2026 First Year Student Intern - Engineering

Caterpillar•Tucson, IL

14d•$25 - $43•Onsite

About The Position

Caterpillar's Corporate Engineering Intern program seeks students currently enrolled in a four-year university to work alongside engineering professionals to learn and apply themselves to project work within their teams. Interns will have assignments that provide them with experience and significant learning opportunities. In addition to this work, Interns can network with management throughout the company to learn about Caterpillar areas outside their assigned team. Students can deepen their business skills in their assignments through team and business partner interactions, develop their skills, conduct presentations, and measure their success through the performance and evaluation process.

Requirements

Analytical skills, initiating ideas, troubleshooting, root cause analysis, problem-solving, and critical thinking capabilities
Knowledge of engineering principles, theory, and engineering experience gained through projects, internships, and/or relevant work experiences
Fundamental understanding of engineering for a manufacturing environment, ability to design and implement materials, structures, machines, devices, systems and processes that safely realize a desired objective or invention
Organize and manage multiple projects simultaneously, ability to quickly gain and effectively apply new skills & knowledge
Success in collaborating with others of diverse cultures, interpersonal styles, and abilities
Strong written and verbal communication skills
Participate in and build on our inclusive, constructive, and productive work environment
Ensure all team members' contributions are recognized and valued.
Must be enrolled in first year at a 4-year university/college as a full-time student pursuing an ABET accredited degree in Mechanical, Electrical, Computer, Agricultural or Aerospace Engineering or Engineering Technology at the time of application and throughout the program
Must have completed at least 24 to 40 semester hours from current institution before the start of the internship.
If a transfer student, must have 12 semester hours completed at a 4-year university
Minimum 3.0/4.0 Cumulative Grade Point Average (no rounding) from current institution before the start of the internship
Minimum 3.0/4.0 Cumulative Grade Point Average (no rounding) on formal high school transcripts
Must be able to relocate to Peoria, IL area or indicated work location for the duration of the internship and complete daily work commute using reliable transportation

Nice To Haves

Project or Team Leadership experience
Previous technical internship, co-op, or research/relevant experience
Excellent interpersonal and communication skills

Responsibilities

Engineer components & systems for Caterpillar products to meet our customers’ needs.
Deliver solutions by leading collaboration with cross functional teams throughout our value chain starting from the initial concept through production.
CFD - Computational Fluid Dynamics (ANSYS), FEA - Finite Element Analysis, 3D modelling, root cause investigation; system/subsystem/component design optimization, structural dynamics, development and optimization of Engine, Aftertreatment, Battery, Fuel Cell, Powertrain, and/or Machine System performance.
Apply strong mechanical engineering understanding in a test/validation (hands-on) environment, troubleshooting issues, and collaborating with others for optimal results.
Develop/Implement control system algorithms using Matlab/Simulink for various control systems including but not limited to engine controllers, machine implement controllers as well as powertrain controllers.
Will be responsible for understanding the feature requirement, implementing it as well as testing it prior to a production roll out.
Will be responsible for designing and testing various electronic control modules as well as various electronic components.
Will work with various internal Caterpillar clients to understand controller/component requirements, work with suppliers on design and validation of the components, as well as testing the components in various environments.
Other duties may include design of Printed Circuit Board schematics as well as perform digital/analog/power circuit analysis and testing, and ensuring that FMEAs [Failure Mode and Effects Analysis] are conducted and documented to meet stringent Caterpillar quality requirements
Develop embedded software in C, C# and/or C++ for various electronic control modules.
Some examples of embedded software development applications include Datalink communications, Inputs and Outputs [Sensors and actuators], speed calculation, injection/spark timing, memory management, CPU optimization, multi core design and implementation etc.
In addition, some areas of work include developing scripts in Python/Visual Basic for automation.
Verify functionality of a feature or control system algorithm on a HIL [Hardware in the Loop] simulator bench or a SIL [Software in the loop] system.
Understand requirements of the feature and/or the schematics of the controller / control system, verify functionality and debug/report anomalies to the development team and help validate fixes.
Leverage ability to write and understand computer code, especially Python; apply knowledge of data analytics/data science, machine learning concepts/tools, and engineering and statistics fundamentals.
Apply mechanical, manufacturing, systems and/or industrial engineering knowledge to analyze and optimize an engineering process or processes.
Will have the opportunity to leverage problem-solving and communication skills.