Internships can be transformative experiences for graduate students, providing opportunities to gain hands-on experience, network with industry professionals, and develop professional skills. They can also give you the option to explore non-academic career paths that interest you and prepare for the ever-evolving demands of the job market. While navigating the world of internships may seem daunting, there are several resources and tools that can make the process smoother and more successful. This article distills the take-away advice from UC Berkeley graduate students and alumni who have successfully completed internships while in graduate school and have shared their experiences during panels hosted by GradPro and Berkeley Career Engagement. Whether you want to learn what internship opportunities are available to graduate students, prepare for interviews, or learn how to maximize your internship experience, the insights of former interns can help.
Key Takeaways from the Experiences of Former Graduate Student Interns
1. What Kinds of Internships Can Graduate Students Pursue?
Internships can serve as a trial period for potential career directions that interest you. They enable exploration of various industries, roles, and responsibilities, offering you insight into whether these paths align with your career aspirations. While some graduate students will pursue internships that are specifically designed for graduate students, others will take on internships that accept both undergraduate and graduate applicants or that are not specifically designed for students. The variety of internships available to graduate students is broad, but other graduate students’ experiences can begin to give you a sense of what is possible: Reubén Pérez, a sociology Ph.D. student, gained applied research experience in the tech industry, completing summer internships in User Experience Research (UXR) at Lyft, Tableau, and Dropbox. Alma Ngwa Egbot, an MPH student in Infectious Diseases and Vaccinology, completed her internship as a Graduate Student Researcher with the Forum for Collaborative Research at UC Berkeley. David Bratt, who holds a Ph.D. in Chinese, interned at a management consulting firm during his time as a graduate student. He has also conducted two post-grad internships through the Presidential Management Fellows Program, first as a Portfolio Management Specialist at the Department of Housing and Urban Development, and second in a data analytics division of the Department of the Treasury. Elnaz Bailey, a Ph.D. candidate in Architecture, focused her internship efforts on virtual reality research with Meta Reality Labs. GradPro, in collaboration with Berkeley Career Engagement, has developed a supplementary handout on the essential resources for graduate internships that you can view here. It includes a list of job boards that commonly list internships–review the job boards to learn more about what internship options are out there!
2. Preparing for and Securing an Internship
Graduate students take a variety of routes to securing internships. However, many agreed that networking is instrumental to landing internships. Some graduate students have shared that they applied to dozens of internships and received just as many rejections before getting an offer from an organization where they had developed a relationship. For one graduate student, this connection came from attending a career fair and meeting an alum who offered to provide a referral to their company. Another graduate student reached out to an organization they had previously worked for and asked if they had open internships. Both situations led to eventual internship offers.
How can you build this invaluable network? Former graduate student interns suggest attending in-person and virtual career fairs–some of which are listed on Handshake–and reaching out to peers and alumni, to make connections with panelists and attendees. To learn more about networking, make an appointment with GradPro or read this Grad News article on networking.
Some graduate student interns also emphasized that students should consider a broad range of internships and begin applying to internships early on in their graduate program. While you may have a particular internship in mind, such as interning as a User Experience Researcher, you may want to consider applying to a broader range of related internships, such as internships in Project Management and User Experience Design. Or if you’re interested in policy research, you might also explore internships in legislative analysis, program evaluation, or community engagement that draw on similar research and communication skills.
3. What to Expect During Your Time as an Intern
For graduate students, internships can provide a dynamic environment where you can expect to rapidly develop new skills. However, internships often unfold in a fast-paced setting, necessitating effective time management to meet deadlines and complete tasks efficiently. This pace contrasts with the typical extended timelines of Ph.D. research and milestones. Another valuable skill to develop during an internship is collaborating effectively with team members and engaging with various stakeholders. Many internships in industry settings will require you to engage with both internal and external stakeholders. Depending on your role, you may need to develop stakeholder buy-in, which can involve understanding organizational dynamics and communicating the value of your contribution across contexts.
Another set of considerations you may need to navigate as an intern involves the relationship between your own research and the work you complete as an intern. Some internship employers may specifically ask you not to work on your own research during your time as a researcher. Even if this isn’t specifically required, former graduate student interns agree that keeping your internship and academic work separate is a good idea. Depending on your field, consider consulting with advisors on potential legal implications, including patents and intellectual property (IP) matters, to ensure your research is protected if it overlaps with your internship work.
4. How Your Internship Might Impact Your Studies and Career
Graduate students generally find that their experience as an intern has helped inform their career planning and preparation and has enabled them to gain real-world experience, develop new skills applicable to their research and professional goals, and establish valuable professional connections. Whether you are considering a career in academia, industry, or a different sector, internships offer an opportunity to explore and evaluate options. They provide a bridge between academic studies and practical application, which can help you make informed choices about your career path. For some graduate students, internships have helped them clarify their career directions and forge new directions. For instance, David Bratt ventured into internships in consulting and the federal government. His time as a consulting intern helped him decide to pursue a public sector job.
The experiences gained during internships can also help graduate students refine their research projects and skills. Some graduate students report they are better able to define the scope of their Ph.D. research after taking time away from their research for an internship. Finally, graduate students had mixed approaches to discussing their internship with their academic advisors. Some are in open and direct communication with their advisor about their internship search, while others choose to keep their internship search to themselves. You might discuss internships with trusted peers in your department to decide upon your approach. If you will pursue a full-time internship during the regular academic year, you will want to speak with your GSAO about Graduate Council policies which support this type of career exploration.
In conclusion, while internships can be demanding, they provide unique opportunities to apply and refine research skills, gain real-world experience, and make valuable connections. Former graduate student interns heavily encourage pursuing an internship, particularly for those graduate students interested in exploring careers beyond academia. They recommend building a professional network early, gaining clarity about your career goals, and broadening job and internship searches to gain access to diverse opportunities.
This article, written by former GradPro staff member Haripriya Sathyanarayanan, has been updated in January 2026 by Jonathan Landeros-Cisneros, Professional Development Liaison and a Ph.D. candidate in the Berkeley School of Education and Carmen Brick, Hitchcock Postdoctoral Fellow. Graduate students sharing their experiences within the article have previously participated in panels hosted by GradPro and Berkeley Career Engagement.