330.4 KB).
   • Unpaid placement Learning Agreement (PDF, 334.6 KB).
3. Submit the Internship Information Form together with your signed Learning Agreement.
4. We'll provide final confirmation of your approved placement (usually within 2 weeks). You should not start an unpaid internship until it's approved by a WIL Advisor and you have the appropriate insurance in place.
5. Once approved, enrol in the course before the start of the semester.

When to apply

Placements for Economic electives have closed for this year.
You will be able to apply for a 2027 placement here in October 2026.

Your enrolment options

Once your placement has been approved (see How to apply below), you can enrol in one of the following courses:

Need help?

Book a consult with a WIL Advisor or email employability@bel.uq.edu.au.

Learn more about WIL at UQ including how to maximise your experience and the support services available to you.  

Your application process and enrollment requirements are unique to the Law School. Learn more about clinical and professional placements and apply through the Law School website.

LAWS5114 Legal Internships

The Law School offers selected students in the Bachelor of Laws (Hons) and dual degree programs the opportunity to gain practical legal experience in a professional setting.

Learn about legal internships and our application process.

LAWS5180 Clinical Legal Education

This is the Law School's semester-based clinical program. The UQ Pro Bono Centre organises a placement for you at one of their partner organisations.

Learn about our Clinical Legal Education placements and apply.