Internships
Spend your semester gaining real-world experience by interning for a political party, an advocacy organization, a consulting firm, or a government agency. Students will learn the principles of legislative and electoral politics in the classroom, and get a chance to put those principles into practice during their internship.
Description
Semester in Washington students have the opportunity to enroll in either virtual or hybrid internships with a credit-bearing academic component (3-4 credits each). Internships are unpaid. SIW students are expected, in most cases, to dedicate 20 hours per week to their internship.
Summer 2024 Schedule
Internships will run for a total of 8 weeks (May 27 - July 19). They will begin one week prior to the start of the on-campus portion of the program and end one week after the on-campus program concludes.
Potential internships include:
- Communications
- Congressional Offices
- Data Analysis & Research
- Government Agencies
- Legal Offices
- Media Outlets
- NGOs/Nonprofits
- Political Consulting Firms
- Social Media Management
- Think Tanks
- Urban Planning
Note: Internship offerings will change each semester.
The Internship Search at SIW
Semester in Washington’s virtual internship placement provider, Virtual Internships, LLC (“VI”) will work to place enrolled students with the most appropriate internships based on their expressed interests and professional goals. This process will include filling out an additional, internship-specific application so that VI can best match you to the right employer.
- SIW's virtual internships’ are project-based and largely asynchronous so students can maintain their current schedules and commitments
- VI guarantees placement into a high-quality, high-impact internship with relevant project completion
- 250k+ opportunities available through VI
- 13,000+ companies worldwide ready to host and mentor interns
Benefits of Virtual and Hybrid Internships
Virtual internships offer several advantages that make them a valuable and practical option for this program:
- Flexibility: Students can work with employers to set their schedules to fit around their academic commitments
- Preparedness: Students can start their virtual internship prior to starting the SIW program, thereby allowing them to adapt to one new experience at a time
- Customized Learning: Virtual internships often involve more independent work, potentially granting interns permission to explore specific projects of interest and gain a deeper understanding of their chosen field
- Technology Skills: Virtual interns work with various digital tools and platforms, improving their technological literacy and adaptability
Internship Application Deadlines
Many internship opportunities in Washington, D.C. operate with very strict and early application processes and deadlines. We strongly encourage students interested in an internship option to apply to SIW as early as possible. We operate on a rolling admissions schedule and can begin your internship search shortly after you enroll with plenty of time to apply to as many opportunities as possible. Students interested in completing an internship must apply no later than the priority deadline on Sunday, March 31st, 2024.
Research Project
Rather than completing an internship, students also have the option to complete a research project instead. Guided by a dedicated practicum faculty supervisor, students will navigate a sequence of concise assignments centered on a topic of their choosing, which will culminate in the development of a research-based policy proposal. Students will have the opportunity to refine their proposals remotely after the conclusion of the 6-week on-campus program and submit the final academic deliverable by the end of the GW term.