What is the Graduate Internship Program?
The Graduate Internship Program at Georgia Tech is an innovative approach to experiential learning. The program was established in 1983 and is currently the largest graduate internship program in the United States in which students of all majors are eligible to participate. The program provides all graduate students the opportunity to work with industry and governmental leaders in their respective areas of study. Students receive approval from their major school to work full or part-time assignments during any semester. Graduate students may not work more than two consecutive full-time semesters before returning to school for classes, without approval from the Office of the Vice Provost of Graduate Education.
There are no fees associated with the Graduate Internship Program. Students are enrolled through their registration in an audited hour graduate internship course, based on the number of hours that they are working weekly. A full-time internship (32 – 40 hours/week) permits students to retain all privileges of full-time enrolled students while on work assignments. The Graduate Internship Program is available to masters and doctoral level students.
When may I apply to participate in the Graduate Internship Program?
Students are eligible to participate in the Graduate Internship Program after completion of at least one academic semester of graduate study at Georgia Tech. Students receiving undergraduate degrees from Georgia Tech who have been admitted to a Georgia Tech graduate program may seek academic departmental approval to work during their first semester of graduate study.
As a BS/MS program participant, when can I participate as a Graduate Intern?
BS/MS degree students at Georgia Tech may seek academic departmental approval after completion of their first semester of graduate study.
How do graduate students find internship opportunities?
Most students find jobs by networking through their major schools and professional associations or by conducting their own research on companies. All graduate students enrolled at Georgia Tech are eligible to participate in on-campus career fairs and apply for jobs posted in CareerBuzz, maintained by the Career Center. Also, check out career resources available for graduate students from HERE.
If I plan to take a class at another university while interning, what should I do?
If you plan to take a class at another university while interning, make sure that your supervisor approves your taking the course and that the class time doesn’t interfere with your work schedule. Also, make sure your credit hours transfer to Georgia Tech through the following steps:
- Go to https://oscar.gatech.edu/pls/bprod/wwtraneq.P_TranEq_Ltr and review whether or not the course you wish to take at a particular institution has already been evaluated and approved by Georgia Tech as a transfer equivalency.
- If the course or institution is not listed in OSCAR, see your academic advisor to determine whether or not the credits will transfer.
- Click on the HELP link at https://oscar.gatech.edu/pls/bprod/wwtraneq.P_TranEq_Ltr to view specific Registrar requirements. For example, you cannot transfer credit for a course that you previously took at Georgia Tech. Other rules apply.
- If the institution teaching the course requires a “transient letter” from Georgia Tech, obtain one from the Registrar’s Office.
Once you’ve completed the course, have the transfer institution to send your official transcript to:
Georgia Institute of Technology
Office of the Registrar
Transfer Credit
Atlanta GA , 30332-0315
Can I intern three consecutive semesters?
Yes, but you need departmental approval. The request for a third consecutive full-time graduate internship approval must:
1.) Demonstrate a strong academic justification,
2.) Confirm the student is making satisfactory academic progress while enrolled in graduate internship, and
3.) State the student will register for the 12 audit hour grad internship course and at least three tuition-based credit hours during the third work term. (Note: the student is responsible for the tuition and fees associated with the tuition-based credit hours.
How to request approval
The letter of support MUST come from the faculty director of the graduate program or the school chair. Please submit a written request addressed to Dr. Gaeun (Gwenn) Seo, Director of Graduate Career Development. Please click HERE for the appeal process.
What is the cost for a Graduate Internship work semester?
No tuition or fees are paid to register a full-time work term; however, students may pay rent for campus housing or elect to pay optional fees for athletic events, health services, and campus recreation.
Can International Students participate in the Graduate Internship Program?
Yes! The Graduate Internship Program is a great tool for further development of your career skills through experiential education. Registration of your internship through the Graduate Internship Program qualifies your off-campus work assignment as a Curricular Practical Training (CPT) experience. A graduate internship using CPT may be approved for any semester: fall, spring or summer.
Can I work part-time as a Grad Internship?
Can I work part-time as a Grad Intern and keep my GRA/TA?
Yes, but you need to meet the following eligibility to be able to do a part-time internship along with your GRA/GTA.
- PhD and thesis-based Master’s student only
- Only if the internship is required for access to data that is part of the dissertation/thesis research or if the internship is expected to lead to a research publication.
Current guidance on requests to conduct a GRA/GTA concurrently with a part-time internship can be found HERE.
I am an international student on F-1 visa; when can I start work?
International students on F-1 visas must attend at least two academic semesters of classes at any college or university in the U.S. before becoming eligible to work off-campus in the U.S.
Work assignments in the international student’s home country or a third country may be approved after at least one semester of graduate enrollment at Georgia Tech.
For more questions about F-1 guidelines, please either consult with the Office of International Education (OIE), or see their website for F-1 regulations and policies.
Do I receive academic credit for my graduate internship?
Graduate interns must complete all curriculum requirements for their major. During full-time work terms, students register for a twelve-hour audit intern class to maintain full-time status. The audited internship class does not count toward the academic credits required for a degree. The same is true for the audit credit students take when they register for part-time internship classes.
I received a grade of “V” for my Grad Internship course; what does that mean?
The “V” on transcripts for Graduate Interns work assignments is the standard satisfactory grade awarded for any non-fee based audit course at Georgia Tech. Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory and Pass/Fail grades are reserved for academic credit bearing classes that require tuition.
What requirements must I satisfy for Grad Internship course credit?
All Graduate internship work assignments must be related to your academic major. Graduate Internships assignments must be paid, although compensation varies from one employer to another. Each Graduate Internship student is asked to provide updated contact information on their work supervisor; at the end of the work semester, the work supervisor will receive an e-mail request to complete an online performance evaluation of the Grad Internship student. Finally, each student is asked to log into the Career Center’s web-based recruitment and management system, CareerBuzz, to complete a work report at the end of each Graduate Internship work assignment.
