Internships

The internship component of the POLS program provides an opportunity to link your in-class learning to real-world experience, and enables you to explore new fields. The internship component is not required for POLS, but students are strongly encouraged to take advantage of it. We recommend that you consider combining your internship and POLS Project site as a way of deepening your experience and managing your time well. Internships may take place over one, two, or three quarters.

Examples of Past Internships

Students have connected with a breadth of organizations both on and off campus in pre-K-12, higher education, edtech, afterschool, research, and philanthropic settings. Some examples of specific internships include:

• Research Assistant, Aspire Public Schools
• Civic Engagement Intern, Citizen Schools
• Youth Policy Intern, John Gardner Center, Redwood City 2020
• Educational Resources Intern, San Francisco Education Fund
• Operations Intern, San Francisco Unified School District (SFUSD)
• Forum Public Affairs Intern, KQED Public Radio
• Qualitative Research Intern, Stanford Vice Provost For Online Learning

Student Affairs Fellows Program

The Student Affairs Fellows Program is designed for students interested in exploring opportunities in higher education administration, specifically in student affairs. Students participating in a Student Affairs Fellows Program internship will have the opportunity to attend a variety of departmental meetings and events with key university administrators including:

• Quarterly Student Affairs Staff Meetings
• The Student Affairs Poster Session
• Student Affairs Cabinet Meetings

In the past, these internships have included positions such as:

• Diversity Program Coordinator, Stanford Diversity and First Gen Office
• Student and Event Advisor, Stanford Student Activities and Leadership Office
• Powwow Systems Manager, Stanford Native American Cultural Center
• Educational Outreach Coordinator, Stanford Office of Judicial Affairs

Student Affairs Fellows Program opportunities are listed in the Stanford EdCareers Database and will have Student Affairs Fellows Program in the internship title.

Additional Details

Students may apply to internships posted on the EdCareers Database or reach out to Stanford faculty/staff or education leaders to propose an internship idea that they may have. Students are encouraged to meet with a member of the EdCareers team to discuss and explore internship opportunities.

For more information about internships (e.g. an overview of the process and student resources), please visit EdCareers Internship Webpage. If you have any questions about the internship process, please contact EdCareers Associate Director, Jen Mason at jmason@stanford.edu.