Undergraduate students are invited to spend a semester of their undergraduate education learning, living, and interning in Washington, D.C. Students intern at organizations of their choice, and are guided by Program and Washington University in St. Louis faculty and staff through the process of finding an internship that best matches their interests and professional aspirations. Courses are taught by WUSTL faculty as well as through the University of California consortium. Undergraduates live at the University of California D.C. Center (UCDC) in the heart of the city and with students from other universities across the United States.
Graduate and pre-professional students are also able to spend a semester in Washington, D.C. as part of coordinated course and career development work. Students will find an internship or field experiences relevant to their studies, as well as take the core class through Washington University while in Washington, D.C. Please contact the relevant staff or faculty member for your school, or your advisor for more information:
Summers in Washington, D.C. are a fantastic opportunity gain internship experience and learn about life outside of academic study. The program will focus on a full-time internship of the student’s choosing for academic credit. In addition to an internship, students will earn credit for their policy process course, and participate in a seminars and activities with their classmates and fellow WUSTL students in the area. Summer students live at the UCDC center in the heart of the city with students from across the nation. Please check with your school for program requirements and information on course credit. Applications for Summer 2012 are now being accepted at sa.wustl.edu.
All students who attend the Washington, D.C. semester or summer program are required to intern full time at an organization, government branch or institution of their choice. Internships are for credit only, not for monetary payment. Students will intern from four to four and a half days a week, depending on the requirements of their advisors and the office in which they are placed. The internship is a key component to the semester program, and interns are expected to treat their offices as if they were full time employees, with their actions not only reflecting on them but the university as a whole.
Students should consider their own interests, academic focus and work history when looking for internships. Students should work with the Career Center on campus to identify possible matches, and work on resumes and cover letters. Because internships can be in any field relevant to the individual student, they should be used as a way to identify career options and future networks.
Steven Jackson, director of the Washington, D.C. Programs, is also a resource for undergraduate students when looking for internships. Students who have been accepted to the program are encouraged to reach out to him at sijackson@wustl.edu for ideas and contacts in the internship search.