Internship Experience

Students are required to arrange a 32 hour/week internship in DC, with support from MSU DC Program staff. MSU faculty and staff work closely with students to identify internships which fit their academic training, previous work experience, specific interests and career goals. The quality of the internship experience is a direct result of each student's effort.

Most internships provide a variety of experiences and are typically unpaid. Students will have some substantive responsibilities: e.g., research, writing, attending and reporting on congressional hearings, planning activities, and involvement in other aspects of the work of the organization. Students need strong "student" skills: writing, research, analysis, computer competency. They should also be the kind of person who can work well both independently and as part of a group, as well as demonstrate a personal commitment to learning.  

Past MSU internship sponsors have included: 

• Public Defenders Service
• Center for American Progress
• Children's Defense Fund
• Center for Strategic and International Studies
• U.S. Chamber of Commerce
• National Wildlife Federation
• U.S. State Department, Bureau of European Affairs
• Office of the Honorable Mike Rogers
• Atlantic Council of the United States
• Heritage Foundation
• Sergeant at Arms (House of Representatives)
• Congressional Black Caucus
• American Defense Institute, Director of Programs
• Department of Agriculture
• International Business Ethics Institute, U.S. and Asia Operations
• National Center for Food and Agricultural Policy
• Office of the Honorable Carolyn Kilpatrick
• DC Corporation Counsel
• U.S. Commerce Department
• National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, Office of Policy Analysis
• American Association of Geographers
• House Committee on Education and Welfare
• Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars
• Ad Council
• Environmental and Energy Study Institute
• John Adams and Associates
• Common Cause
• Office of the Honorable Debbie Stabenow
• Special Committee on Aging
• The White House
• USA Today
• American Bar Association
• The Freedom Forum
• United Press International
• NBC Television
• Georgetown University Law Center
• National Organization for Women
• Office of the Honorable Carl Levin
• Amnesty International
• U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
• My Sister's Place