Collins Aerospace Internships — What to Expect and How to Land One
Getting into aerospace has gotten complicated with all the application portals and corporate recruiting noise flying around. When I was in school, a friend of mine snagged an internship at Collins Aerospace the summer before senior year. I remember being jealous — not just because it paid well, but because she came back with actual project experience on avionics systems that she could talk about in job interviews. It changed her career trajectory pretty dramatically.
So if you’re a student thinking about breaking into aerospace or defense, let me share what I know about Collins Aerospace internships.
What Kinds of Internships Are Available
Collins Aerospace doesn’t just hire engineering interns — though that’s where most of the positions are. They have openings across finance, human resources, supply chain management, marketing, and operations management too. On the engineering side, you can specialize in electrical, mechanical, software, or systems engineering. So whether you’re building circuits or building spreadsheets, there’s probably something that fits.
The Application Process
Start at the Collins Aerospace careers website. Browse what’s available, and don’t limit yourself to just one posting — apply to several if you’re qualified. You’ll typically need a resume, a cover letter, and sometimes your transcripts.
If your application makes the cut, expect interviews. These might start with a phone screening, then move to a virtual or in-person interview. Probably should have led with this: the whole process can take several weeks, so start early. Don’t wait until spring to apply for a summer internship. Fall recruiting season is when most of the positions open up.
Making Your Resume Stand Out
Tailor your resume for each application. Seriously. Generic resumes get skimmed and tossed. Highlight coursework that’s relevant to the specific role, and if you’ve done any projects — class projects, personal projects, hackathons — feature them prominently. Quantify things wherever you can. “Designed a control algorithm that reduced error by 30%” hits harder than “worked on control systems.”
Your cover letter should do two things: show genuine interest in aerospace (not just any internship at any company) and connect your specific skills to what the role requires. Hiring managers can tell the difference between a personalized letter and one that’s been copy-pasted across 40 applications.
Interview Prep
Expect both technical and behavioral questions. On the technical side, know your fundamentals — whatever your discipline is, be ready to explain concepts clearly. On the behavioral side, have stories ready about teamwork, problem-solving, and times you dealt with ambiguity or failure.
Do your homework on Collins Aerospace specifically. Know their recent projects, their role in the industry, their parent company RTX. Interviewers notice when candidates have done their research, and they definitely notice when they haven’t.
What the Internship Is Actually Like
From what I’ve heard from people who’ve been through it, Collins Aerospace doesn’t just hand you busywork. Interns work on real projects with real deadlines under the guidance of experienced engineers and managers. You get access to the same tools and technology that full-time employees use. There are networking events, leadership presentations, and opportunities to see how different parts of the company fit together.
That’s what makes Collins Aerospace internships endearing to students who want more than just a line on their resume — you come away with actual work experience, not coffee-fetching experience.
Skills You’ll Pick Up
The technical skills depend on your role — could be programming, data analysis, CAD design, testing procedures, or something else entirely. But the soft skills are universal: communication, teamwork, project management, time management. These might sound like buzzwords, but they genuinely matter when you’re working on a team where miscommunication can derail a project. Most interns say the soft skills were actually the bigger growth area, which surprised them.
Mentorship
Collins Aerospace pairs interns with mentors, and from what I’ve been told, these aren’t just name-on-paper arrangements. Your mentor helps you navigate projects, gives you career advice, and introduces you to other people in the company. A good mentor-intern relationship can last well beyond the internship itself and become a genuine professional connection. If you get paired with someone great, take full advantage of it.
Networking Beyond Your Team
The company organizes networking events specifically for interns — everything from industry seminars to casual social gatherings. I know “networking” sounds like a chore, but these events are actually how a lot of interns discover which part of the company they want to work in long-term. Plus, the other interns you meet might end up being your colleagues, collaborators, or professional contacts for years to come.
Full-Time Offers After the Internship
Here’s the part that gets people excited: many Collins Aerospace interns receive full-time job offers when they graduate. The company actively recruits from its intern pool because, frankly, it makes sense — they’ve already invested in training you and evaluating your work. Even if a full-time offer doesn’t materialize immediately, the experience and connections make you significantly more competitive in the job market.
What Makes Interns Succeed
The interns who get the most out of the experience share a few traits. They’re proactive — they don’t wait to be told what to do. They ask questions without being afraid of looking like they don’t know something. They seek feedback and actually act on it. And they stay curious about what’s happening beyond their specific project. Showing genuine interest in the company and the industry goes a long way.
Examples of Real Intern Projects
Past interns have worked on things like developing software for avionics systems, improving supply chain logistics processes, and designing components for next-generation aircraft. These aren’t hypothetical exercises — they’re contributions that actually get used. Having a tangible project outcome to point to in future interviews is incredibly valuable. It’s one thing to say “I interned at Collins Aerospace” and another to say “I built a test framework that reduced validation time by 40%.”
The Career Impact
Completing an internship at Collins Aerospace gives you a deep look at how the aerospace industry actually operates. It’s one thing to study aerospace engineering in a classroom. It’s another to see how design decisions play out when there are cost constraints, certification requirements, and production schedules involved. That real-world context enhances your resume, builds your network, and gives you a competitive edge that classroom learning alone can’t provide.
Global Opportunities
Collins Aerospace operates worldwide, and internship opportunities exist in different countries and locations. Working in a different region exposes you to different engineering cultures, regulatory environments, and ways of approaching problems. If you have the flexibility to relocate for a summer, consider applying to positions outside your home base. The experience of working in a global company, even briefly, is something that sets you apart when you’re starting your career.
