Georgetown University Internships: A Comprehensive Guide for Students

Georgetown University encourages its students to augment their professional, technical, and networking skills through well-structured internship experiences. These can be pursued for academic credit or through paid or volunteer opportunities. Students are encouraged to actively seek out internships that align with their professional goals, leveraging the expertise of the faculty, many of whom hold prominent positions in governmental and policy/advocacy institutions in Washington, D.C.

Diverse Internship Opportunities at Georgetown

Georgetown University offers a wide array of internship opportunities for students across various sectors. These opportunities are designed to provide real-world experience, enhance resumes, and foster professional development. The university recognizes the importance of internships in shaping students' career paths and provides numerous resources to facilitate their participation.

The Georgetown VIEW Program

The Georgetown VIEW (Virtual Immersions and Experiential Work) program is designed to provide students with opportunities to develop real-world, resume-building skills through short-term project work completed in a virtual environment. Georgetown friends and alumni submit part-time projects, up to 50 hours of work across 4-6 weeks, sometimes called ‘micro-internships,’ for students to work on during a set period of time. One student shared, “I am so grateful for the VIEW experience! It has been a really valuable opportunity for me to get experience within an industry I might not have had access to otherwise…my sponsor and direct project supervisor have been incredible mentors and teachers to me."

School of Medicine Programs for High School Students

The School of Medicine provides exciting and hands-on experiences for high school students from across the District of Columbia. Working closely with the D.C. Public Schools, the program prepares students for success in college and beyond. Through these programs, students gain insight into the field of medicine and a glimpse into the community at Georgetown University School of Medicine.

The Gateway Exploration Program (GEP) is an internship opportunity for high school students (rising sophomores, juniors, and seniors) to explore their aspirations of becoming a physician and/or entering the health professions. Historically, GEP has supported scholars from District of Columbia Public Schools. GEP scholars are matched as interns to various medical departments, where they will engage in shadowing and mentorship. The School of Medicine also partners with the Georgetown School of Continuing Studies to encourage participation from D.C. Public School students in the 1-Week Medical Institute and 3-Week Medical Immersion Programs.

Internship Availability and Timing

Internships are available across all sectors. During the school year, students can work with various organizations in the Washington, DC, area. Many students intern for two or three semesters: the spring of the first year, the summer between and the fall of the second year.

Internship hours vary from organization to organization. It is not unusual for an organization in Washington, DC, to offer only unpaid internships. Once enrolled, students have access to the SFS Graduate Career Center database of internship postings. Qualifying students may apply for MSFS grants to help finance the cost of unpaid internships. Internships must be 10 weeks, full-time, related to your career or academic interests, and unpaid. Grant amounts depend on several factors, including the number of applicants and the funding available.

Academic Credit for Internships

Internships give students the opportunity to apply concepts learned in the classroom and to understand how a business really operates. In some cases, students may need or want to earn academic credit for the work performed at an internship.

Earning academic credit for internship work is necessary in some cases and optional in others. Students can earn academic credit for a total of three semesters of work over their undergraduate career. Several courses are available for students seeking academic credit:

MGMT 4950 (Georgetown McDonough students only): A 3-credit course available to current or rising juniors and seniors in the McDonough School of Business with at least a 3.0 GPA. The course is taken for a letter grade factored into the student’s GPA and will count as either a free elective towards the 120 credit requirement or towards the McDonough International Political Economy and Business major.
MGMT 2925 (All Schools): This course is offered as a pass/fail course and is worth one credit. Students must be in good academic standing (minimum GPA of 2.0) and is open to any current or rising sophomore, junior, or senior. It does not count towards any major but it does count towards the 120 credits required for graduation.
MGMT 3925 (All Schools): This is the same course as MGMT 2925 but is for students who have already completed MGMT 2925. This course is offered as a pass/fail course and is worth one credit. Students must be in good academic standing (minimum GPA of 2.0) and is open to any current or rising sophomore, junior, or senior. It does not count towards any major but it does count towards the 120 credits required for graduation.
MGMT 4925 (Non-MSB Students): This course is only available to students outside of the McDonough School of Business who have already completed MGMT 2925 and 3925. This is the same course as MGMT 2925. This course is offered as a pass/fail course and is worth one credit. Students must be in good academic standing (minimum GPA of 2.0) and is open to any current or rising sophomore, junior, or senior. It does not count towards any major but it does count towards the 120 credits required for graduation.

Internships Outside of Washington, D.C.

Upon internship approval, international students (F-1 visa) will then need their CPT form signed by Dean Sara Skillman in the Undergraduate Program Office. It is up to the employer and the student to determine reimbursement for work. Students can participate in a paid internship or an unpaid internship and can earn academic credit in addition to payment or in lieu of payment.

If you would like or need to continue earning credit for an internship lasting more than a semester, students still must enroll in the next course in the sequence for each semester worked. In other words, students must re-register for an internship course for each semester they work, regardless of whether the internship is the same internship or a new one.

Important Considerations

The McDonough Undergraduate Career Development Center nor Georgetown University can guarantee that all internships will be a valuable experience, nor that all employers are legitimate. Students should carefully research potential internships and employers before committing to an opportunity.

Additional Experiential Learning Programs

Georgetown University provides several other experiential learning programs to complement internship experiences:

Penner Family Experiences Fund: This fund provides financial support for fall, spring, or summer experiential learning opportunities.
UNXD 190 - Personal Narrative and Professional Discernment: Connected to the university’s Jesuit value of Contemplation in Action and based on the Cognitive Information Processing model, this course engages students first in self-reflection and exploration. By developing and articulating self-knowledge students can create a narrative related to their values, skills, interests, and personality. Once this narrative is formed, students learn how to share their story verbally, in writing, and how this connects to vocational options and career-specific strategies such as writing resumes, interviewing, and networking.
Virtual Immersions and Experiential Work (VIEW): The Georgetown Virtual Immersions and Experiential Work (VIEW) program creates opportunities for students across all undergraduate disciplines, to gain skills and experiences in the virtual workplace.
The Capitol Applied Learning Labs (The CALL): The CALL is a new signature program for Georgetown, offering one semester’s downtown residence, credit-bearing internships, and unique mentoring and networking opportunities.
Georgetown Entertainment & Media Alliance Externship: The Georgetown Entertainment & Media Alliance (GEMA) and the Cawley Career Education Center collaborate every year on the GEMA Externship Program for undergraduate seniors and graduate students.
Venture Capital Fellowship: Spend your spring semester attending in-depth skills workshops taught by outstanding entrepreneurs followed by a 10-week paid summer internship at a high-growth company in the capital region.

Funding Opportunities

Georgetown University is committed to supporting students in their pursuit of experiential learning opportunities. The university has been working with the provost’s office and other offices at Georgetown to build a site that would help students easily find and apply for funding opportunities available through the university. Many of these resources do not require you to have an internship or opportunity in hand before you apply.

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