Washington Seminar Internships

Washington Seminar Internship

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  Time Frame

  The Washington Seminar program runs three cohorts per academic year. Winter, Spring-Summer, and Fall.

  Deadlines:
  Fall 2025 - February 10, 2024
  Winter 2025 - September 23, 2024
  Spring-Summer 2025 - November 10, 2024

  After application deadlines, applicants will be reviewed and selected applicants will be invited to begin a series of three workshops on program requirements, securing an internship, and preparing for their semester in DC.

  Successful applicants should know within a week of the application deadline whether or not they will be able to participate in the program.

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  Cost

  Students participating with the Washington Seminar will be eligible to apply for grant funding through the program. All admitted student are eligible to apply for program funding. Funding is awarded on a needs-based assessment. This amount is evaluated based on each student's FAFSA SAI score, existing scholarship and grant funding, and if the internship is paid. International students are qualified to apply and are not required to submit a FAFSA score.

  Additionally, students may opt to use university scholarships and FAFSA grant and loan funding. We encourage students to explore funding through their declared major department as many offer experiential learning financial support.

  All students will pay a $250 deposit upon admission to the Washington Seminar program. We refund $200 of this deposit if a student withdraws from the program prior to securing an internship. Once a student secures an internship the deposit will only be refunded upon program completion. Students who damage housing facilities while in DC may have a portion or all of the deposit held back to help offset repair costs. Students who secure an internship and withdraw prior to moving to DC will likely forfeit their deposit but may appeal as needed.

  Single Students

  Semester-Length Internship

  Tuition:	$2,112 (6 credit hours) $3,344 (12 credit hours)
  Rent:	$1,400 Fall and Winter $1,800 Spring-Summer
  Meals:	$800
  Commute:	$375
  Misc:	$500
  Total:	$5,500 - $6,500

  Married Student Couples

  Semester-Length Internship

  Tuition:	$2,112 (6 credit hours) $3,344 (12 credit hours)
  Rent:	$2,300 Fall and Winter $2,900 Spring-Summer
  Meals:	$1500
  Commute:	$375
  Misc:	$800
  Total:	$7,500 - $8,800

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  Academic Credit

  Students are currently required to complete 3 courses as program participants.

  1. POLI 297 - Internship Prep Course - add codes will be distributed after admission to the program
  2. UNIV 218R - Friday Seminar Course
  3. FHSS 399R - Internship Credit*

  *All participants are required to complete 3 credit hours of FHSS 399R but may increase to 6 or 9 credit hours. This adjustment will include an increase in tuition and in coursework.

  *Students may opt to add additional internship credit from their major to their enrollment, which requires additional approvals, registration, tuition, and coursework.

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  Types of Internships

  Internship opportunities in the Washington, DC area are numerous. As part of the internship approval process, we review each internship to ensure the experience offered is substantive, falls within the window for the semester, offers approximately 32-40 hours per week of internship experience, and is in line to offer an experience that will allow for successful coursework. Some internships are paid, often they are unpaid.

  Occasionally, an internship may not qualify, but this is the exception and in no way the norm. Internships may also be reviewed for unlisted criteria as deemed necessary by program administrators.

  Internships requiring a very restrictive security clearance may also not be conducive to coursework and likely will not be feasible with the program. If you have questions, please email washingtonseminar@byu.edu.

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  Securing an Internship

  We offer two pathways to DC.

  1. Secured Internship - Students may secure a qualifying internship on their own and then apply to our program with their finalized internship.

  Currently, we admit all applicants who have at least junior status in graded university credits (this does not include AP course credit). Secured internships must allow the student to have Fridays free for coursework and they must allow for 12 - 14 weeks of internship work while in DC.

  2. Unsecured Internship - Students who apply for our program without an internship are considered a provisional admission. Once a student is admitted to the program we will work directly with each student to identify a list of internships. We will also develop skills for building a strong application, including mentoring on resume and cover letter creation as well as support for interviews. Once a student secures an internship they finalize their program participation.

  Currently, we admit the majority of applicants who are at least junior status in graded university credits (this does not include AP course credit). Student housing is not finalized until the internship is secured. Students who we are not able to accommodate in our program housing will be eligible for additional grant funding support for housing costs.

  Qualifying Internships -
  

  • Internships need to fall within the window of the semester you plan to participate in the Washington Seminar program and must last 12 - 14 weeks
  • Internships should begin within two weeks of the beginning of the semester and end within two weeks of the end of the semester
  • Internships need to allow the student to have each Friday free for program coursework
  • Students need to be able to identify their supervisor as well as the ability to write about their internship experience. (This can be a concern with DOD, NSA, FBI, and CIA internships, but not in every instance. Please discuss this with your contact within the internship organization.)
  • Internship organizations in direct opposition to the mission of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints will require additional review and may not qualify
  • Students may not work for or be supervised in any way by a direct family member, including in-laws and step-family connections
  • Due to recent changes within the US State Department internship program, we are no longer able to work with students who accept State Department internships. They may still qualify for credit, however. Meet with our team to explore this piece
    
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  Popular Internships

  All students are encouraged to explore our internship database located in 945 KMBL. We offer internships of interest to nearly all majors with over 1,000 listings.

  Examples of recent and popular internships for BYU students:

  Congressional Internships:
  Representative Curtis' DC Office
  Representative Owens' DC Office
  Representative Stewart's DC Office
  Senator Lee's DC Office
  Senator Romney's DC Office

  Federal, Legal, Non-profit, Public Health, Social Services, Communications, Arts, Data-Science, Media, Economics, International Relations:
  Government Accountability Project
  National Center on Sexual Exploitation
  The Committee for Human Rights in North Korea
  Men's Health Network
  IMA World Health
  By Women for Women
  National Archives and Records Administration
  US Department of Education
  Becket Fund
  US Department of Justice
  Broadband Breakfast Media
  House Committee on Ways and Means
  International Trade Administration
  American Heart Association
  US Capitol Historical Society
  McKeon Group
  Mental Health America
  Edelman Public Relations Worldwide
  National Academy of Public Administration
  National Museum of Women in the Arts
  American Speech-Language-Hearing Association
  The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints office of Public and International Affairs
  TargetPoint Consulting
  National Portrait Gallery
  Senate Committee on Finance
  International Rescue Committee
  Interlink Capital Strategies
  Youth Service America
  Coalition on Human Needs
  Fahrenholz and Horrell LLP
  Heritage Foundation
  USAID
  State Department
  Schramm, Williams and Associates
  Council for Court Excellence
  National Defense University
  Pew Research Center
  National Museum of Women in the Arts
  American Enterprise Institute for Public Policy Research

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  Barlow Center Information and CLERY Report Link

  BYU students admitted to the program with housing will be able to stay in the Barlow Center, a student housing facility in Foggy Bottom. We are able to accommodate married and single students in BYU housing compliant arrangements.

  Per regulation, interested parties may review the annual CLERY report for information on campus safety and plans for emergencies, as well as resources available to students living in the facility.

  Please visit this link: CLERY Report