Washington College students have multiple opportunities to become engaged in experiences designed to enhance learning outside the classroom. Our proximity to the major cities, Washington, DC, Baltimore, and Philadelphia as well as the Delmarva Peninsula, makes it possible for students to gain experience as members of premier governmental, commercial, and artistic organizations while undertaking externships/job shadowing, internships, and participation in a variety of model programs. These experiences enhance and expand theoretical knowledge obtained through traditional coursework.

The Center for Career Development supports students through a process of self-discovery, strengths development, career exploration, and experiential learning. Internships, job shadowing, and engagement in campus and community life prepare students for post-graduate opportunities. Small group and individual career counseling is available with professional career educators and coaches who assist with graduate and professional school searches and applications. More information on the Center for Career Development can be found at careerconnx.washcoll.edu/.

Internships/Research Opportunities

Students pursue internships and research for a variety of reasons. Working under the close supervision of seasoned professionals provides a unique opportunity to learn about possible career pathways. Some students do internships or research solely for the valuable experience they provide, and these are recorded using an online system. At graduation, a student can request a letter from the Registrar’s Office that lists all non-credit experiences completed outside of the classroom.

With the addition of an academic plan of study, these may be done for academic credit. Internships and research for academic credit are documented using an online system. Although academic credit for internship experiences may vary, many students may earn between two and four credits upon successful completion of approximately 140 to 500 hours of applied experience. Learning goals are established prior to the beginning of each opportunity and evaluated by the faculty advisor upon completion. Internships and research provide experience that students may apply toward their degree by earning up to 16 credits. The Center for Career Development assists students with providing resources and tools to identify meaningful experiential learning opportunities.

Signature Internships

Washington College provides “Signature Internships” hosted by organizations which give special consideration to applications submitted by our students. Full descriptions of current opportunities are available at https://careerconnx.washcoll.edu/channels/internships/. Several are summarized below.

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Summer Research/Internship Program

NOAA provides field and research opportunities across more than 40 different sites in the U.S. Along with several other prestigious liberal arts institutions, Washington College students compete for these positions to study marine and wildlife habitats. Most recently, students were accepted for dolphin research off the Pacific Coast, marine mammals in the Atlantic, oyster beds on Eastern Shore rivers, and stream run-off in the Chesapeake Bay.

University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA

A summer research opportunity hosted by a Washington College alumna. This is a valuable opportunity to work alongside a team of experienced scientists and is open to students interested in pursuing medical research as a career. An interview is required and the selection process is highly competitive.

The Washington Center for Internships and Academic Seminars

Full-time, semester-long or summer internships with a federal government, political, business, or non-profit agency in Washington, DC, are available for qualified students through the Washington Center for Internships and Academic Seminars. In addition to working as an intern four days a week, students participate in an academic course of their choosing and a leadership forum designed to help them understand the connection between their academic and professional goals. Students earn a full semester of academic credit in this domestic off-campus experience ranging from 9-12 credits. Sophomore status and a 2.8 minimum cumulative GPA is required. U.S. citizenship and a security clearance are required for appointments at certain government agencies.

Internship Opportunities by Major

Anthropology and Archaeology

Students interested in ethnographic research, cultural studies, or archaeological and GIS skills intern with the Smithsonian Museums, the U.S. Naval Academy Museum, in field schools here in the U.S. and abroad, as well as in an array of non-profits. The nearby Chesapeake Maritime Museum in St. Michaels offer students opportunities to study the watermen of Maryland’s Eastern Shore. The Washington College GIP laboratory offers semester and summer internships on grant-related mapping projects in environmental studies, crime and justice, land use, and transportation.

Art

Internships allow art and art history students to work in various museum and curatorial settings including The Academy Art Museum in Easton, the Baltimore Museum of Art or The Walters Art Museum in Baltimore, as well as other galleries, art institutes, and art education outreach organizations around the nation. Students work under the supervision of the museum’s professional staff and gain firsthand experience in a wide variety of museum activities.

Biology

Biology students have the opportunity to conduct summer research on campus as well as at other academic institutions and at field stations. They also engage in academic internships with research and policy focused nonprofits and government agencies (See Collaborative Research Opportunities below).

Business Management

Business Management students participate in many local, national, and international internships according to their field of interest. Internships are available with major financial providers, investment funds, banks, insurance companies, accounting firms, and other for profit and non profit enterprises. Examples Include Corbin Advisors, Legg Mason, J.P. Morgan, and NASDAQ. Locally, students have interned with Benchworks, a global pharmaceutical marketing firm, and Dixon Valve, a multinational corporation with headquarters and manufacturing in Chestertown.

Chemistry

A number of stipend-bearing internships and research opportunities exist for chemistry majors and minors. Summer on-campus research projects as well as summer and semester-long off-campus internships not only provide additional laboratory experience, but also allow students the opportunity to explore, in depth, areas of chemistry not covered in the core curriculum. Off-campus internships may or may not bear credit. On-campus summer internships are credit-bearing.

Economics

Opportunities are available in micro- and macro-interest areas, in international development and in non-profits. For example, recent intern placements included: NeighborWorks, a non-profit housing policy organization in Atlanta; Doha Bank in Qatar, and opportunities through the Washington Center (see below) with the Montgomery County, MD Bio Health Innovation Collaborative and the Mexican Embassy NAFTA Trade Desk in Washington, DC.

English

The Department of English offers a journalism internship on campus each year. Students work with a professional journalist in conjunction with the publication of the Elm and the Collegian. Each week students conduct a critical evaluation of the previous week’s publication. Sessions on what constitutes effective work in various areas of news writing, such as feature articles, editorials, sports, and campus announcements, as well as how to lay out an interesting and communicative page, occur on a regular basis. The internship is open to all students interested in working on the Elm or the Collegian.

English majors also intern with publishing firms, publications and marketing organizations, radio, and media outlets, with commercial enterprises and non-profits. Recent examples of internships include Prestwick Press, The Summerset Review, and local newspapers.

Environmental Science and Studies

Internships in environmental science and studies education, wildlife and ecology management, environmental research and non-profit management are available at sites locally and nationally. Recently, environmental science and studies majors have interned with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the Chesapeake Bay Foundation, and other colleges and universities such as Yale, Rutgers, and the University of Maryland. We have paid research and internship opportunities on campus with faculty in the Environmental Science and Studies Department and through our colleagues at The Center For Environment and Society (CES). CES offers academic year and summer internships in its programs and labs, including the River & Field Campus, Foreman’s Branch Bird Observatory, the Watershed Innovation Lab, GIP, and the Past Is Present Lab. CES also places students with its many external partners in the region, including ShoreRivers, Eastern Neck Wildlife Refuge, the National Aquarium in Baltimore, and state and federal agencies.  Many of our students also do internships through the Starr Center for the Study of the American Experience's Explore America Program.  Recently students have completed Explore America Internships at Longwood Gardens, the Delaware Center for Horticulture, and the National Aquarium.

History

History students are encouraged to explore internships with museums, archives, curatorial services, and history education outreach providers. More recently, students have interned with the National Park Service, Harper’s Ferry, with the Smithsonian museums as well as with the National Archives. Student interns also have opportunities at the Historical Society of Kent County to organize archival resources, participate in preparing displays, and do research in government records and family papers. The Maryland Historical Society in Baltimore offers various internships involving research and administrative opportunities, including assistance with publication and publicity projects. A number of stipend/paid opportunities are available in the summer and are arranged by the Starr Center.

International Studies and Political Science

International studies and political science internships are available for qualified students in Washington, DC and abroad through the Department of State, the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), and the Hansard Society for Parliamentary Government among many other options.

Most federal government internships are in Washington, DC, but some opportunities occur each year for interns to serve abroad as Junior Foreign Service Officers. Depending on the needs of the agency, interns are assigned junior-level professional duties, which may include research, report writing, correspondence, analysis of international issues, and assistance in cases related to domestic and international law. The department and program advisors help students prepare applications and find internships with government agencies. Students from Washington College have served in Bangladesh, Barbados, Bolivia, China, Costa Rica, Ecuador, El Salvador, Fiji, Gambia, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Ireland, Japan, England, New Zealand, Pakistan, the Philippines, Switzerland, Venezuela, and Washington, DC.

Students interested in international human rights and social justice may opt to intern abroad with NGOs located here in the US or globally. Some students interested in foreign policy initiatives work with Washington, DC, think tanks such as the Woodrow Wilson Center for International Scholars or on Capitol Hill as staff to committees with oversight responsibilities for foreign policy and national security.

The Department of Political Science administers the Maryland General Assembly Internship Program, open to majors and non-majors. These internships offer a firsthand glimpse into the world of Maryland politics. Interns work for a state legislator in Annapolis for two days each week throughout the spring legislative session, which stretches from January through mid-April. Interns also meet on campus for a weekly seminar, which includes reading assignments and written work. Two course credits are awarded for successful completion of the internship. Juniors and seniors who have a GPA of 3.0 are eligible. (POL 311 Congress & Political Polarization or POL 317 State and Local Politics is recommended.) Legislators provide interns with a stipend to cover expenses; however, students must arrange their own transportation to and from Annapolis. The faculty program director evaluates each intern’s work in consultation with the legislator to whom the student has been assigned and the Assembly’s intern coordinator in Annapolis.

The Washington College Institute for Religion, Politics, and Culture offers internships for qualified students in Washington, DC, through its partnership with the Disciples Center for Public Witness where students intern with faith-based organizations working on social justice issues.

Political Science and International Studies majors also frequently attend the program of the Washington Center for Internships and Academic Seminars (see below).

Sociology; Justice, and Society; and Social Work

Undergraduates interested in sociology, the minor in justice, law and society, or the concentration in social welfare find integrative learning to be an important part of their experiences here at the College. Some courses require job shadowing and others, in social work for example, offer full semester internships. Future sociologists interested in analytics and data development have interned at the US Census Bureau and at Washington, DC, think tanks. Several others have found opportunities with local and state agencies as well as non-profits. Justice, law, and society students have interned with the Kent County State’s Attorney, with the Washington, DC, Pretrial Services Agency, Mid-Shore Council on Family Violence, or with For All Seasons, a rape crisis agency serving several Eastern Shore Maryland counties, and Maryland and D.C. law firms. The Social Work program offers students the opportunity to interact directly with clients in a variety of community settings and under the supervision of agency professionals.

Physics

Opportunities are available for students to conduct collaborative research with department faculty. Many students have also pursued off-campus research opportunities or internships through Research Opportunities for Undergraduates (REUs), private industry, or the government.

Psychology

The Psychology Internship enables students to gain valuable practical experience while earning course credit. There are two main types of psychology interns: community interns and college wellness interns. Community interns provide psychological and supportive services in the greater Chestertown community throughout the year, or even at placements close to their home towns during the summertime. Common placements include inpatient and outpatient rehabilitation facilities, schools, physical and occupational therapy locations, early childhood centers, medical adult daycares, private practices, and summer camps. All community placements are pre-approved to ensure that students are supervised by a licensed or certified professional. College wellness interns develop outreach programming for the student body and promote proactive ways for students to thrive in college. Wellness Advocacy Coaches offer individual student support through weekly, drop-in evening hours. Other wellness interns specialize in creating social media to educate others and to inspire overall wellness. In addition to position-specific duties, community interns and college wellness interns have supervised meetings with a clinical/counseling psychology professor to help guide their learning experience. Psychology internships are a useful step toward preparing for careers and gaining graduate school admission in clinical psychology, professional counseling, social work, and allied health fields.

Theatre and Dance

Internships in professional theater allow theatre majors to work full-time as resident interns for professional theater companies. In past years students have interned for Arena Stage in Washington, DC, Center Stage in Baltimore, Philadelphia Theatre and the Play Penn in Philadelphia, and the Hartford Stage Company in Connecticut. Locally, they also work in the Church Hill Theatre and the Garfield Center for the Arts at the Prince Theatre. Theatre majors in either semester of their junior or senior year who have been accepted by a theater company, and who have received approval from the theatre department, are eligible. Interns are supervised by the department faculty and by a designated member of the theater company.

World Languages and Cultures

Students utilize their language skills while working in for-profit and nonprofit settings. Most recently, Spanish language students have interned with a Chilean company and with a Peruvian health care provider, and more locally have job shadowed at the Garnett Elementary School and with a non-profit family support group. French majors have worked with humanitarian organizations abroad as well as commercial enterprises in France.

Externships/Job Shadowing

An externship is a short, usually one- to three-day, experiential learning opportunity. A student visits an organization to learn about its missions and goals, ask questions about career paths, and explore fields of interest. Externships can be especially valuable in helping guide decisions about major and minor courses of study. Alumni, friends of the college, and parents of current or past students serve as hosts to the externs. Placements are made during winter and spring breaks. Externships are recorded as a non-credit bearing experience through the Office of the Registrar. More details are available at https://careerconnx.washcoll.edu/channels/externships/