Launch Your Career with a Fall Semester Internship

Internships during the fall semester offer invaluable opportunities for students to gain practical experience, explore career paths, and build professional networks. Whether you're interested in intelligence, aerospace, finance, or other diverse fields, a fall internship can be the beginning of an exciting journey.

Why Choose a Fall Semester Internship?

There's no wrong time to study or intern abroad, but the fall semester offers unique advantages. A fall semester internship abroad gives you international work experience in diverse career fields. Spend your fall semester on one of our award-winning study abroad and international internship programs. With AIFS Abroad, fall isn’t just a season-it’s the beginning of an adventure that shapes your future.

Internship Opportunities Across Diverse Fields

Numerous organizations offer fall internships catering to a wide range of academic interests and career aspirations. Here are some examples:

Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA)

DIA Sponsored Programs offer valuable work experience for college students at every education level. DIA offers valuable work experience for college students at every education level. While at DIA, interns will gain insight into a career in the Intelligence Community, what it takes to support the warfighter, and how to become a permanent employee at DIA. The Agency offers a limited number of paid academic semester internships. Interns work for one semester with the possibility for extension into the following semester. This is an excellent opportunity for students seeking to serve their country to participate in the critical work of the Agency through an extended work period.

DIA works closely with partners in academia and the private sector to identify and participate in Job fairs, College/University Career Fairs, and on-campus information session opportunities. In addition, we coordinate with multiple stakeholders across the Agency such as; Career Fields, Hiring Managers, Equal Opportunity division, etc.

Read also: IU Bloomington Fall Semester

DIA Internship Programs:

Academic Semester Internship Program (ASIP): The Academic Semester Internship Program (ASIP) is a retention only program that provides promising undergraduate and graduate students the opportunity to continue gaining practical work experience in their respective Career Fields while enrolled in classes. When: The internship occurs August through May during your Fall and Spring semesters! The timeline below indicates the timeline for ASIP.
John S. McCain Fellowship Program: The McCain fellowship program is a one-year civilian fellowship program designed to provide you as an intern, the opportunity for leadership development and the commencement of a career track toward senior leadership in the IC Community. Upon successful completion of the 1-year fellowship program, you will be eligible for non-competitive placement/conversion, within DoD, to a position and grade level that you qualify for.

DIA Internship Experience:

Intern assignments are based on entry-level professional job descriptions and will involve a great deal of independent work under the guidance of a senior level supervisor and mentor. For example, duties for intelligence analyst intern positions may involve research and drafting reports. Assignments are not clerical in nature. The typical workday is 8.5 hours, which includes 30 minutes uncompensated for lunch. Full-time interns utilize a flexible work schedule and must complete 40 hours a week. With supervisor’s approval, interns can vary their arrival and departure time while still completing 8.5 hours a day. If an intern has not completed school and lives within 50 miles radius from their duty station, they can request to participate in the Academic Semester Program (ASIP). Their leadership must have work for them to do while they attend school. These interns can participate in ASIP from September to May and then they get converted to Summer Interns again.

NASA

At NASA, we explore the extraordinary every day and our work is more than just a profession-it’s a lifelong pursuit and a passion. NASA’s Office of STEM Engagement provides, annually, more than 2,000 students the opportunity to impact the agency’s mission through a hands-on internship. Internships may be full time or part time on a NASA center or facility. Join our NASA team and gain valuable on-the-job experience, build your resume, and strengthen your career readiness. A NASA internship provides a stellar opportunity to launch your future as part of America’s aerospace workforce.

NASA Internship Opportunities:

NASA offers internships for non-STEM majors. Even if you are not a science or engineering student, you can get an internship at NASA! OSTEM internships offer students an opportunity to gain practical work experience while working side-by-side with mentors who are research scientists, engineers, and individuals from many other professions. Interns may support a variety of business and program management work, including human resources, administration and program analysis, accounting and budget, communication and public relations, procurement and contracts, information technology, security, and education.

Former NASA Intern Success Stories:

Aaron Yazzie: Aaron Yazzie, a former intern at JPL, inspires a new generation of Diné scientists and engineers, proving their voices have an essential place in the story of the cosmos.
Clare Luckey: Former intern Clare Luckey was selected as one of Forbes’ 30 under 30. Her hard work and determination has landed her at the forefront of space exploration as she helps plan how the first astronauts will land on Mars.
Vivian Li: Remotely operating NASA's Perseverance Mars Rover from millions of miles away is no easy task.

Capital One

In our 10-week internship programs, you’re paid to dig into challenging projects with real business impact. Accelerate your career as a data analyst. You’ll work on hypothesis-driven strategy analysis and build valuation models or data products on AWS infrastructure using SQL, Python and Spark. Join a team of internal consultants who make some of our most important business decisions. Develop your critical-thinking, problem-solving and leadership skills while gaining world-class consulting experience. Launch your career as you own key finance projects from start to finish. Get the project experience and tools you need to dive into commercial banking. Immerse yourself in meaningful projects while gaining insight into investment banking best practices. You’ll intern with one of Capital One’s line of business: Derivatives, Financing, M&A, KippsDeSanto or TripleTree. Learn how to deliver complex, cross-functional initiatives that drive business forward through roles in Project, Process or Risk Management. Grow as a software engineer as you develop world-class technical skills and a comprehensive understanding of our tech and business. You’ll be at the heart of new product launches and innovations that improve the customer experience. Learn from best-in-class cyber security professionals.

Capital One Internship Tracks:

Business Analyst
Internal Consultant
Finance
Commercial Banking
Investment Banking
Project, Process or Risk Management
Software Engineer
Tech Product Manager
Cyber Security

Preferred Majors:

Preferred Majors: Economics, Information Systems, Engineering, Business Information, Finance, Supply Chain, Accounting or Marketing. All majors welcome. Preferred Majors: Computer Science, Computer Engineering. Technical major preferred: Computer Science, Management Information Systems.

Read also: The Length of a College Semester

The Application Process

The application process for internships generally involves submitting a resume, cover letter, and transcript. Here's a general overview:

Online Application: Applications will only be accepted through the online application process here.
Required Documents: Your resume, unofficial transcript, and cover letter should be attached to your online application. Finalists will be provided with instructions on submitting an official transcript. Applications will not be considered without all required documents. Please be sure to include your GPA on your submitted application.
Pre-Employment Forms: DIA will ask you to complete pre-employment forms which include the SF-86 background questionnaire for a security clearance. When you return the pre-employment forms, we will request our vendor to schedule a drug screening test.

Important Considerations:

Security Clearance: You will undergo a thorough background investigation that examines your life history, character, trustworthiness, reliability and soundness of judgment. CO-OP student employees must be able to maintain a security clearance. It varies depending on your personal background and the volume of clearances being processed. In general, if you have significant foreign travel and/or foreign relatives or contacts, the clearance can be rather lengthy - up to 6 months or more to receive a full clearance.
Drug-Free Workplace: * Please note: As marijuana is legalized in more states across the United States, the DIA remains a drug free workplace. Marijuana is categorized as a controlled substance under Schedule I of the Controlled Substance Act. Federal law on marijuana use remains unchanged.

Maximizing Your Internship Experience

To make the most of your fall semester internship, consider the following:

Housing: Interns are responsible for making their own housing arrangements. This includes locating their own housing options and paying for their housing. Your center location and housing options will determine if you need a car. At most centers, unless you find housing within walking distance, you will most likely need a car.
Work Schedule: When participating as a Summer Intern from June to August, Interns can participate in any of the available work schedules if their supervisor approves it. It’s encouraged that interns do Alternate Work Schedule (AWS) 2 while interning in the summer.
Departure: If you decide to leave the agency, please reach out to the Internship Program Branch at least two weeks before your departure day. Notify your leadership and CC the internship program. We need at least two weeks' notice.

From Internship to Career

Once you are entered into the Cleared Hiring Pool, there is no timetable for permanent employment. You will be in the Hiring Pool until a manager pulls you out and slots you for a permanent position. Upon successful completion of the 1-year fellowship program, you will be eligible for non-competitive placement/conversion, within DoD, to a position and grade level that you qualify for.

Debunking Common Misconceptions

A common misconception is that NASA only offers engineering internships. Please know that we have opportunities for students who are not majoring in engineering. NASA needs employees with a variety of knowledge and skills. At NASA, our engineers, mathematicians, scientists, accountants, writers, IT specialists, project managers, program analysts, and many other professionals work together to break barriers to achieve the seemingly impossible.

The Global Perspective: Interning Abroad

Want to fly for free when you go abroad? Make the world your classroom this fall semester on one of over 100 study abroad programs spanning 19 countries. A fall semester internship abroad gives you international work experience in one of over 40 diverse career fields. Earn up to $5,000 towards your fall study abroad or fall internship program! Are you thinking about studying or interning abroad during your college years, but you’re not quite convinced yet? Here’s the thing - there’s no better time to go abroad. Internships can be both exciting and challenging.

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