HKS students working

Summer Internships

Each summer over 300 HKS students earn valuable experience, develop new skills, and learn about new fields and industries by pursuing meaningful public service internships between their first and second years of study. They complete internships on six continents in fields ranging from election campaigns to microfinance to program analysis to broadcast journalism. Students bring to the internships their education and drive to “ask what they can do,” and leave having had a rewarding experience.

Students in our Master in Public Administration/International Development (MPA/ID) program are required to spend the summer between their first and second years working as interns on development projects, most often in developing countries. These internships give employers an opportunity to develop relationships with students who are on their way to becoming policy makers and leaders in the field of international development. For more information, please see MPA/ID Internships.

Although MPP and MPA students are not required to complete summer internships, the vast majority decide that a summer internship will not only further utilize skills and talents they have developed in their first year at HKS, but will also better prepare and position them for their full-time job search. MPP and MPA students also work in a wide variety of organizations, including state and local government, consulting firms, foreign government agencies, multilateral organizations, and various agencies in the U.S. federal government. Please see MPP and MPA Internships for more information.

Summer internships will last between eight and twelve weeks from late May through late August. Even if your organization is not able to offer a salary to a summer intern, we encourage you to advertise your opportunities to our students. HKS does provide support for students undertaking unpaid or minimally paid summer internships.

For guidance in creating a suitable internship opportunity for our students, please contact our Employer Services team or consult our HKS Internship Guidelines. When your job description is ready, you may post the opportunity in JACK.

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