Experiential Learning: Practicum
Early-Career Accelerated students in the Master of Science in Information Management (MSIM) program are required to complete a one-quarter practicum project or internship as part of their culminating experiences in the Information School.
Practicum experiences enable MSIM students to apply leadership, analytical and technical skills developed in coursework to real‑world information and management challenges. Students partner with external organizations — including companies, nonprofits, government agencies and research groups — on project‑based work to deliver tangible outcomes and gain experience.
Do practica differ from Capstone?
The student goals and project quality are the same. Project duration and timelines are different. See the table below for more details.
| Practica | Capstone | |
|---|---|---|
| Project Duration | One quarter ~ 10 weeks | Two quarters ~ 20 weeks |
| Project Timelines* | Winter, spring & summer | Autumn through spring |
| Student and Sponsor matching | Student teams assigned to sponsors by instructor | Sponsors interview and select student teams |
| *Projects for practicum start and end during the same quarter, projects for Capstone span across quarters. | ||
What to expect during the quarter
The information below is for practicum projects, which run for a single quarter, approximately 10 weeks. Details on Capstone are found here.
| Year-round: Project proposals submitted and reviewed. |
| 10 weeks before the quarter starts: Instructors, iEngage and MSIM program team work together to validate project ideas and finalize details to allow matching of students and sponsors. |
| Start of quarter: Students reach out to set up initial meetings with sponsors within first week of the quarter. |
| During the quarter: Projects in process. Regular check-in meetings and project status reviews with students, sponsors and instructors as needed. |
| End of quarter: Completed projects and deliverables handed off to sponsors. |
More information
This page highlights information unique to the practica experiential learning process, if you are looking for additional information on the benefits of sponsoring a project or how to craft your project proposal, see our Capstone page.
Sponsor a project
Project ideas are accepted year-round. Once we review your idea, we will be in touch to discuss next steps.
Contacts
If you have additional questions, please reach out to iEngage@uw.edu.