Washington University Internships: A Comprehensive Guide for Students

Internships provide invaluable opportunities for students to gain real-world experience, develop professional skills, and explore potential career paths. Washington University (WashU) and the University of Washington (UW) offer a diverse range of internship programs across various disciplines. This article serves as a comprehensive guide to help students navigate the internship landscape at these institutions.

Introduction

Experiential learning is highly encouraged at WashU, and internships are a key component of this. These experiences allow students to apply their knowledge and skills in practical settings, enhancing their academic learning and preparing them for future careers. This guide covers various internship opportunities, funding options, and resources available to students.

Washington University Internship Opportunities

WashU offers a wide array of internship, fellowship, and funding programs across its various schools and departments. These opportunities cater to students with diverse interests and academic backgrounds.

Research-Focused Internships

ASPIRE: An intensive summer research opportunity for undergraduates from any institution interested in clinical research.
ASSURE Fellowship: Provides college students from the St. Louis metro area with opportunities to engage in basic, clinical, and/or translational research projects.
DBBS (Division of Biology and Biomedical Sciences) Opportunities: Undergraduates can experience cutting-edge research at WashU.
Institute for Informatics Summer Internships: Offers summer internships to undergraduate and graduate students from various backgrounds to explore diverse research settings.
Leah Menshouse Springer Summer Opportunities Program: A 10-week summer program providing students with hands-on cancer research experience.
EMERGE Program: A six-week program introducing medical students to emergency care research and emergency medicine careers.
TL1 Program: An intensive two-month summer research opportunity for allied health graduate students interested in clinical research.
ENDURE Program: A two-year opportunity, including summer and academic year activities, preparing undergraduates from diverse backgrounds for neuroscience PhD programs.

Civic Engagement and Community-Based Internships

Gephardt Institute for Civic and Community Engagement: Offers internship and fellowship positions supporting the institute’s strategic priorities. The institute focuses on engaging students in civic learning, including courses like Foundations of Civic Engagement and State and Local Government.

Environmental Studies Internships

Impact Internship Program: Embeds students within St. Louis organizations, engaging with environmental issues affecting the community.
Environment, Sustainability and Climate Change (ESCC) Internship Program: Places students in internships, research, and project teams, while providing professional development and enrichment training.

University of Washington Internship Opportunities

The University of Washington (UW) also boasts a rich selection of internship and research programs, particularly during the summer. These programs cater to undergraduates seeking intensive research experiences and mentorship.

Summer Research Programs at UW

SIAH (Summer Institute in the Arts and Humanities): A research opportunity for undergraduates to engage in scholarly research with accomplished scholars and peers, earning full-time academic credit and a $7,500 scholarship as Mary Gates scholars.
Summer Institute in Indigenous Humanities: Provides training and support to undergraduate students and community partners undertaking humanities research in American Indian and Indigenous Studies.
Substance Use Research Internship Program: Helps UW undergraduates gain project-based real-world experience and learn about substance use research, policy, and practice.
SURE-EH (Summer Undergraduate Research Experience in Environmental Health): Trainees work as paid student researchers for up to two years, both during the summer and academic year.
SURP (Summer Undergraduate Research Program): An intensive, nine-week internship for undergraduates entering their final year of study, designed to provide research experience and mentorship in biomedical research.
HIPRC’s Summer Research Program (INSIGHT): An eight-week summer internship providing paid research experience and mentorship for students interested in injury and violence prevention research.
ISCRM (Institute for Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine) Undergraduate Summer Fellows Program: Competitive fellowships enhancing the educational experiences of undergraduate students engaged in research guided by UW ISCRM faculty, focusing on regenerative medicine.
ISCRM Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU): A 10-week summer program offering undergraduate students opportunities to work on research projects with leading scientists, including workshops in communications, scientific presentation skills, and ethics.
NSSSP (Neurological Surgery Summer Student Program): Provides undergraduates with an eight-week neuroscience lab experience, lectures, and operation room observation.
Population Health Applied Research Fellowship Program: Supports multidisciplinary teams of students working on real-world population health challenges, sourced from external clients.
SHPEP (Summer Health Professions Education Program): A free six-week summer enrichment program focused on improving access to information and resources for college students interested in health professions.
Summer Scholars Program at Seattle Children’s Research Institute: Provides undergraduate students with a summer internship opportunity to engage in basic, clinical, community-based, or translational research projects.
Nelson-Mendenhall Summer Scholars Program (NMP): Provides funded research opportunities for undergraduate students to conduct research with faculty members at the University of Washington School of Pharmacy.
CNT (Center for Neurotechnology) REU: A 10-week Research Experience for Undergraduates on the Seattle campus.
REU-Blinks Summer Internship Program: Links undergraduate students with scientist-mentors as collaborators in marine science research projects.
Physics REU Program at UW Bothell: Hosts undergraduate research students for eight weeks during the summer to participate in research projects, professional development activities, and an introduction to research-oriented careers in physics and astronomy.
CEBR REU (Clean Energy Bridge to Research): Supports undergraduates, community college students, and tribal college students to participate in authentic research in solar, energy storage, and grid technologies.
IMOD REU Program: Provides undergraduate students with an opportunity to participate in authentic research in chemical synthesis of quantum photonic materials and integration printable electronic applications.
IPD (Institute for Protein Design) REU: Offers a unique opportunity for students to gain skills in computational and experimental protein design, conducting research in an IPD Member Lab.
Mathematics Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) at UW Bothell: Provides an opportunity for undergraduate students from underrepresented groups to explore mathematical research and prepare for graduate studies.
MEM-C (Materials Engineering & Mechanics - Composites) REU: Students are embedded in MEM-C labs for nine weeks, working on research projects and preparing a poster summarizing their results.
Washington NASA Space Grant Consortium’s Summer Undergraduate Research Program (SURP): Offers paid research opportunities for undergraduate students with limited research experience to explore a new environment and network with mentors.
Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) program: This program provides a 10-week research experience for undergraduates interested in subfields of physics.
Summer internship: Opens doors to hands-on research and scientific discovery. Geological Survey (USGS) - to design, carry out, and share the results of a research project within one of our research themes.

Internship Funding and Support

WashU Funding

Summer Internship Fund: Provides financial awards to undergraduate students to help alleviate the costs associated with completing unpaid or low-paid summer internships. Students may receive this funding up to two times throughout their undergraduate career.
Chancellor's Career Fellows Funding: Another funding option available to WashU students for internship support.

CWU Funding

Students receiving financial aid must check with the Financial Aid Office prior to accepting a paid placement, as Federal Law requires that any income be declared.

External Funding

Students are encouraged to explore external internship opportunities and funding through government agencies, non-profit organizations, and professional associations.

Central Washington University (CWU) Internship Program

Central Washington University (CWU) offers an internship program designed to integrate classroom study with planned, supervised, and evaluated work experience. This program aims to link academic learning with students’ career goals and interests.

Eligibility Criteria for CWU Internships

To be eligible for an internship at CWU, students must meet the following criteria:

Be a student in good academic standing.
The contracted field experience must be directly related to the student’s major field of study and/or career goal.
The student must have completed the appropriate prerequisite courses and possess the required skills and knowledge.
The student must have a departmental faculty internship advisor.
The student must have at least 45 earned credits prior to enrolling in a 290 course, including at least 15 credits at CWU.

CWU Internship Course Levels

CWU offers different course levels for internships, depending on the student's class level and the nature of the internship:

290 Course: Intended for students who have not declared a major, are interested in career exploration, or otherwise do not qualify for the 490 level. Co-op 290 is offered for 1 to 5 credits with a maximum of 10 credits.
490 Course: Specific to the major, allowing 1 to 12 credits per experience with a maximum of 20 credits to apply toward graduation. Students must qualify according to university and department requirements.
590 Course: Intended for graduate-level students, allowing 1 to 8 credits with a maximum of 12 applied toward a graduate degree.

CWU Internship Process

Locate and Secure an Internship: Students are responsible for finding and securing their own internship provider. Career Services, Handshake, and various job boards can be used to explore opportunities.
Assign Internship Faculty Advisor: The student's department will assign an Internship Faculty Advisor who will act as the instructor for the internship course.
Define Learning Objectives: Students work with their internship faculty advisor and site supervisor to develop at least three learning objectives detailing what they will learn or practice during the experience.
Complete Required Training and Purchase Insurance: Students must complete the required discrimination and harassment training and purchase the required liability insurance.

CWU Internship Grading and Requirements

Internships are graded as Satisfactory (S) or Unsatisfactory (U).
The final grade is assigned by the internship faculty advisor based on the number of hours completed, course assignments and activities, and the intern evaluations provided by the site supervisor.
Students are required to purchase liability insurance, with the type depending on whether the internship is in a medical or non-medical setting.

Important Notes for CWU Interns

Financial Aid: Students receiving financial aid must check with the Financial Aid Office prior to accepting a paid placement.
International Students: International students on F-1 visas cannot begin work until obtaining work authorization approval from the International Student Office.
Summer Internships: Internships during the Summer quarter follow the same approvals and requirements as other courses.
Career Readiness: CWU emphasizes career readiness, which includes essential skills and competencies that prepare students for workplace success.

CIA Internship and Co-op Programs

The Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) offers internship and co-op programs for undergraduate and graduate students. These programs provide opportunities to gain real-world work experience in national service.

Undergraduate Programs

Year-round internship programs in various areas, including finance, economics, foreign language, engineering, and information technology.
Students complete at least one 12-week work tour before graduating.

Graduate Programs

Available to full-time students in accredited graduate or doctoral programs.
Students complete at least one 12-week tour before graduating.

Stokes Scholarship Program

A financial needs-based scholarship providing university tuition assistance.
Participants work a full-time schedule each summer in the WMA (Washington Metropolitan Area) until graduation.

Application Process

Students must go through a medical and security process.
It is recommended to submit an expression of interest at least 6-12 months before the desired start date.

Additional Resources for Finding Internships

Center for Career Engagement (CCE): Provides support and resources for students pursuing internships.
Handshake: An online platform for job and internship postings.
Virtual Work Simulations (Forage): Offers virtual work simulations to build skills and explore different industries.
Micro-Internships (Parker Dewey): Connects students with organizations in need of their skills for short-term, paid, remote projects.
Networking: Leverage personal and professional networks, including faculty and staff, to inquire about internship opportunities.
Career Fairs and Industry Events: Attend these events to connect with potential employers.
Professional Associations: Explore professional associations related to your field of interest.
Government and Nonprofit Programs: Check for internship programs offered by government agencies and non-profit organizations.
Local Job Placement Services: Some cities or regions have job placement services that connect students with local businesses and organizations.

General Tips for Securing an Internship

Start Early: Begin your internship search well in advance of the desired start date, as many programs have deadlines months ahead of time.
Tailor Your Application: Customize your resume and cover letter to match the specific requirements and interests of each internship program.
Highlight Relevant Skills: Emphasize the skills and experiences that make you a strong candidate for the position.
Seek Feedback: Ask professors, career advisors, or mentors to review your application materials and provide feedback.
Network: Attend career fairs, networking events, and information sessions to connect with potential employers and learn about internship opportunities.
Follow Up: After submitting your application, follow up with the employer to express your continued interest in the position.

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