The Internship
Launch Your Career
The Washington Center serves students in all majors, with interests in a wide variety of fields. These include the government, nonprofit and business arenas, as well as many others that may partially overlap with them—the worlds of media and communications, science and technology, law and criminal justice, and international affairs. Let us know your interests, whatever they are. We’ll find you substantive and exciting internship options to help you on your way, so that whatever your professional interests may be, you’ll get access to an internship that fits your specific needs.
Our internships give you the chance to work almost full time, allowing you to feel like a member of the staff at your office. You may assist attorneys during a trial, evaluate capital markets, help in radio or television production or attend congressional hearings. You could be conducting scientific research, advocating policy positions, writing a business plan or developing websites and databases.
At the end of it all, you’ll not only be in a more secure position in today’s marketplace but also much more confident about your own talents and clearer on your own direction.
How TWC matches you with the right internship
The Washington Center maintains ties with more than 1,000 organizations that provide high-quality internships in the Washington, D.C. area. Our experienced staff knows which placements offer the best internship experiences for your profile.
Your application will be referred to potential internship sites, usually between five and eight. You should stay in close contact with our Internship Management Team throughout the placement process, and you can use our online system to track where your application has been sent. You will likely have phone interviews with potential supervisors interested in your candidacy, and you will have the opportunity to accept or decline offers. The Internship Management Team will offer advice regarding specific options to help you make decisions, but you decide your final placement.
Additional Resources
Sample Internship Sites
Over 1,000 nonprofit, international, private sector, and government agencies work with The Washington Center’s interns each year because the program offers quality, diversity, support and selection. Below are some of the partner organizations where TWC students have interned. Please note this list is not exhaustive and includes only a sampling of organizations at which TWC participants have interned. Available positions vary by term.
Arts, Humanities & Education
- Library of Congress
- National Endowment for the Arts
- Pyramid Atlantic Art Center
- Ford's Theater
- National Association of State Boards of Education
- Trust for the National Mall
- Naval History and Heritage Command
- Save the Children
- National Association of Federally Impacted Schools
- U.S. Capitol Historical Society
- Smithsonian Institution
- National Education Association
- Center for Nonprofit Advancement
Business, Economics & Trade
- Financial Services Roundtable
- U.S. Chamber of Commerce
- U.S. Small Business Administration
- U.S. Department of the Treasury
- Manatt Jones Global Strategies
- Amber Road
- China Telecom
- Book Hill Partners
- U.S. Department of the Interior
- GIC Group
- InTrust Global, LLC
- Bennett Financial
- Blackboard, Inc.
- U.S. Hispanic Chamber of Commerce
- Federal Trade Commission
- U.S. Department of Labor
- Social Security Administration
Media & Communications
- Washington, D.C. Examiner
- National Geographic
- Voice of America
- Sirius/XM Radio
- Cable News Network (CNN)
- Epic PR Group
- Brotman Winter Fried Communications
- The Washington Post
- Swanson Communications
- Roll Call
- Face the Nation
- Double R Productions
- Talk Radio News Service
- Congressional Press Offices
- Meet the Press
Politics
- Potomac Advocates
- Rock the Vote
- The White House
- U.S. House of Representatives
- U.S. Senate
- Republican National Committee
- Democratic National Committee
- Progressive Majority
- Cato Institute
- National Foundation of Women Legislators
- Center for American Progress
- Council of State Governments
- Heritage Foundation
- Financial Executives International
- Various lobbying and consulting firms
International Affairs
- Amnesty International
- Peace Corps
- Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars
- Protection Project
- National Defense University
- Leadership Africa
- Center for Strategic and International Studies
- United Nations Association of the Capital Area
- Institute of International Education
- U.S. Department of State
- Organization of American States
- British American Security Information Council
- Women for Women International
- Catholic Diocese of Arlington-Migration and Refugee Services
- Various embassies
Law & Criminal Justice
- U.S. Attorney's Office
- U.S. Marshals Service
- White House Office of National Drug Control Policy
- Metropolitan Police Department
- Attorney General for the District of Columbia
- Potomac Advocates
- Georgetown Law School Criminal Law Clinic
- Same Day Processing
- National Whistleblowers Center
- Public Defenders Service
- Interpol
- U.S. Department of Justice
- D.C. Coalition Against Domestic Violence
- Private law offices
Health, Science & Environment
- U.S. Department of Interior
- Living Classrooms
- World Resources Institute
- The AIDS Institute
- National AIDS Network
- World Health Organization Regional Office
- Environment America
- Washington Parks & People
- Federation of American Scientists
- Earth Day Network
- Federal Energy Regulatory Commission
- American Society of Transplant Surgeons
- Pulmonary Hypertension Association
- Arthritis Foundation
- National Mental Health Association
- Environmental and Energy Study Institute
- North American Association for Environmental Education
- Environmental Protection Agency
- General Electric
Additional Resources
International Students
Sample Internship Placement SitesArts, Humanities & Education
- CentroNia & DC Bilingual Public Charter School
- Cesar Chavez Public Charter
- Child Trends
- International Child Art Foundation
- Inter-American Culture and Development Foundation
- Library of Congress
- National Endowment for the Arts
- National Education Association
- National Council for Community and Education Partnerships
- Smithsonian Institution
Business, Economics & Trade
- Blackboard, Inc
- Bennett Group Financial, LLC
- ElectionMall Technologies
- Financial Executives International
- Foundation on Economic Trends
- Grameen Foundation
- Latino Economic Development Corporation, Inc.
- Montgomery County Department of Economic Development
- National Association of Manufacturers
- The Consumer Goods Forum
- The Financial Service Roundtable
- The GIC Group
- U.S. Small Business Administration
- U.S. Chamber of Commerce
- U. S. India Business Alliance
- U.S. Japan Council
- U.S. Russia Business Council
- Wall Street Without Walls
Media & Communications
- C-SPAN
- Cable News Network (CNN)
- Canadian Broadcasting Corporation
- Double R Productions
- Embassies
- International Women’s Media Foundation
- National Geographic
- National Public Radio
- Swanson Communications
- Talk Radio News Service
- Telemundo
- Voice of America
- Wireless Communications Association International
- ZGS Communications, Inc.
Politics
- 3 Click Solutions
- Center for the Study of the Presidency
- Congressional Black Caucus Foundation, Inc.
- Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute Inc.
- Congressional Hispanic Leadership Institute
- Council of State Governments
- Democratic National Committee
- ElectionMall
- Embassies
- Lobbying Firms
- National Conference of State Legislatures
- Republican National Committee
- The Institute of World Politics
International Affairs
- Amnesty International
- Carnegie Endowment for International Peace
- Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS)
- Embassy of Canada
- Embassy of Mexico
- Embassy of the Republic of Korea
- Global Giving
- International Child Art Foundation
- National Defense University
- Open World
- Organization of American States
- Peace Corps
- The Millennium Project
- The Potomac Institute for Policy Studies
- The Protection Project (Johns Hopkins University)
- Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars
- YFU International Change
Law & Criminal Justice
- Attorney General for D.C.
- D.C. Law Students in Court Program, Inc.
- International Intellectual Property Institute
- Montgomery County Office of the Public Defender
- Manatt, Phelps & Phillips, Inc.
- National Whistleblowers Center
- Private law offices
- Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman, LLC
- Sandler Travis & Rosenberg PA
- Torture Abolition and Survivors Support Coalition International
- The World Justice Project
Health, Science & Environment
- AEPA Architects and Engineers, P.C.
- American Society for Engineering Education & ASEE
- Arthritis Foundation
- Common Good City Farm
- Earth Day Network
- Ecological Society of America
- Federation of American Scientists
- Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture
- National Breast Cancer Coalition
- National Mental Health Association
- North America Association for Environmental Education
- Pan American Health Organization (WHO)
- Physicians for Social Responsibility
- Sierra Club
- Stem Connector.org
- TechAmerica Foundation
- The Amazon Conservation Team
- World Resources Institute
Additional Resources
Internship Selection Process
The Placement Process
The Washington Center matches you with an internship. Throughout this process, our Internship Management Team will offer ongoing assistance and feedback.
Upon Acceptance
A member of the Internship Management Team schedules an introductory phone call to:
- Define next steps of the placement process.
- Review documents you have submitted with your application.
- Discuss potential internship site options.
- Address goals and expectations based on your knowledge, skills and interests.
Referral Process
TWC will work on matching you with prospective internship sites. You are an active participant during this process.
- Prospective Internship Sites contact you to set up phone interviews.
- The Internship Management Team provides guidance to prepare you for your interviews.
- You have phone interviews with interested internship sites.
Internship Management Team suggests preparing for phone interviews by:
- Practicing interview skills.
- Investigating trends in your field of interest.
- Participating in TWC’s online workshops.
Arrival
Final Internship Selection Process:
- Internship offer(s) are made.
- You select an internship.*
- Your program advisor contacts you and prepare you for your arrival.
*J1 visa process begins for students attending schools outside the United States.
The Internship Management Team will assist you through the decision-making process ensuring it’s a good fit.
Additional Resources
