Academics > Majors and Areas of Study > Mathematics and Computer Science > Experiential Learning



The faculty in the Department of Mathematics and Computer Science believes that the opportunity to apply the theory learned in the classroom to real world work situations is an important part of your education.

For this reason, at least three credits of experiential learning is required for the MIS and E-Commerce majors and is highly encouraged in all of the other programs in the department. Internships are normally completed off campus, but there are also some on campus opportunities.

If you are interested in looking for an internship, you can check out a list of current internship opportunities that is maintained by the Office of Educational Outreach. You can also search local newspaper listings and online job search services such as Monster.com and CareerBuilderCollege.com for additional opportunities. You should also make an appointment to discuss a possible internship with your academic advisor -- and make sure you do this well in advance of the semester in which you would like to complete the internship. You will often need to start planning early so that you can find an internship experience that meets both your interests and your availability.

In the past, students in our department have had very successful internship experiences. The stories of two of our recent graduates are provided below.

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Internship Experience Leads to Great Job Offer

Sarah Brich, Class of 2007
MIS, Web Development, and E-Commerce Major

During the summer of 2006, Sarah was an Information Risk Management intern for KPMG LLP in Pittsburgh.  KPMG, one of the Big Four accounting firms, is a global provider of tax, audit, and advisory services.

As part of her internship, Sarah primarily worked on projects relating to Sarbanes-Oxley (SOX) and SAS-70s. Sarah felt that many of her classes at Thiel helped to prepare her for the work she was assigned during her internship, but listed the following courses as the most useful to her: Fundamentals of Information Systems, Systems Analysis, Information Systems Security and Forensics, Database Management, Web Programming, and Introduction to Management.  

Sarah's successful work during her internship led KPMG to offer her a full-time position as an Information Risk Management Associate in their Pittsburgh office. Sarah stated, "First, I would like to thank my dad for helping me with everything.  I would also like to thank my professors – especially those in the business and computer science departments – for completely preparing me for the workfield."   Sarah will begin her new position at KPMG in August 2007.

A Valuable Research Experience

Ronald Anderson, Class of 2007
Mathematics and Computer Science Major

During the summer of 2006, Ron spent two months as an Undergraduate Biomathematics Researcher in Texas Tech University's Research Experience for Undergraduates.

The program is funded jointly by the US Department of Defense and the National Science Foundation, and gave Ron the opportunity to experience what research in applied mathematics entails. He attended many lectures about the various applications of mathematics in biology and other fields.  The presentations ranged from modeling disease spread in a population to using computer software and technology to analyze complex systems of differential equations.

Ron’s research project involved working with the Keller-Segel aggregation model for slime mold.  He spent the eight weeks working with Dr. Akif Ibraguimov and Dr. Padmanabhan Seshaiyer on using separation of variables and other methods to solve the partial differential equations constituting the Keller-Segel aggregation model.  Once he derived the model from the assumptions and understood the methodology, he began independent analysis of parameter influence on the overall system instability. The experience culminated in a final presentation of his project and findings to the mathematics department faculty and other program participants.