Doctoral students in the in the Humanities and Social Sciences within the School of Arts and Sciences often have many interests and career opportunities upon degree completion. In response to this and the ever-changing job market, the Graduate Education & Postdoctoral Affairs (GEPA) office within the School of Arts & Sciences and Hajim School of Engineering in partnership with the Greene Center offer InternPhD, a competitive paid internship program to provide academic-adjacent experiential learning opportunities for School of Arts and Sciences PhD students in the Humanities and Social Sciences to explore career possibilities outside of academia tracks.
Candidates will complete a rigorous application process in line with current internship application standards and – if accepted through a written internship offer by an employer site – will participate in a funded summer-long internship, working part time (15-20 hours a week) at a local Rochester company or within a student-services department at University of Rochester.
Eligibility Requirements for Summer 2026
- Be enrolled full-time in a School of Arts and Sciences PhD program in the Humanities or Social Sciences disciplines, and not graduating prior to the start of the internship
- Applicants must attend one InternPhD Information Session either during fall 2025 or spring 2026 (check Handshake for each of these offerings via Zoom or in-person)
- Applicants must have met with Dave Cota-Buckhout (Assistant Director of Alumni Engagement & Career Support) during an appointment prior to applying to discuss the InternPhD program, eligibility, review application materials, and to address any questions (schedule through Handshake or via email)
- If accepted into an internship position students will be required to take CASC 505, a 0 credit reflection course that runs in conjunction with the internship experience
- Applicants must not have completed InternPhD in the past (only one InternPhD experience per student — upon completion of the program, you will not be eligible for future InternPhD opportunities)
Unsure about whether this program can be helpful for your career development? Hear it directly you’re your peers who have participated in InternPhD in the past:
- “Not only did I gain a whole new skill set in marketing research for my specific project, but I also had the opportunity to evaluate some of my values and how they should effect my future career choices.”
- “Whether through collaborating as teacher, being hired for as a grant writer, or working/volunteering directly under, my goal is to have some kind of involvement with nonprofit organizations in my future at some point, but I always had a general anxiety about such involvement due to not knowing much about how they operate. The internship definitely eased that anxiety, and I feel much more confident about engaging with nonprofit orgs now.”
- “I made some great connections and learned how my experiences as a teacher position me to contribute in an effective way within a higher ed context.”
For more information on this program or to address any questions you may have, please contact David Cota-Buckhout via email (dcotabuc@ur.rochester.edu) or schedule an appointment with him on Handshake.
