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Experience: Externships

A key goal of the myCHOICE Experience programming is to provide real-world, practical experience in a specific career field. Externships, defined as “hands-on opportunities of limited duration (weeks to months),” are an important component of this training experience. myCHOICE is teaming with on- and off-campus partners to provide a diverse array of externships that will be announced as they become available. All myCHOICE externships are unpaid and part-time (10 hours per week), lasting approximately 10 weeks.

95% of myCHOICE externs report that the externship influenced their career trajectory.

 

Externships will be offered during the Winter and Summer Quarters, applications for Summer Quarter Externships will open in late April 2025

 

Requirements & Expectations

  • All myCHOICE externships are unpaid, volunteer experiences intended to complement your research training and increase your awareness of a specific field or profession.
  • You agree to commit approximately 10 – 12 hours per week for one academic quarter unless a longer period of commitment is stated in the externship description.
  • Upon selection for an externship, you will collaborate with the host to complete an Externship Learning Agreement within one week of the start of the externship.
  • Graduate students will be expected to register for the externship to earn course credit (0 units).
  • You will need to obtain permission from your PI and the relevant Dean of Students/Postdocs prior to accepting an externship offer.
  • International Citizens: You must consult with an advisor in the Office of International Affairs prior to engaging in a myCHOICE externship.
  • Masters Students: myCHOICE externships are designed for individuals who are pursuing or have already earned a PhD. Some externship hosts are open to hosting students from masters programs, while many are specifically seeking PhD students. Read the externship description closely. First year master’s students on a F1/J1 visa are not eligible to participate in the externship program.  

Instructions for Applying

  • myCHOICE externship applications are collected through the GRAD Gargoyle platform.
  • Once in the system, click  in the upper right header.
  • You may apply for up to 3 myCHOICE externships and will be able to upload unique documents (resume & cover letter) for each. Further instructions can be found within the GRAD Gargoyle interface.
  • Please note the qualifications that externship hosts have included in their descriptions.
  • For any questions, email [email protected]

Before Submitting Your Application

  • Prior to submitting your application materials, applicants are encouraged to share their cover letters and resumes with myCHOICE Career Navigator, Amy Hark, Director UChicagoGRAD (by making an appointment HERE) or the career development advisor for graduate students or postdocs in their unit. These consulting appointments are restricted to University of Chicago graduate students and postdocs.
  • Permission from your PI and dean of students will be required to participate in an externship. We strongly advise you to initiate these conversations before you apply; myCHOICE will contact your PI and dean of students immediately upon your acceptance of the externship to confirm their support.
  • If you are an international citizen, consult with your advisor at the Office of International Affairs regarding paperwork and permissions required to participate in a specific externship. Policies may be different dependent on the externship, your visa status, whether you are a student or a postdoc, and with which division you are affiliated. Begin this process immediately upon accepting an externship offer.

Proceeding with an Externship

  • If you are offered an externship and choose to accept it, myCHOICE will contact your PI and your dean of students to confirm their approval.
  • If you are a UChicago graduate student you will be expected to register for the externship using a course number that will be provided to you by myCHOICE
  • If you are an international postdoc, you must consult with OIA before accepting an externship offer. International students are typically on F1 visas and will need to apply for and receive CPT approval from OIA; this should happen before the start of the quarter. Students on other classes of visa, or recent alumni, should consult with OIA (please visit the OIA website for more details). The CPT approval process requires a CPT employment letter from your externship host (a template is provided online) as well as a Faculty member CPT recommendation form (for BSD students the faculty member is Vicky Prince; [email protected]).
  • If you and your host choose to extend the period of your externship beyond the original period of commitment, you will need to:
    • Submit a short progress report focusing on work that has been completed and a timeline for further work.
    • Obtain letters of permission from both your PI and your dean, indicating that they understand that you will be extending the externship.
    • If you are a student, you should continue to register for the externship during each quarter.

 

Participating in an externship will help you to stand out
in the crowd of other job applicants.

Previous Externships

 

Fall Quarter 2024 Externships


Business Development & Consulting
Communications, Media, Teaching & Outreach
Data Science

Below is a selected list of previous externships.
To view details of all past externships, go to the “Experience” tab on each PhD Career Pathways webpage listed below.

Winter Quarter 2025 Externships

Business Development & Consulting
Communications, Media, Teaching & Outreach
Data Science
Law, Policy & Regulatory Affairs
Academic Research

> Navigate to all Academic Research externships

Government and Non-profit Research

> Navigate to all Government & Non-Profit Research externships

Industry Research

> Navigate to all Industry Research externships

Science Education & Outreach

> Navigate to all Science Education & Outreach externships

Science Communication

> Navigate to all Science Communication externships

Law, Policy, & Regulation

No previous internships to highlight.

> Navigate to all Law, Policy, and Regulation externships

Business & Commercialization

> Navigate to all Business and Commercialization externships

Academic & Research Administration

No previous internships to highlight.

> Navigate to all Academic & Research Administration externships

Data Science

> Navigate to all Data Science externships

Healthcare and Medicine

> Navigate to all Healthcare and Medicine externships