OVERVIEW
PhD Plus provides doctoral students in the advanced years of their degree programs with the opportunity to pursue an internship with a University office or external partner. Our goal is to provide students with substantive and mentored experiences that will develop their skills, broaden their career options, and diversify their professional network.
MODEL
In order to provide the broadest access to internship opportunities, we limit participation in PhD Plus internships to one opportunity per student during their enrollment at the University. The length of the internship can range from a few months through multiple semesters.
Three broad categories of internships are available:
- University Office
- External Partner
- Student-Proposed
READ HIGHLIGHTS FROM PAST PHD PLUS INTERNS
ELIGIBILITY
As outlined in the PhD Plus program philosophy and mechanics, we advise students to undertake self-reflection, career exploration and skills assessment, and formalizing interest in one or two careers before participating in experiential learning opportunities. Please review the requirements below to determine your eligibility.
In order to participate in the PhD Plus Internship Program, applicants must:
- Be enrolled full-time in a doctoral program at the University,
- Be in good academic standing,
- Have completed all degree requirements with the exception of the dissertation by the beginning of the internship.
CATEGORIES
As mentioned above, PhD+ Plus Internships may be one of three categories:
- University Office: These experience occur within an office or department at UVA.
- External Partner: These experiences occur with an external business or organization.
- Student-Proposed (Propose Your Own): Visit the Propose Your Own Internship Information Page for more details on this category.
DURATION
In order to incorporate professional development within the standard timeframe for obtaining a graduate degree, these internships are limited to an average of:
- Twenty hours of effort per week during the ten-week summer period
- Ten hours of effort per week during the twenty-week academic semester-length assistantship period.
FUNDING
The internship provides $6,000 in support during the summer or per academic semester.
- For students in the GSAS, an internship could replace ten hours of assistantship support in a given semester (pending departmental and GSAS approval).
- Internships that occur with a university are paid on in hourly wages ($30/hour for 200 hours of work). This means that wages will be distributed on a bi-weekly basis rather than in one lump sum.
- Internships with external partners are paid via a fellowship stipend.
These internships do not provide funding for tuition, fees and student health insurance. However, a student who has exhausted the standard support awarded upon admission could combine an internship with a teaching or research assistantship that is funding their tuition, fees and health insurance for the year.
ANNOUNCEMENT AND APPLICATION TIMELINE
February: PhD Plus will post the internship positions and send an announcement to students.
Early March: The application submission form will go live to students and will remain open for at least a week.
Mid-to-late March: PhD Plus will collect all application submissions and forward along the appropriate materials to internship partners. From there, partners may reach out to students to schedule meetings/interviews.
April: PhD Plus will collect the hiring preferences from the internship partners and work with academic partners to confirm a student’s availability for the upcoming semesters.
End of April: PhD Plus will confirm with internship partner that the student will participate. This concludes the internship application cycle.
Do you have questions about the internship program? Schedule an advising appointment with Mallory Neil.
MENTORSHIP
A PhD Plus Internship is meant to be an experience during which a graduate student gains valuable skills and organizational knowledge. To foster this process, we ask that internship partners identify a mentor for the student that will guide them through the experience. This individual should be available to answer questions, delegate tasks, and provide feedback on the intern’s performance. In addition, we ask our partners to consider ways in which the intern may learn about the organization. This may include attending meetings, interacting with leadership and/or stakeholders, etc.
DEVELOPING INTERNSHIP
If you are interested in developing an internship, please contact Dr. Mallory Neil ([email protected]).
Some categories featured in the internship request submission include:
- Skills the intern will practice/develop
- Intern responsibilities
- Mentorship plan
DURATION
Internships can last from one semester to multiple semesters. Please note that a student’s availability may vary depending on their departmental responsibilities. PhD Plus works with academic departments to finalize and confirm the semesters in which a student can work, but we cannot guarantee that a student will be available during all of the requested semesters.
In order to incorporate professional development within the standard timeframe for obtaining a graduate degree, these internships are limited to an average of:
- Twenty hours per week during the ten-week summer period
- Ten hours of effort per week during the twenty-week academic semester-length assistantship period.
FUNDING
University departments who participate in the PhD Plus Internship Program are responsible for providing funding for the internship.
In the past, the hourly wage breakdown has been as follows:
$30.00/hour for 200 hours of work = $6,000 per semester
Upon hearing from the PhD Plus team that the internship has been confirmed, internship partners will communicate with the intern to determine an official start date for the internship. Additionally, partners are responsible for adding the student to their Workday system.
- Note: This process is done internally with your department. PhD Plus does not have any connection to the payment process for students completing university internships.
- For any questions regarding Workday, please reach out to UVA’s HR department. https://hr.virginia.edu/contact
PROCESS TIMELINE
November-December: PhD Plus begins communicating with new and returning internship partners towards the end of the fall semester.
January: The internship request form will then go live in early January and stay open until the end of the month.
February: PhD Plus will then take the submissions and create internship postings to promote to students. The postings will be visible to students throughout February.
Early March: The application submission form will go live to students and will remain open for at least a week.
Mid-to-late March: PhD Plus will collect all application submissions and forward along the appropriate materials to internship partners. From there, partners may reach out to students to schedule meetings/interviews.
April: PhD Plus will collect the hiring preferences from the internship partners and work with academic partners to confirm a student’s availability for the upcoming semesters.
End of April: PhD Plus will confirm with internship partner that the student will participate. This concludes the internship application cycle.
MENTORSHIP
A PhD Plus Internship is meant to be an experience during which a graduate student gains valuable skills and organizational knowledge. To foster this process, we ask that internship partners identify a mentor for the student that will guide them through the experience. This individual should be available to answer questions, delegate tasks, and provide feedback on the intern’s performance. In addition, we ask our partners to consider ways in which the intern may learn about the organization. This may include attending meetings, interacting with leadership and/or stakeholders, etc.
DEVELOPING INTERNSHIP
If you are interested in developing an internship, please contact Dr. Mallory Neil ([email protected]).
Some categories featured in the internship request submission include:
- Skills the intern will practice/develop
- Intern responsibilities
- Mentorship plan
DURATION
Internships with external partners may vary depending on the number of interns they want to hire. If a partner wants 1 intern, then that intern may work for up to two semesters. If the partner wants to hire two interns, each intern may work 1 semester. This is due to the funding structure.
Please note that a student’s availability may vary depending on their departmental responsibilities. PhD Plus works with academic departments to finalize and confirm the semesters in which a student can work.
In order to incorporate professional development within the standard timeframe for obtaining a graduate degree, these internships are limited to an average of:
- Twenty hours of effort per week during the ten-week summer period
- Ten hours of effort per week during the twenty-week academic semester-length assistantship period.
FUNDING
As of the 2022-23 internship cycle, program internships that occur with external partners are funded by PhD Plus. Students who are hired by external partners will receive a fellowship stipend of $6,000.00 per semester (This total is based on the 2022-23 cycle and is subject to change prior to summer 2023). For external partners that are interested in funding the internships themselves, please contact Mallory Neil ([email protected]).
Because of this, external partners are limited to either:
- 1 intern for up to two semesters
- 2 interns for one semester each
PROCESS TIMELINE
November-December: PhD Plus begins communicating with new and returning internship partners towards the end of the fall semester.
January: The internship request form will then go live in early January and stay open until the end of the month.
February: PhD Plus will then take the submissions and create internship postings to promote to students. The postings will be visible to students throughout February.
Early March: The application submission form will go live to students and will remain open for at least a week.
Mid-to-late March: PhD Plus will collect all application submissions and forward along the appropriate materials to internship partners. From there, partners may reach out to students to schedule meetings/interviews.
April: PhD Plus will collect the hiring preferences from the internship partners and work with academic partners to confirm a student’s availability for the upcoming semesters.
End of April: PhD Plus will confirm with internship partner that the student will participate. This concludes the internship application cycle.