Undergraduate Internships

Overview
An internship for either majors or minors is optional, although it is highly recommended for majors. An internship provides the opportunity to test the claim that philosophy is the kind of discipline that teaches transferable skills such as critical reading, analytical problem-solving and clear and careful writing. These skills are desirable since many research institutes, non-profit organizations, think tanks and legal and business organizations--all of which Washington supports in abundance--are in search of individuals with such skills. Click here for a partial list of institutions where students have interned.

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Internship Coordinator
Ellen K. Feder: The internship coordinator oversees, supervises, and grades all internships. Students must receive her approval and signature before registering for their internship.

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How to get the most out of your internship experience
It is important to start thinking early about what you would like to accomplish in your internship semester. The clearer your objectives, the more likely it is that you will find the right place. In thinking about what sort of internship to pursue, let your interests determine which place can offer you the richest experience. To accomplish this, you need to start your search early in the semester before you would like to begin an internship. First, you should think about what issues, concerns, or professions you are interested in. Then, you should discuss this with your advisor, and speak with other students about their experience with similar internships. Another resource for internship information is AU’s Career and Internship Office. Once you’ve identified the appropriate site, visit and meet with people – maybe you can talk to someone who is currently interning there. Speak with the internship supervisors at the site, and discuss with them your academic interests to find out whether there is any work and research to be done in your area. If so, Congratulations!!! If not, keep looking!!!

Finding the perfect match could lead to future employment!

Requirements

To earn 3 credits, you are expected to work 16 hours per week for 12 consecutive weeks (24 hours will earn 6 credits).
The majority of your time should be devoted to substantive work. No more than 15% of your time should be spent doing clerical work. You must appreciate, however, that at many non-profit organizations, and in legal settings, for example, answering phones and filing papers and even making photocopies is not mere “clerical work.” This is work shared by members of the organization as a whole, and may exceed the “15% rule.” In these cases, it is important to appreciate that this is not simply “grunt work,” but labor essential to the particular job or the running of the organization, and so, it is essential to your experience of working in and learning about, a particular field or work environment.
You must successfully complete a substantive paper of 10 pages for a 3 credit internship or 15 pages for a 6 credit internship, which includes a bibliography and theoretical analysis of the internship experience.
At the end of the internship, the student must provide his or her supervisor with an Internship Program Evaluation Form, which the employer should fill out, sign and fax to the internship coordinator. At the same time, the student should fill out a Faculty Evaluation Form and return it to the internship coordinator.

Procedures

Find an internship.
Fill out an Internship Registration Form, which the registrar’s office requires in order to register for an internship. Obtain the appropriate department signatures.
Fill out an Internship Consent and Release Form and submit to the registrar’s office with the form above. Both of these forms are available in the Schedule of Classes.

Steps 1-3 should be completed before the student starts her/his internship.
Submit a reading list to the internship coordinator.
Submit the final paper and all evaluations no later than the last day of classes.

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