FOR her social media internship at Do Something, a nonprofit organization in New York aimed at youth activism, Felicia Fitzpatrick checks in with her boss before getting started on the day’s tasks. The twist? She reports to work by e-mail or Skype from her dorm room at the University of Texas, Austin.

Ms. Fitzpatrick, 20, is among a growing number of students taking on virtual internships — positions that don’t require students ever to set foot in the office. Internships.com, which lists more than 8,000 virtual positions, reports a 20 percent increase over the last year. Its survey of 303 employers found that a third offer remote internships or plan to this year.

Remote internships often entail working on research projects or social media efforts, for which only a laptop and an Internet connection are needed. They make sense in a world of global companies and virtual work forces laboring from afar. Traditional companies, too, find in interns the youthful know-how to manage a Twitter feed or YouTube account.