How do I find an internship?

Internships are one of the most direct ways to build experience, test a career path, and turn classroom interests into professional momentum. Schar School majors are especially well positioned to take advantage of the Washington, D.C., region’s access to government, nonprofits, advocacy organizations, think tanks, campaigns, and policy-focused employers. 

Start Here: What Counts as an Internship?

Students are responsible for locating an appropriate internship and making arrangements with the host organization. If you want to earn academic credit, current jobs may not be used for internship credit. Co-op positions and jobs through the Federal Pathways Program are eligible for internship credit, and acceptable internships must include appropriate public service content.

If you plan to earn credit, Mason undergraduates may enroll in GOVT 480. The course is open to sophomores, juniors, and seniors, is offered in the spring, summer, and fall, and the deadline to apply is the Last Day to Add each semester. 

Internship Paths by Major

Political Science and International Politics, Political Science and International Politics (formerly Government and International Politics)

Political Science and Government students often pursue internships that connect politics, institutions, advocacy, and international affairs. Students who are interested in law can also look for internships where public policy, government decision-making, and legal process intersect. Options include:

  • Congressional offices, Capitol Hill committees, and legislative support organizations.
  • State and local government offices, executive branch agencies, and policy-focused public service organizations.
  • Campaigns, political parties, political communications, and issue advocacy groups.
  • Think tanks and research organizations working on democracy, domestic policy, foreign policy, or public opinion.
  • International organizations, diplomacy-related programs, and foreign affairs internships.
  • Courts, government legal offices, election law and voting rights organizations, civil rights and public-interest legal organizations, and regulatory or legislative-policy settings that expose students to the legal side of government. 

International Security and Law

Students in International Security and Law are typically strong candidates for internships tied to national security, intelligence, defense, homeland security, diplomacy, and legal-policy analysis.

Good fits include:

  • National security and intelligence organizations, including agencies and policy centers in the Washington region.
  • Defense, homeland security, and emergency management offices.
  • Foreign policy, diplomacy, and international affairs internships, including State Department programs.
  • Law firms, courts, legal offices, and government agencies doing regulatory or constitutional work.
  • Security-focused think tanks and research institutions such as Stimson Center, Hudson Institute, CSIS, or CFR.

Public Administration

Public Administration students are especially well positioned for internships in management, implementation, budgeting, nonprofit leadership, and public service delivery across sectors. For students with an interest in law, especially in how rules are carried out and public institutions operate, internship options also exist in legal-adjacent public service settings.

Common pathways include:

  • City, county, state, and federal administrative offices.
  • Nonprofit organizations, associations, and public service institutions.
  • Budget, operations, human resources, or program management internships.
  • Policy implementation and community-facing service organizations.
  • Cross-sector roles that connect government, nonprofit, and private partners.
  • Regulatory affairs, compliance, court administration, inspector general and oversight offices, administrative law settings, and public-facing legal service organizations where management and law intersect.

Where to Search

Schar and Mason Resources

Start with the resources closest to home:

  • Handshake is Mason’s central platform for internships, part-time jobs, and full-time roles related to your interests and skills. Log in to Handshake here.
  • Schar School Undergraduate Program emails and weekly newsletter can highlight internship leads and opportunities.
  • University Career Services supports internship searches and preparation, and Mason employers also use Handshake to recruit interns.
  • Mason students can search for on-campus interviews in Handshake by filtering for positions that are “Interviewing on Campus.”

Federal Government Internships

For students interested in public service, federal hiring, and agency-specific opportunities:

  • USAJOBS is the main federal hiring platform, with an Early Careers hub for student and recent graduate opportunities.
  • The Pathways Program includes paid internship opportunities for current students and developmental roles for recent graduates. You can find Pathways roles on USAJOBS by filtering for Students or Recent Graduates.
  • GoGovernment’s Public Service Internship Finder is a planning tool that brings together federal internship program pages in one place.
  • The U.S. Department of State offers paid internships, Pathways opportunities, the U.S. Foreign Service Internship Program, and the Virtual Student Federal Service program.
  • Executive Office placements, including The White House Internship Program, are highlighted through public service internship resources. 
  • The Partnership for Public Service Future Leaders in Public Service Internship Program offers paid internships, stipends, and professional development for eligible undergraduate and graduate students.

State and Local Government Internships

Students interested in community-level public service should not stop at federal postings. Many strong internship opportunities are posted on official state, county, city, court, council, agency, or department websites, so it is worth searching those sites directly rather than relying only on national job boards.  

Useful starting points include:

The same approach applies to county, city, and agency websites in any state or region. A smart search strategy is to identify a region first, then check the websites of the city manager or county executive, county board or city council, attorney or inspector general offices, courts, public safety agencies, planning offices, and major service departments in that jurisdiction.

Law, Courts, and Legal-Policy Internships

Students in all three majors who are exploring law-related pathways should also watch internship postings from:

  • State and local judicial departments: Courts, attorneys general, prosecutors’ offices, public defenders, and city or county legal offices.
  • Federal agencies with legal, regulatory, enforcement, or oversight functions, especially offices that hire interns for policy, compliance, investigations, or program integrity work.
  • Legal services and advocacy: Legal aid organizations, civil rights and public-interest groups, immigration service organizations, and other nonprofits where law and public service intersect.

Foreign Affairs, Security, and International Affairs Resources

Students interested in diplomacy, international organizations, and foreign policy should also explore:

  • AFSA’s Foreign Affairs Internships roundup, which points students to State, USAID, FCS, FAS, APHIS, USAGM, and Washington think tank opportunities.
  • The Organization of American States internship program for students interested in democracy, human rights, and regional policy work.
  • International affairs internships and fellowships highlighted through State Department resources.
  • Think tank and NGO internship pages for organizations such as CSIS, CFR, Brookings, Aspen, Hudson, and the Center for International Policy.

Political Campaign Internships

Campaign internships are worth searching separately because they are often fast-moving, election-cycle driven, and posted in different places than government internships. In addition to major races in Virginia, Maryland, and D.C., you can look into campaigns in your home community or any place you want to build political experience.

Many local and state campaigns never appear on large national boards. If you want campaign experience, identify candidates and races you care about, follow local political news, watch state and local party sites, and reach out directly when a campaign’s website does not clearly list internship openings.

Students looking for campaign internships should use three channels at the same time:

  • Campaign-focused job boards, especially Arena Careers, which lets students search by keyword and location and create job alerts for internship postings.
  • Party committee and political-organization internship pages, such as the DNC, DCCC, Democratic Party of Virginia, State Democratic Party job pages, Emily’s List, Republican Jobs and GOP Internships.
  • Candidate and campaign websites directly, especially pages labeled Get Involved, Join Our Team, Internships, or Volunteer.
  • The Campaign Workshop’s political job-board roundup, which points students to a wide range of political, advocacy, labor, nonprofit, and campaign job banks and internship resources.

Nonprofit, Advocacy, and Policy Organizations

For students looking beyond government:

  • Idealist.org remains a strong source for nonprofit and mission-driven opportunities.
  • Princeton University’s public service resource page highlights organizations and employers across nonprofit, human rights, development, humanitarian, and policy fields, including Human Rights Watch, IRC, USAID, ReliefWeb, Oxfam, and World Learning.
  • Students interested in public policy research can also explore think tanks and policy organizations such as New America, Urban Institute, Wilson Center, Mathematica, and JPAL.

Global and International Internship Search

If you are exploring internships outside the United States, Mason students can use Interstride for international job and internship research and country-specific insights.

Funding for Unpaid Internships

If an internship is unpaid, Mason students may be eligible for the Scholarship for Unpaid Internships. The scholarship is open to undergraduate and graduate Mason students pursuing an unpaid internship, with preference given to students seeking their first internship in their chosen field and demonstrating financial hardship.

Students apply through Handshake and must provide proof that they have secured an unpaid internship before funds are disbursed. Students who want academic credit for that internship must still work separately with their academic department.

Before You Apply

Keep your pre-application checklist simple and practical:

  • Look for roles with substantive work, not only administrative support.
  • Confirm the internship’s hours, format, location, and supervision structure.
  • If you need academic credit, make sure the internship aligns with GOVT 480 expectations and public service content requirements.
  • If you are applying to federal or security-related roles, pay close attention to citizenship requirements, deadlines, and background check timelines.
  • If the internship is unpaid, review funding options early so you can decide whether to apply for Mason’s unpaid internship scholarship.

Once You Land the Internship

A strong internship is more than a line on a resume. To get the most from it:

  • Set clear learning goals with your supervisor early.
  • Ask for projects that strengthen writing, research, analysis, communication, or management skills.
  • Keep track of your work, deliverables, and accomplishments as you go.
  • Build relationships with supervisors, teammates, and alumni connections while you are there.
  • If the internship is tied to GOVT 480, stay on top of the academic requirements and deadlines.