An internship is still one of the best ways to land a full-time job.
Practicum, field placement, internship—no matter what you call it, work-based learning is a critical part of any student’s career preparation. Not only do these experiences introduce students to their chosen careers and help confirm or rule out job choices, they are the surest path to a full-time job. “Employers are more likely to convert interns to new hires than any other kind of positions,” says Saskia Campbell, executive director of University Career Services (UCS) at George Mason University. “That’s their recruitment strategy. That’s their pipeline.” And Campbell says George Mason students are in demand.
Beyond George Mason's job search platform, Handshake, students find internships by leveraging their personal connections and relationships with faculty who have close ties to federal agencies, government contractors, and nonprofit organizations in the Washington, D.C., area.
George Mason University Student Internships
October 5, 2021One undergraduate student shares the value of her three internships. Her advice? Go for it.- August 5, 2021Faith Spillman (MSW, '16) shares her experience as a MSW graduate student and reflects on how an internship with the Alexandria Public Defender's Office inspired her to pursue a career of supporting court-involved youth as a social worker.
- July 14, 2021Through her internships for PolitiFact, Voice of America and USA Today, Sudiksha Kochi learned about the life of a reporter and the ins and outs of investigative journalism.
May 27, 2021Students pursuing an MS in management through Mason’s School of Business usually spend four months getting work experience through internships at local companies. This year, however, due to the coronavirus pandemic, administrators had to think creatively. So instead, they asked local businesses what they thought of hiring students to do remote “researchships.”
April 23, 2021This spring, Mason senior Elizabeth Cheang landed an internship that provided her with a unique opportunity to research COVID-19 cases and use public data sets to discover virus hot spots in the Washington, D.C., metropolitan area.
February 8, 2021Many people dream of being an astronaut and rocketing into outer space, but senior Sidney Boakye just landed an opportunity that launches him closer to that long-standing dream.
February 4, 2021Entrepreneur and senior mechanical engineering major Daniel Scott Mitchell came to George Mason University with a mission to build a toolkit of experiences and problem-solving skills to prepare- January 6, 2021Mason senior Chase Brown has some simple advice for getting through the coronavirus pandemic: Go fishing!
Handshake is Mason's job search site, where you can find on-campus, part-time, work-study, internships, and full-time jobs related to your major, interests, and skills. Log in with your Mason credentials and get started by completing your profile.
“Employers are more likely to convert interns to new hires than any other kind of positions.”
~ Saskia Campbell, executive director, George Mason University Career Services