PhD Plus provides eligible Master's students as well as doctoral students in advanced years of their training with the opportunity to pursue an internship with a University office or external partner. The intent of these internships is to engage and develop students’ professional competencies beyond those typically addressed within their academic training. Our goal is to provide students with substantive exposure to activities that will render them more distinct and versatile on both the academic and non-academic job market while also broadening their career options.
ELIGIBILITY
Applicants must be enrolled full-time in a Master's degree program or doctoral program at the University, be in good standing, and doctoral students must have completed all degree requirements with the exception of the dissertation by the time the internship would begin.
OVERVIEW FOR 2024-2025
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 and ten hours of effort per week during the twenty-week academic semester-length assistantship period.
The internship provides $6,120 in support during the summer or per academic semester.
- Internships that occur with a University office are paid in hourly wages ($30.60/hour for 200 hours of work, totaling $6,120.00). This means that wages will be distributed on a bi-weekly basis rather than in one lump sum.
- Internships with external partners are paid monthly via a 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.
Internships are classified in three broad categories:
- University Office
- External Partner
- Propose Your Own
ADVISING
Students may schedule 1 on 1 advising sessions with a member of the PhD Plus team. Topics of discussion may include, but are not limited to:
- Student Eligibility or Process Clarification
- Selecting an Internship
- Understanding an Internship Posting
- Developing a strong internship application
- Exploring Your Ideas for a Propose Your Own Internship
Click HERE to schedule an advising appointment.
Below are opportunities available during the 2024-2025 cycle (Summer 2024, Fall 2024 and/or Spring 2025)
Click on the links under each category to learn more about a specific internship opportunity.
For a list of the internships organized by broad thematic categories, visit the Quick Guide page.
1. UNIVERSITY OFFICES
2. External Partners and UVA Affiliates
3. Propose Your Own
The Propose Your Own (PYO) option was created to allow students flexibility in finding and participating in an internship that aligns with their career goals. Students have utilized this option in the past to connect with a business/organization willing to host an intern, but who has not submitted an internship request via the PhD+ internship request submission process for university and external partners.
In order to submit an internship for the PYO option, students must identify an external organization of choice, conduct outreach to discuss an internship, and confirm the internship with their potential site/supervisor prior to submitting a request during the PhD+ internship application process that occurs early each spring. Click here for additional information.
Schedule an appointment with a PhD Plus team member if you have questions about the PYO option.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
APPLICATION PROCESS
Internship postings and the application form will go live Thursday, February 1st and will close Wednesday, May 1st for Master's students from all schools, and for PhD students from all schools but GSAS. (The deadline for GSAS PhDs was March 4.)
Finalists will be invited to interview with the internship sponsors directly, and hiring decisions will be finalized by May 2024.
Students may submit materials for up to two internships, but will only be hired for one position. A separate packet must be submitted for each internship that you're applying for (the only document that will change in each packet will be the statement of interest).
Application materials include:
-
An updated Resume or CV (including academic and professional experience) - maximum 3 pages
-
A 400-500-word Statement of interest in a particular internships. Topics may include: 1) Why are you interested in this internship?; 2) How will it contribute to your career and professional development; 3) What skills are you hoping to learn through this experience?
-
For Propose Your Own option only: An PYO Internship Request Form completed by your proposed internship site/mentor.
All of the above materials should be compiled into a single PDF (Include your first and last name in the file name). Submit the materials via the PhD Plus Internship Application Submission Form.
PLEASE NOTE: After submitting a complete application, students will be sent an Acknowledgement of Support Form that must be signed by their Faculty Advisor and Director of Graduate Studies (DGS) and sent back to the PhD Plus team by Wednesday, May 1, 2024 at 5pm.