Internship Funding

The O’Brien Center has funds available to help undergraduate fellows and ISS minors pay for their internships. Students must submit a detailed budget detailing all expenses associated with their internship, including:

• Room and board 
• Transportation costs 
• Required certifications, books, and other supplies 

Apply for Internship Funding

Requirements for application:

Along with your name, ID number, email address, internship title, and dates, please include the following with your application:

• A statement describing your internship. Summarize the work expected of you and what you expect to contribute and to learn. Provide information on the organization, including websites, etc. This should be 1-2 pages long.
• A detailed budget statement listing all expected expenditures: including room and board, transportation costs, required certifications, books and other supplies. Note: students may not apply for money to be used for clothing, computers, etc. The budget must include all outside sources of funding, including compensation earned from the internship, other scholarships, and other available monies. 

In addition, please satisfy the following:

• You must apply to other entities for financial support so as to be competitive and not to be solely dependent on ONDISC support. A partial but lengthy list is available. The political science department also has funds available.
• Please consult with ONDISC and any other relevant faculty on how to get the most out of this experience. Please read Dan Lindley’s handout on how to be a good intern.
• Please consult Professsor Dan Lindley and Ian Johnson if your internship involves international travel.
• After your funded internship is complete, please submit a written report to the undergraduate program director about the successes and frustrations of your internship experience. Include photos if relevant.

Acceptable internships include:

• Working for an NGO/IGO dealing with conflict/security.
• Participation in the Washington Program, where the internship component is focused on National or International Security.
• Interning for a member of Congress who sits on the Foreign Relations, Armed Services, or Intelligence Committee, and similar.
• Interning at the Pentagon or elsewhere in the U.S. National Security bureaucracy.
• Working as a research assistant for a professor conducting research in international security, subject to approval only under extenuating circumstances.

Unacceptable internships include:

• Study Abroad programs with no relevant work component.
• Interning for a local politician, unless they are on ONDISC-related committees and your work is related to the above committees.
• Interning at a private company that does not deal with international security issues.

Need additional support? The Career Center offers internship funding as well. 

Apply for Internship Funding