During the entire length of the program (three terms), all students will complete a sports science internship experience with a designated sports team or organization and will also have access to the Sports Medicine and Nutrition research facilities and faculty.
The practicum offers students the opportunity to apply their knowledge of sports science, strength and conditioning and athlete testing/monitoring in a performance setting. This involves planned learning experiences with an athletic team at various stages of the training program and season. Students will have the opportunity to observe and then model the functions of a performance specialist. Through the combination of planned learning activities and professional interaction, the students will gain an increasing level of proficiency in providing and evaluating comprehensive training to athletes and teams within the athletic setting.
Internship availability may vary by year. Learn more below about current internship opportunities and how to apply.
Pitt Football (2 interns)
Successful applicants should have a strong desire to pursue a career in the field of strength & conditioning and/or sports science. Volunteers will gain valuable strength & conditioning experience at a Division I program, chance to earn hours beyond program’s requirements and have the opportunity to earn recommendations for future career opportunities.
Responsibilities:
- Assist in daily operation of team’s sport science equipment including but not limited to: Catapult GPS & ClearSky, Polar HR and Hawkin Dynamics force plates
- Data collection
- Database management
- Other duties as assigned
Required:
- Acceptance to the Sports Science MS Program
- Ability to work early mornings and weekends
- First Aid/CPR/AED certification (training can be provided)
Preferred Qualifications/Experience:
- Previous football experience
- Currently hold industry certification, preferably CSCCa – SCCC or NSCA – CSCS
- Experience with or basic knowledge of the following programs: Catapult Openfield, Hawkin Dynamics cloud, Velocity-based training tools, Athlete management systems (e.g., Kinduct or Smartabase)
- Experience with or a desire to learn R and Tableau for data visualization and reporting
Pitt Men’s Basketball (1 intern)
Successful applicants should have a strong desire to pursue a career in the field of strength & conditioning and/or sports science. Students will gain valuable strength & conditioning experience at a Division I program, chance to earn hours beyond the program’s requirements and have the opportunity to earn recommendations for future career opportunities.
Responsibilities:
- Assisting with the implementation of strength & conditioning programs for Men’s Basketball
- Weight room/equipment maintenance and set up
- Daily operation of the team’s Catapult technology and sports science equipment
- Other duties as assigned
Required:
- Acceptance to the Sports Science MS Program
- First Aid/CPR/AED certification (training can be provided)
Preferred Qualifications/Experience:
- Previous experience in collegiate athletics
- Currently hold industry certification, preferably CSCCa – SCCC or NSCA – CSCS
- Experience with or basic knowledge of the following programs: Catapult, Polar, Force Plates, Velocity-based training tools (GymAware), Data collection in Excel
- Experience with or a desire to learn R and Tableau for data visualization and reporting
- Flexible schedule preferred (i.e. occasional evenings and weekends)
Pitt Women’s Basketball (1 intern)
Successful applicants should have a strong desire to pursue a career in the field of strength & conditioning and/or sports science. Students will gain valuable strength & conditioning experience at a Division I program, chance to earn hours beyond program’s requirements and have the opportunity to earn recommendations for future career opportunities.
Responsibilities:
- Assisting with the implementation of strength & conditioning programs for Women’s Basketball
- Weight room/equipment maintenance and set up
- Daily operation of team’s Catapult technology and sports science equipment
- Other duties as assigned
Required:
- Acceptance to the Sports Science MS Program
- First Aid/CPR/AED certification (training can be provided)
Preferred Qualifications/Experience:
- Previous experience in collegiate athletics
- Currently hold industry certification, preferably CSCCa – SCCC or NSCA – CSCS
- Experience with or basic knowledge of the following programs: Catapult, Polar, Force Plates, Velocity-based training tools (GymAware), Data collection in Excel
- Experience with or a desire to learn R and Tableau for data visualization and reporting
- Flexible schedule preferred (i.e. occasional evenings and weekends)
Pitt Women’s Soccer (1 intern)
Successful applicants should have a strong desire to pursue a career in the field of strength & conditioning and/or sports science. Students will gain valuable strength & conditioning experience at a Division I program, chance to earn hours beyond program’s requirements and have the opportunity to earn recommendations for future career opportunities.
Responsibilities:
- Assisting with the implementation of strength & conditioning programs for Women’s Soccer
- Daily operation of team’s Catapult and sports science equipment
- Other duties as assigned
Required:
- Acceptance to the Sports Science MS Program
- First Aid/CPR/AED certification (training can be provided)
Preferred Qualifications/Experience:
- Previous experience in collegiate athletics
- Currently hold industry certification, preferably CSCCa – SCCC or NSCA – CSCS
- Experience with or basic knowledge of the following programs: Catapult, Polar, Hawkin Dynamics, Velocity-based training tools (GymAware), Data collection in Excel
- Experience with or a desire to learn R and Tableau for data visualization and reporting
- Flexible schedule preferred (i.e. occasional evenings and weekends)
Pitt Men’s Soccer (1 intern)
Successful applicants should have a strong desire to pursue a career in the field of strength & conditioning and/or sports science. Students will gain valuable strength & conditioning experience at a Division I program, chance to earn hours beyond program’s requirements and have the opportunity to earn recommendations for future career opportunities.
Responsibilities:
- Assisting with the implementation of strength & conditioning programs for Women’s Soccer
- Daily operation of team’s Catapult and sports science equipment
- Other duties as assigned
Required:
- Acceptance to the Sports Science MS Program
- First Aid/CPR/AED certification (training can be provided)
Preferred Qualifications/Experience:
- Previous experience in collegiate athletics
- Currently hold industry certification, preferably CSCCa – SCCC or NSCA – CSCS
- Experience with or basic knowledge of the following programs: Catapult, Polar, Hawkin Dynamics, Velocity-based training tools (GymAware), Data collection in Excel
- Experience with or a desire to learn R and Tableau for data visualization and reporting
- Flexible schedule preferred (i.e. occasional evenings and weekends)
Pitt Women’s Lacrosse (1 intern)
Successful applicants should have a strong desire to pursue a career in the field of strength & conditioning and/or sports science. Students will gain valuable strength & conditioning experience at a Division I program, chance to earn hours beyond program’s requirements and have the opportunity to earn recommendations for future career opportunities.
Responsibilities:
- Assisting with the implementation of strength & conditioning programs for Women’s Lacrosse
- Daily operation of team’s Catapult and sports science equipment
- Other duties as assigned
Required:
- Acceptance to the Sports Science MS Program
- First Aid/CPR/AED certification (training can be provided)
Preferred Qualifications/Experience:
- Previous experience in collegiate athletics
- Currently hold industry certification, preferably CSCCa – SCCC or NSCA – CSCS
- Experience with or basic knowledge of the following programs: Catapult, Polar, Hawkin Dynamics, Velocity-based training tools (GymAware), Data collection in Excel
- Experience with or a desire to learn R and Tableau for data visualization and reporting
- Flexible schedule preferred (i.e. occasional evenings and weekends)
Pitt Women’s Volleyball (1 intern)
Successful applicants should have a strong desire to pursue a career in the field of strength and conditioning and/or sports science. Students will gain valuable strength & conditioning experience at a Division I program, chance to earn hours beyond program requirements and have the opportunity to earn recommendations for future career opportunities.
Responsibilities:
- Assisting with the implementation of strength & conditioning programs for Volleyball
- Weight room/equipment maintenance and set up
- Daily operations of team’s VERT technology and sports science equipment
- Other duties as assigned
Required:
- Acceptance to the Sports Science MS Program
- First Aid/CPR/AED certification (training can be provided)
Preferred Qualifications/Experience:
- Previous experience in collegiate athletics
- Currently hold industry certification, preferably CSCCa – SCCC or NSCA – CSCS
- Experience with or basic knowledge of the following programs: VERT, Hawkin Dynamics, Velocity-based training tools (GymAware), Data collection in Excel
- Experience with or a desire to learn R and Tableau for data visualization and reporting
- Flexible schedule preferred (i.e. occasional evenings and weekends)
Pitt Men’s and Women’s Swimming (1 intern)
Successful applicants should have a strong desire to pursue a career in the field of swimming and/or sports science. Students will gain valuable experience at a Division I Swimming & Diving program, chance to earn hours beyond program’s requirements and have the opportunity to earn recommendations for future career opportunities.
Responsibilities:
- Assisting with the implementation of dryland programs for Swimming & Diving
- Tracking volumes, times and intensities of daily training
- Daily set up of video cameras for athlete feedback
- Providing health, sports performance and nutrition information for athletes through weekly lectures and conversations with athletes
- Providing physiological and periodization feedback to coaching staff to help improve implementation of training
- Other duties as assigned
Required:
- Acceptance to the Sports Science MS Program
- First Aid/CPR/AED certification (training can be provided)
Preferred Qualifications/Experience:
- Previous experience in collegiate athletics
- Currently hold industry certification, preferably CSCCa – SCCC or NSCA – CSCS
- Experience with or basic knowledge of the following: Data collection in Excel, Prior swimming experience
- Experience with or a desire to learn R and Tableau for data visualization and reporting
- Flexible schedule preferred (i.e. occasional evenings and weekends)
Carnegie Mellon University Athletics (1-2 interns)
Carnegie Mellon University Athletics Department is seeking an experienced graduate student for an internship role under the supervision of the head strength and conditioning coach.
Responsibilities:
The position is modeled after a strength and conditioning graduate apprenticeship where the applicant will have the opportunity to assist in the following areas:
- Leading multiple modalities of training ranging from short, weight-room-based routines to long, speed preparation sessions
- Instructing sections of the workout including plyometrics, Olympic lifting, mobility, barbell, dumbbell, and bodyweight exercises
- Leading groups through an entire workout from warm-up to the end of running or lifting
Goal:
The goal of the apprenticeship is to prepare the applicant to assume programming and coaching responsibilities for one or more teams as they are ready.
Opportunities:
In addition to coaching experience, this position offers exposure to educational resources including:
- A comprehensive 1000+ exercise video library
- Programming and training organization principles taken from a variety of disciplines including track and field, gymnastics, weightlifting, bodybuilding, and martial arts
- An injury prevention framework that blends the art of rehabilitation with practical considerations
Preferred Skills:
The applicant will have coaching experience in a collegiate weight room and be certified through the National Strength and Conditioning Association, but these are not requirements.
Commitment:
As required by the Sports Science program, the internship requires 10-15 hours per week beginning in the middle of August and ending May 31.
To apply:
Submit a resume and cover letter addressed to Alan DeGennaro at adegenna@andrew.cmu.edu.
Pitt Neuromuscular Research Lab (NMRL) (2+ interns)
Successful applicants should have a strong desire to pursue a career in human performance testing and research. Students will gain valuable hands-on research experience across a number of studies, a chance to earn hours beyond program’s requirements and have the opportunity to earn recommendations for future career opportunities. The NMRL is staffed by multidisciplinary research faculty and graduate students including athletic trainers, physical therapists, exercise physiologists, bioengineers, biomechanists, registered dietitians, medical doctors and epidemiologists. The successful applicant will be given the opportunity to aid projects funded by the Department of Defense centered around performance optimization and injury prevention in both tactical and athletic populations.
Responsibilities:
- Data processing and management
- Database entry of laboratory
- Database management
- Collection of biological samples (muscle and blood)
- Body composition and bone density scans
- Biomechanical performance assessments
- Other duties as assigned
Required:
- Ability to work flexible hours (i.e. early mornings and weekends)
- Proficient in Microsoft Office products
- Preferred Qualifications/Experience:
- Previous human subjects research experience
- Undergraduate degree in exercise physiology, kinesiology, nutrition or a related field
- Experience with or a desire to learn data analysis and statistical methods
- CPR/AED certification
