Internships
Internships are a valuable complement to your educational experience. You can apply knowledge acquired in the classroom to work situations, reality-test career options, develop skills, and gain experience that is not available through coursework alone.
The Berkeley Summer Internship Program places students with Bay Area employers. This program is offered by Summer Sessions. Students choose their internship area from one of six broad interest tracks and work closely with a Berkeley faculty member to make the best of both academic and professional experiences (summer.berkeley.edu/internship; 1995 University Avenue, Suite 110; summer@berkeley.edu; 510/642-5611).
The Career Center offers internship counseling, workshops, fairs, and a website with a large variety of online internship listings and resource information (internships.berkeley.edu; 2111 Bancroft Way). (See here.)
internshipIN at internshipin.com is a website developed by three UC Berkeley undergraduates that connects college students looking for internships with companies seeking new talent. Visit the site to build your student profile or simply search internship listings.
Government programs
Cal in Local Government (formerly Cal in Berkeley) places students in intern positions in local government offices and organizations to develop their understanding of public service and public policy. Previous host agencies include the Berkeley Mayor’s Office, Berkeley and Oakland councilmembers offices, the Port of Oakland, and the Berkeley Unified School District. All interns take part in an integrated service-learning class as part of their internship and are eligible for 1-2 units. Interns develop policy briefings that are presented to various campus and community leaders at the end of the program (publicservice.berkeley.edu; 505 Eshleman Hall; calinlocalgovt@berkeley.edu; 510/643-0303).
The Robert T. Matsui Center for Politics and Public Service engages students in public life through internships, public events, and the presence of distinguished campus visitors. The Matsui Center offers approximately 35 students per year internships at federal, state, and local levels of government. (politics.berkeley.edu/internships.html; Robert T. Matsui Center for Politics and Public Service, 111 Moses Hall; 510/642-0922).
The internships the Matsui Center offers include:
The Matsui Congressional Internship, which is awarded to students who have secured an internship at the Capital through the UC Berkeley Washington Program.
Cal in Sacramento Program, which allows students to spend a summer in Sacramento working for legislators, nonprofits, media outlets, lobbyists, and learning about various aspects of state government.
Local Government Internship, where one student chosen per year serves at the local level of government and learns how city government operates.
Cal in the Capital (CITC) is a student-managed internship program housed at the Cal Corps Public Service Center that prepares approximately 75 UC Berkeley students for challenging summer internships in Washington, DC, every year. Founded in 1965 by a Cal student, CITC assists students with their internship searches, prepares students through a spring semester course, and provides housing in DC during the summer. Past interns have worked in placements at the White House, congressional offices, committees on Capitol Hill, various government agencies, nonprofit organizations, research institutes, and more (citc@berkeley.edu; 510/643-0303).
The UC Berkeley Washington Program (aka UCDC) is an academic and internship program for juniors and seniors in all majors. Each semester, 27 students go to Washington, DC, to combine academic research projects with professional internships in a wide variety of organizations and agencies. Participants receive full-time credit as UC Berkeley students and remain eligible for financial aid. Housing is provided. Applications are due in late February for fall semester and in early October for spring (ucdc.berkeley.edu; M24 Wheeler Hall; ucdc@berkeley.edu; 510/642-9102).
ASUC
Many internship possibilities are offered through the ASUC:
ASUC Executive Offices
Black Recruitment and Retention Center
bridges
Cal Camp (summer camp)
Committees on Student Fees and Budget Review
DeCal
Health and Medical Apprenticeship Program
Native American Recruitment and Retention Center
Open Computing Facility
Queer Alliance and Resource Center
Raza Recruitment and Retention Center
Reach!, Asian/Pacific Islander Recruitment and Retention Center
Renters’ Legal Assistance
Re-entry and Transfer Student Association
Student Advocate’s Office
Student Legal Clinic
Student-to-Student Peer Counseling
Check the descriptions of the programs included throughout Resource. You can visit the ASUC Office of Student Affairs (400 Eshleman Hall; 510/642-4536).
Health and Medical Apprenticeship Program (HMAP) is a joint program sponsored by the ASUC and the School of Public Health that supplements pre-health education by exposing undergraduates to critical health care issues. Seminars and internships are available (www.ocf.berkeley.edu/~hmap; 309 Eshleman Hall; HSIcoordinator@gmail.com; 510/643-6100).