Duke Kunshan, a U.S. and China partnership through Duke University and Wuhan University, has partnered with Extern to help students gain real-world, resume-ready experience.
Since 2022, Duke Kunshan University has partnered with Extern to support students’ career development, giving students access to mentored, project-based externships and resume-ready proof of work.
How Are Externships Different Than Internships?
These virtual, fully remote projects are designed to fit your schedule and can be completed from anywhere. The experience includes guided online modules aligned with the project work, along with live sessions hosted by participating companies throughout the externship.
Projects are available across multiple industries and career areas, allowing students to build both soft and hard skills relevant to current workforce needs. Example projects include sustainability consulting engagements, venture capital investment memos, and game design.
Externships are typically 8–12 weeks in length and involve an estimated 5–10 hours of work per week. Participation is open to students in select courses regardless of GPA, major, or prior experience.
I'm a DKU student. How do I get access?
Step 1: Sign up using your DKU email — Create your Extern account with your @dukekunshan.edu.cn email to access DKU‑sponsored externships.
Step 2: Go to app.extern.com and use your DKU email to sign in — This is where you will be able to access all the available projects and scheduling for upcoming projects.
Step 3: Browse and sign up for an externship — Choose the projects that match your goals related to career path, skills, time commitment, and interests. Once you’re a member of Extern, there’s no additional application process; you can just enroll and start!
Step 4: Start building real experience — Join the live sessions, complete your deliverables, and add proof‑of‑work to your resume/portfolio.
What’s Waiting For You
Put the experience on your resume with big brand names you can point to and experience you can speak to in an interview.
Meet industry professionals and collaborate with peers from all around the world.
Learn through application the most in-demand tools and skills employers are looking for.
Showcase your project deliverables so you can show your peers and recruiters the experience you now have.
Extern will verify your experience if you meet the requirements of completion and act as a reference for recruiters.
Gain confidence as you learn about what actual projects look like in the real world and be more sure of the career you want to pursue.
Extern by the Numbers
Backed by data, powered by mentorship, loved by students.
Students Served — and growing fast
of externs get hired within 12 months
universities where students are externs
Work with the Consumer Insights team at Beats by Dre to uncover how top brands understand their audience. Learn to map customer journeys, run surveys, and use AI to turn data into powerful stories, all while building in-demand marketing skills.
Build AI agents (no coding needed), and stand out in the job market. This externship gives you hands-on experience with real data, automation, and in-demand tools like n8n. Finish with a live AI dashboard and a portfolio-ready project.
Build AI-powered document intelligence with Pfizer, automating healthcare and clinical supply documents using OCR, LLMs, and RAG
Think like an energy-tech VC. Pick a focus area, map the startups solving it, size the market, and write an investor-ready recommendation on the one company EIC should back, with Perplexity and Claude doing the research heavy lifting.
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What if the real drivers of health have nothing to do with doctors or medicine? Define a research question, analyze public data with Python, and share your insights using AI. A résumé-popping mix of health, data, and strategy.
Analyze video ads, uncover what works, and build a strategy. Then, turn your insights into a creative concept you can showcase in your portfolio - and present to the Global Consumer Insights team.
20+ years of juvenile justice data. Real correlations. Real policy impact. Your analysis goes straight to legislators.
Finance is changing. Learn to use AI to analyze real financials, benchmark performance, and build an exec-level financial memo.
Design + prototype the next big social app feature Gen Z actually wants. Build real UI/UX and product management experience with Canva, analyzing user insights, and pitching your final feature concept—all with BeReal.
Turn six messy CSVs into an analytics database and a Q4 dashboard that drives real business decisions. SQL + Claude.
Redesign mental health care from the inside out. Map workflows, spot risks, and build tools to make patient care safer, smarter, and more human.
Scout Vertical AI startups for a SoftBank-pedigreed VC fund — sourcing deals, analyzing founders, writing investment memos.
