Internships can be part of a student’s educational experience and career development. Approved internships will carry academic credit and will be listed on the student’s record with an appropriate course number. Each student will be limited to one internship during their PhD career. The internship must be relevant to career development and should be discussed with the research mentor/PI and DAC, if applicable, prior to approval. The student will be expected to explain how the internship supports the student’s dissertation or career development and how s/he/they may benefit from the experience.
To be eligible to complete an internship, the student must be in good academic standing. In considering the student’s request, the program administration will conduct a thorough review of the student’s record. In addition, requests for internships are subject to the following requirements:
- The student completes the internship request form and notifies the program office at least two months prior to the start of the internship.
- The internship is limited to 3 months.
- A copy of the invitation letter or offer from the sponsoring organization showing a description of the intended internship, length of internship and the salary must be submitted to the BPH program office along with the internship request The program administration reserves the right to request a copy of the sponsoring institution’s compensation package to ensure the student will receive at least their current stipend rate.
- The student must provide a statement to describe the internship and how it integrates with their program of study as well as briefly state what the academic plan is upon returning to graduate school at the end of the internship (e.g. complete course work, return to dissertation lab, etc.).
- The approval from the dissertation advisor (and the DAC, if applicable) must be secured before presenting the request to the program office.
- The internship is a full time endeavor; vacations are not to be scheduled during the internship period. The student must notify the BPH program office if unplanned absences occur during the internship.
- Students completing an internship as part of their membership in the Therapeutics Graduate Program must register for the internship course Med. Sci. 325. Other BPH students completing a program-approved internship must register for BPH 314 to receive credit. A post-internship evaluation from the organization must be provided to the program office so that the student may receive a grade (SAT/UNSAT).
- International students are required to apply for the Curricular Practical Training (CPT) approval through the Harvard International Office in order to verify eligibility.
Please submit the internship request to tholmgren@hsph.harvard.edu.
