Open To

Open to all current Ph.D. students who do not have full summer funding from other sources, such as Summer Research Fellowships, summer teaching, research assistantship, or other internships. Ph.D. students in any year are eligible if they are enrolled in the semesters before and after the internship. Students graduating either before or during the Summer Term are not eligible.

To expand opportunities for Ph.D. students to augment their core research and training by acquiring additional skills, knowledge or experiences, Summer Internship Fellowships will offer support for student-designed summer internships. The Graduate School invites proposals from Ph.D. students who wish to pursue this opportunity. The award will include a summer stipend, associated fringe, and the summer health fee. Tuition will be provided by the student’s school and stipend and fringe by The Graduate School.

The Graduate School will consider proposals from current Ph.D. students without full summer funding for internships with a community organization, government agency, NGO, cultural institution or Duke organization. (Internships with for-profit institutions are not currently eligible for support through this program.)

Please note that internal (Duke) organizations must commit to support 50% of the fellowship stipend ($5,000 for a 12-week stipend in summer 2025).

Successful applications will demonstrate how the activities associated with the proposed internship align with the student’s field of study, research interests and/ or professional goals. Students can find resources to support them in designing their internship. All interns will be required to enroll in GS950 (Experiential Learning Workshop) during Duke Summer Session I or II.

Students are responsible for identifying their own internship hosts.

Examples of past hosts for Ph.D. interns include both internal and external organizations:

  • External organizations
    • American Historical Association
    • Center on Conscience & War
    • Durham Technical Community College
    • Fatwood Studio
    • Innovation for Poverty Action
    • Modern Language Association
    • El Museo del Barrio
    • Society of Biblical Literature
    • RTI International
    • State of North Carolina Library
    • Wake County Public Schools
    • Unseen Worlds
  • Internal Duke organizations
    • Bass Connections
    • Center for Documentary Studies
    • Duke Forest
    • Franklin Humanities Institute
    • Kenan Institute of Ethics
    • Laboratory of Social Choreography
    • Learning Innovation
    • Libraries
    • Office of Faculty Advancement
    • Social Science Research Institute
    • Triangle Center for Evolutionary Medicine
    • University Press
Summer Internship Opportunities for PhD students screen capture

Interested students who wish to learn more about setting up their own internships through SIF can view a recording of an Information Session on Summer Internship Opportunities for Ph.D. Students from October 2024. (Login with your NetID for access.)

Selection Criteria and Review Process

Proposals should describe the nature of internship activities and explain how the experience will contribute to the student’s intellectual trajectory and professional goals. Successful past applications have made a compelling case for how the proposed experience would amplify the student’s intellectual agenda beyond the standard offerings within their program and opportunities otherwise available at Duke. The review process will be overseen by The Graduate School in cooperation with other relevant Duke partners.

Eligibility

  • All current Ph.D. students who do not have full summer funding from other sources (Summer Research Fellowships, summer teaching, RA, etc.) may propose internships. Ph.D. students in any year of study are eligible if they are enrolled in the semester before and after the internship. Students graduating either before or during the Summer term are not eligible.
  • SIF recipients may receive other Duke summer funding, provided the other funding does not equal or exceed the TGS Summer 2025 published stipend. Please note stipend rates beyond fall 2024 are subject to PhD collective bargaining. Students with external funding should consult with their graduate programs on their eligibility for SIF funding.
  • Internships should involve three months (12 weeks) of engagement. Internships must take place between specific dates between mid-May and mid-August with no more than 19.9 hours/week of engagement.
  • In-person, remote and hybrid internships of 12 weeks will be considered. Students must reside in North Carolina or an approved U.S. jurisdiction available for Duke employment. In addition, internship hosts must be based either in North Carolina or an approved U.S. jurisdiction available for Duke employment.
  • International Ph.D. student applicants who reside in North Carolina or an approved U.S. jurisdiction detailed below should consult as soon as possible with Duke Visa Services for assistance with filing applications for Curricular Practical Training and any other visa-related requirements.
  • All recipients will be required to enroll in GS950 (Experiential Learning Workshop) during Duke Summer Session I or II.

To Apply

You Need

  • Approval from your department (see step 1 below)
  • Your current CV in PDF format (maximum 2 pages)
  • A copy of your current Duke transcript or DukeHub report (PDF)
  • A brief narrative (maximum four pages) that articulates the proposed activities for the internship, how the experience will contribute to amplifying research training, and how it fits with overall academic, research, and professional plans. The narrative should also explain why the internship lends itself to a remote/virtual arrangement, if relevant.
  • A letter from the prospective internship host that offers details about the anticipated project or projects, identifies the person within the organization to whom the Ph.D. student would report, describes the nature of engagement with organizational staff members, and specifies how the organization envisages a remote/virtual work experience, if relevant. This document must include any complementary training/research activities that you will undertake during engagement with the host (such as other specific research activities or dissertation writing).
    • For internal hosts: confirm the host can provide a 50% match of the proposed stipend amount (total summer 2025 stipend is $10,000, internal host contribution is $5,000)
  • A letter of support from your primary faculty advisor indicating how the proposed activities will enhance your professional development 
  • A letter of support from your Director of Graduate Studies endorsing the proposed summer internship
    • If your DGS and faculty advisor are the same individual only one letter of recommendation is required.
  • For international students: a description (maximum one page) of how the proposed activities align with visa requirements.
  • A listing of all already awarded summer funding, along with concurrent proposals for other summer funding. If applicants receive news about other funding proposals after the submission deadline, they should provide updated information to Caroline.Morris@duke.edu

Steps

  1. Get approval to apply from your department. Before you can submit your application for this award to The Graduate School, you must first get approval from your director of graduate studies (DGS). Programs differ in how they choose their nominees. Check with your DGS.
  2. Once you have received approval from your DGS, go to The Graduate School’s fellowship application system to submit your application. | Application instructions (PDF)

Application Period

These internships have two application cycles: the first opens October 1 and closes in mid-November, and the second runs February 15 through March 15. Award recipients will be notified by the published notification date on the fellowships page. The Graduate School will announce exact dates closer to the start of the cycle, and they will be posted with the award listing on the school’s online application system.

Contact

Students with questions about planning around existing summer funding can contact grad-finaid@duke.edu.

For questions about whether to pursue a SIF application, or to talk through specific ideas for a proposal, such as identifying a potential summer internship host and developing a proposed plan of summer internship activities, the following individuals can provide guidance:

Frequently Asked Questions

The key is to articulate how the proposed experience will enhance your training in a substantial way and why the timing makes sense for where you are in your program.

As with so many questions that confront graduate students, it’s a good idea to get input from multiple sources, though the mentors and sounding boards who make sense for individuals will vary. Your professors, your program’s DGS, key staff members with expertise about professional development, and peers can all be helpful; and you will need to discuss any proposal with your faculty advisor, since that individual will need to write a letter of endorsement on your behalf.

Several Duke Ph.D. students have had internships. The Tips for Duke Ph.D. Students: Creating Your Own Internship page includes general tips and advice. In addition, there are several individuals who can help you think through this process, including:

  • Melissa Bostrom, Assistant Dean, Graduate Student Professional Development, Duke Graduate School, melissa.bostrom@duke.edu 
  • Rachel Coleman, Director of Career Development and Education, Duke Career Center, rachel.coleman@duke.edu 

Grants to support internships are only available for Ph.D. students through this program.

The appropriate amount of time for an internship can vary, depending on the nature of the research project(s) that you would be undertaking with your host organization and constraints related to your course of study and obligations within your program. This year, we will accept proposals for internships that have a duration of 12 weeks/3 months only, to provide full summer support.

As you consider different hosts for a potential internship, the most important consideration in putting together a SIF application is the way that experience will enhance your intellectual development. Ideally, you want to find a host that will offer you the opportunity to engage with research projects that both provide value to the organization and will be relevant for your course of study and/or professional goals. It’s also crucial that the host provides you with a clear supervisor and a plan for engagement with staff, so that you have a window on organizational culture and decision-making.

  • Applicants for a Summer Internship Fellowships (SIFs) should give careful thought to tax implications and other logistical challenges. Employment taxation follows the location of the individual taxed. Thus, if you receive SIF funding for an internship and remain a resident in North Carolina through the summer, you will be subject to North Carolina taxation regardless of the location of your internship host. By contrast, if you are currently residing outside North Carolina but still in the United States, you will be subject to taxation in that jurisdiction.
  • Keep in mind that Duke can only fund internships for Ph.D. students who, during the term of the internship, reside in North Carolina or in a U.S. jurisdiction available for Duke employment.
  • Applicants who currently reside outside of North Carolina but within the United States should note that even within these jurisdictions, there may be tax implications for income earned out of state, including separate withholding forms. Applicants should also consult their tax advisor with any questions.

International students need to remain in compliance with the terms of their student visas. Duke Visa Services can assist those students with fulfilling any additional requirements related to Curricular Practical Training provisions or other aspects of adhering to visa-related obligations and limitations.