Rackham Spring/Summer Doctoral Intern Fellowships
Rackham’s Spring/Summer Doctoral Intern Fellowship Program offers doctoral students the opportunity to complete an internship with a Rackham Partner Organization between May and August. Students complete part-time (approximately 20 hours per week) or full-time internships (approximately 40 hours per week) for 12 weeks at their internship site between May and August. To facilitate support, learning, and reflection on your internship experience, students selected for Rackham internship support are required to:
- Complete a student agreement outlining expectations for the funding award.
- Attend an orientation.
- Complete a work plan with their site supervisor using a template provided by Rackham.
- Respond to brief Rackham program evaluation surveys to assess the contribution of the internship to the student’s graduate education and career readiness.
Students seeking support with their cover letters and resumes for doctoral internships with partner organizations are strongly encouraged to schedule an appointment with Rackham’s Graduate Career Counselor.
Writing Cover Letters and Resumes
For suggestions on writing cover letters and resumes, please visit the University Career Center, VersatilePhD, ImaginePhD, or this resource from our colleagues at Harvard’s Office of Career Services.
New Internship Posting and Application Portal!
Rackham Graduate School is using an application portal for internships with Rackham partner organizations. Students can apply through the Rackham Doctoral Intern Fellowship Application Portal for the Spring/Summer 2023 program cycle. The application deadline is February 13. Selection decisions should be made by mid March 2023.
Eligibility Requirements
- Students must be enrolled during the winter term and continuing their studies in the fall term to be eligible.
- Students must be doctoral students who have completed at least two academic terms.
- Students must be in good academic standing and must obtain authorization from their Director of Graduate Studies (DGS) to apply.
- Only students enrolled in Rackham programs of study are eligible to receive funding. Please check your eligibility before applying.
- International students may participate in the program, but will need appropriate work authorization to do so for internship sites off campus. No additional work authorization is required for on-campus internship sites. International students should consult with the International Center to discuss what work authorization may be needed in order to participate in an internship well in advance of applying and to discuss Curricular Practical Training (CPT).
- Students cannot apply to a site where they have held an internship previously. To provide opportunities to as many students as possible, sites are also asked to give priority to students who have not previously received funding for a Rackham Summer Internship.
- Students may not apply in the same year for both an Intern Fellowship and an Internship with Rackham Partner Organizations.
- Rackham Intern Fellowships must be relevant to the student’s program of study and career goals. Intern Fellowships may not be used to bridge a funding gap. Students on academic probation or on a leave of absence are ineligible.
- The request must be for an upcoming internship, and not for reimbursement for a previous internship.
- Students may receive a Spring/Summer Doctoral Intern Fellowship award in addition to a Fall or Winter Doctoral Intern Fellowship award, but preference in the application process for each term is given to students who have not previously received a Rackham Doctoral Intern Fellowship. Students may not apply to complete a Rackham Doctoral Intern Fellowship with the same organization more than once.
Please note: other funding will not affect your chances of receiving Rackham internship funding, but a student’s total summer support from Rackham and other U-M sources cannot exceed $10,000.
For example:
- A student receiving $10,000 in departmental spring/summer support may not add it to Rackham internship funding.
- A student with a Rackham Predoctoral Fellowship Award during the spring/summer term may not add Predoctoral Fellowship summer support with Rackham internship funding.
- A student with $5,000 in departmental spring/summer support may combine that award with $5,000 in Rackham internship funding. A student with $2,000 in departmental spring/summer support could receive up to $8,000 in Rackham spring/summer internship funding.
- Students who wish to complete an internship, but who already have $10,000 or more in spring/summer funding, should consult with their department (or other source of the funding) to discuss the possibility of deferring that funding if they are awarded Rackham Spring/Summer Internship funding.
Application Process and Materials
Please read the application instructions below carefully. You may apply for up to three opportunities, but need to submit a separate, customized cover letter and resume for each position.
Requirements for internships with Rackham Partner Organizations:
- Complete a student agreement outlining expectations for the funding award.
- Attend an orientation and monthly cohort meetings.
- Complete a work plan with their site supervisor using a template provided by Rackham.
- Respond to brief Rackham program evaluation surveys to assess the contribution of the internship to the student’s graduate education and career readiness.
- Students awarded a Rackham Spring/Summer Intern Fellowship will receive a stipend equivalent to full summer support (a 40 hour per week internship) or half of summer support for a part-time internship. Sites determine whether to host a full time or part-time internship.
Applicants must submit the following materials through the Rackham Doctoral Intern Fellowship Program Application Portal.
Cover Letter
Your cover letter (including your full name and contact information) should be addressed to the internship supervisor (listed with each organization). It should be no more than two pages and address your specific interest in the role, project, and organization, including:
- What are the skills and experience you will contribute to the project?
- What do you hope to learn from the internship experience?
- How will you connect your scholarly interests to the project and the organization broadly considered?
Current Resume with References
- Current resume (no more than two to three pages, not a C.V.)
- Professional references: please provide full name and contact information for three references at the end of your resume.
Departmental Approval
Your primary dissertation Advisor or Director of Graduate Studies (DGS) must complete an authorization form indicating your eligibility to participate in the program before you submit your application. Applications without authorization will not be considered.
Interviews
After Rackham forwards eligible applications to our partner organizations, site supervisors will schedule interviews (in person, by phone, or by video) with students they would like to consider.
Upon completing interviews, supervisors at partner organizations will offer the position directly to their top choice and notify Rackham staff of their selection.
Funding Acknowledgements
Partial funding for these opportunities is made possible by the Jack and Jeannie Thompson Humanities Internship Fund.
Jack and Jeannie Thompson have personally invested in higher education and believe deeply in its ability to transform lives. Jack Thompson received his Ph.D. in history from the University of Michigan in 1976. Dr. Thompson spent the latter part of his career as a professor and dean at both Northwestern University and Oakton Community College in the Chicago suburbs. Mrs. Thompson had a 40-year career in the fields of healthcare, personal and career counseling, M.B.A. admissions, workforce education, executive development and outplacement, as well as mentoring and mediation. Dr. and Mrs. Thompson decided to create the Jack and Jeannie Thompson Humanities Internship Fund to support humanities students completing internships.
Contact Professional and Academic Development
1530 Rackham Building
915 E. Washington St.
Ann Arbor, MI 48109-1070
Email: rack-intern@umich.edu
Phone: 734.647.4013
Fax: 734.936.2848
Hours
Professional and Academic Development is open Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
The office is closed Saturdays and Sundays and on the following holidays: Thanksgiving (Thursday and the following Friday), Christmas through New Year’s, Memorial Day, Independence Day (July 4), and Labor Day.
