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Kennedy Center Majors & Minors
International Relations
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Internships and Study Abroad

Study Abroad

The Kennedy Center sponsors a large set of study abroad programs every year. Go to their site to Find Your Program.

For more information about study abroad applications, policies, and financial aid, go to How to Study Abroad.

For help in paying for study abroad, go to our Experiential Learning Funds page. See also the Kennedy Center’s Scholarships and Financial Aid page.

Internships

IR students participate in a wide variety of domestic and international internships every year. Most of those internships fall into 3 main categories:

1. The Washington Seminar program sends about 40 students to Washington, DC, every semester. Internships are available Fall, Winter, and Spring/Summer, and interns live together at the Barlow Center, BYU’s housing facility in DC. Washington Seminar has a database of thousands of internships, including government agencies, legislative staff, embassies, think tanks, and private organizations that are highly relevant for IR students. Contact the Washington Seminar office for more information.

2. The Kennedy Center sponsors a large set of internships programs every year. Go to their site and select “Internship” from the “Programs” drop-down menu to Find Your Program.

See also the Kennedy Center database of the most popular internships—those that have a strong track record of successful student experiences: Internship Database

3. Many U.S. executive branch agencies, including the State Department, have their own internship programs. Check each agency’s website directly for information.

Some students find their own internships through other sources. See the Kennedy Center’s Internships page for ideas. That page also has information about other important BYU policies on internships.

For help in paying for internships, go to our Experiential Learning Funds page. See also the Kennedy Center’s Scholarships and Financial Aid page.

Frequently Asked Questions About Internships

Can I receive BYU course credit for my internship?

Usually. Washington Seminar and some Kennedy Center internships are set up to automatically provide course credit if you fulfill certain academic requirements (in addition to your internship duties). The Washington Seminar office or other BYU program sets up the internship, supervises logistics, arranges course credit, and assigns a grade.

If you have a domestic internship other than through Washington Seminar, the Kennedy Center Advisement office offers an internship-based professional development course for 3 hours of IAS 399R credit. Contact the Advisement office (273 HRCB) for details.

If you have an international internship that is not through a regular Kennedy Center program, you can sign up for 3 hours of IAS 399R credit with the IR coordinator. The academic requirements include 3 written self-assessments, 4 book reports, and a research paper. Contact the IR coordinator: scott_cooper@byu.edu

Does my internship have to be full time to receive course credit?

No. The university requires 42 hours of internship work for every 1 credit hour of course credit. That means 126 hours for 3 credit hours. For example, if your internship lasts 10 weeks, you would need about 13 hours per week to earn 3 hours of credit.

What if I don’t want or need course credit?

As noted above, Washington Seminar and some other BYU programs automatically include course credit. Contact them for exceptions. In other cases, you may be able to sign up for as few as 0.5 BYU credit hours, with reduced academic requirements.

But there is no reason you have to earn course credit for an internship. Sometimes an internship is just a great opportunity, even if there is no credit attached. For example, an internship might help you build your resume, offer networking opportunities, or advance your career goals in other ways. Or maybe it gives you the chance to live and work in a place that is just a great experience for you, regardless of whether it helps you graduate sooner. Many valuable opportunities do not come with course credit.

Can I count internship credit towards an IR major?

The IR major only allows internship credit (along with study abroad, Model UN, etc.) to count up to 3 credits towards the specialization track (Requirement 12). You should seek the IR coordinator’s approval in advance. IR internship credit will only be approved if all of the following are true:

  • There is a significant academic component beyond your internship work.
  • The internship clearly fits your specialized track (e.g., you cannot count a Mexico City internship towards your Asian Politics and History track).
  • You have not already counted another experience (study abroad, directed reading, Model UN, etc.) towards your specialization track.

Just as there are many excellent BYU classes that do not count towards an IR major, there are many worthwhile internship experiences that do not count.