Due to increased industry demands for specialized experience, students and sport industry professionals alike often feel stifled during the job search process. As a result, practices have been absorbed into the curriculum to provide this link to future employability, with a distinct focus on internships. Therefore, if we seek to create a diverse workforce that more closely represents the individuals that we both see and serve, we must assess the primary practice used for professional development in sport management. Therefore, the purpose of this work is to explore both barriers and pathways that sport management students face when participating in for-credit internships. To do so, a mixed-methods, two-phased, approach was adopted. Results indicate primary barriers in the areas of lack of time and the competitive nature of the sport management internships.