Spring Internships in Washington D.C.: A Comprehensive Guide

Washington D.C., the nation's capital, offers a wealth of internship opportunities for students and recent graduates seeking to gain valuable experience in various fields. From law and public service to museum studies and scientific research, internships in D.C. provide a unique platform for professional development and exposure to diverse career paths. This article explores a range of spring internship programs available in Washington D.C., catering to different academic backgrounds and interests.

Opportunities in Law and Public Service

For students interested in law and public service, several internships in Washington D.C. offer hands-on experience in these fields.

The Office of the Attorney General for the District of Columbia (OAG) Internship Program

The Office of the Attorney General for the District of Columbia (OAG) offers volunteer internships to highly qualified undergraduate and graduate students. The OAG’s internship program offers students a challenging experience that reflects the demands and rewards of public service. OAG recruits a diverse population of interns from educational institutions across the United States, as well as internationally, each year.

Interns at OAG get involved in a variety of interesting legal tasks, such as assisting attorneys with legal research, motions, advice memos, discovery, and trial. On any given day, an intern may be researching, gathering documents, answering interrogatories, or taking notes during a witness deposition. Many OAG interns find themselves in the midst of newsworthy and politically charged cases. Interns also participate in several field trips, including tours of the DC jail, the MPD headquarters/training academy, and a visit to the District of Columbia Court of Appeals to view an oral argument. Law student interns also develop legal writing and research skills with training in Lexis research, and practicing how to apply various federal, state and common laws to cases. The interns speak highly of their rich work experience at OAG-working hands on with attorneys, paralegals and other law students, while enjoying the sights and sounds of the nation’s capital.

Internships are open to undergraduate, graduate and law students in good academic standing. The selection process for the Internship Program is highly competitive. Internships are unique and tailored to each student's needs, interests and schedule. The OAG internship coordinator will contact applicants to arrange a suitable placement after receiving the completed application and supporting documents.

ACLU Internship Program

The ACLU offers year-round remote and hybrid internship opportunities. The ACLU seeks the next generation of leaders. Interns engage with the issues and the people at the forefront of today’s most impactful civil liberties and civil rights fights and victories. Interns contribute to meaningful work in one of the ACLU’s departments while developing substantive skills and professional experience. Interns learn from ACLU employees on a range of topics through trainings and on-the-job learning. Interns receive a stipend for a full-time 10-week internship or a part-time 12-week internship, which may be offset by any outside funding received.

Museum and Cultural Heritage Internships

Washington D.C. is home to numerous museums and cultural institutions, providing a wide range of internship opportunities for students interested in these fields.

Smithsonian Institution Internships

The Smithsonian Institution offers a vast array of internships across its many museums, research centers, and offices. These internships provide invaluable experience in various aspects of museum work, research, and administration.

Smithsonian Asian Pacific American Center (APAC)

The Smithsonian Asian Pacific American Center (APAC) engages communities in surprising and innovative ways, transcending boundaries and barriers.

Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage

Every year, the Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage involves over a hundred interns in its various activities. It offers internships year-round in various fields, including folklore, cultural anthropology, ethnomusicology, linguistics, museum studies, arts administration, graphic and web design, videography, marketing, social media, and library science.

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Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum

The Peter A. Krueger Summer Internship Program offers undergraduate students the unique opportunity to develop professional skills and learn about museum practices at Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum.

National Air and Space Museum

The National Air and Space Museum’s structured summer internship program provides firsthand experience working in a museum. This program offers a one-of-a-kind introduction to museum work or a rich opportunity to expand on previous experience. The 10-week summer program provides unique professional development opportunities and enrichment activities.

National Museum of African American History and Culture

Internships at the National Museum of African American History and Culture offer undergraduate and graduate students, and recent graduates' opportunities to work closely with professionals and scholars in the museum field. The museum provides a dynamic learning environment and access to supportive mentors that help interns reach their academic and professional goals. Interns receive a stipend while they gain practical museum skills and program development experience in a variety of positions.

National Museum of Natural History

The National Museum of Natural History hosts the Natural History Research Experiences (NHRE), a 10-week summer internship program. The NMNH Summer High School Internship at the Smithsonian Institution supports current high school attendees, ages 14 to 18, interested in learning about what working at a museum is like. Internships are offered in the Department of Entomology and the Department of Exhibits. The Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History also seeks a science writing intern interested in developing science communication skills in an active communications and public affairs office.

Summer Institute in Museum Anthropology (SIMA)

The Summer Institute in Museum Anthropology (SIMA) at the Smithsonian seeks to promote broader and more effective use of museum collections in anthropological research by providing graduate students with an immersive, four-week training program and research experience at the Smithsonian Institution.

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National Museum of the American Indian (NMAI)

The National Museum of the American Indian (NMAI) offers internships during the Fall, Winter/Spring, and Summer terms at the museum in Washington, D.C.; at the Cultural Resources Center in Suitland, MD; and at the museum (George Gustav Heye Center) in New York City. NMAI stewards one of the most extensive collections of Native American cultural heritage in the world.

Latino Museum Studies Program (LMSP)

The Latino Museum Studies Program (LMSP) Undergraduate Internship is a paid 12-week, cohort-based museum studies program that offers hands-on training opportunities in non-curatorial subfields to participants interested in museum careers.

National Portrait Gallery

The Smithsonian’s National Portrait Gallery offers formal internships to qualified applicants. A Smithsonian internship is a prearranged, structured learning experience that takes place during the fall, spring, or summer semester. Internships are available in various departments, including the Office of the Registrar, which is responsible for the care, tracking, and transport of the permanent collection and objects on loan for exhibitions; creating and maintaining accession files; and the management of the museum’s collections information database, The Museum System (TMS). Internships are also available in the Publications department, which reviews all written materials the museum produces for the public, including exhibition catalogues and labels, and the Office of Advancement, which offers internship opportunities for candidates interested in fundraising and development-oriented careers.

Office of General Counsel (OGC)

Legal interns in the Smithsonian Institution’s Office of General Counsel (OGC) work closely with attorneys whose work covers such diverse topics as tax, employment discrimination, ethics, imports/exports, federal appropriations, intellectual property, and environmental law.

Office of Public Affairs

The central Office of Public Affairs supports all of the Smithsonian museums, research centers and internal offices with public relations. Interns can gain experience working with traditional media, social media, internal communications and web development.

Digitization Program Office (DPO)

The Digitization Program Office (DPO) is an office within the Office of the Chief Information Officer (OCIO). OCIO provides the Smithsonian’s central computing and telecommunications services; provides leadership in information technology throughout the Institution in support of systems planning and development, communications, and computer-related training; and provides policy and guidance to ensure the integrity and security of Institutional automated data.

Smithsonian Associates

Interns with Smithsonian Associates are offered unique opportunities to learn about all aspects of educational programming for both adults and children, while contributing extensively to one of the world's great cultural institutions.

Scientific Research Internships

For students pursuing careers in science, Washington D.C. offers internships at leading research institutions.

Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory (SAO)

The Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory (SAO) Summer Intern Program is a 10-week NSF Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) internship where students take on an astrophysics research project with an SAO or Harvard scientist. Students are expected to work at the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics for the full duration of the program.

Smithsonian Environmental Research Center (SERC)

The Smithsonian Environmental Research Center (SERC) provides science-based knowledge to meet the environmental challenges of the 21st century.

Smithsonian Gardens

Smithsonian Gardens provides an array of public garden learning experiences through its internship program.

Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute (STRI)

The purpose of the STRI General Internship Program is to provide a place for internship applicants who are generally interested in STRI’s science to pursue a research experience with one of our scientific mentors based on their interests.

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