There are a variety of internship opportunities for college students in Washington. D.C. Details about some types of Washington internships are listed below. If you would like to discuss details about how to apply for the types of internships described below or if you would like to discuss additional opportunities in Washington, D.C. not listed, contact Prof. Andy Rich, Department of Political Science, NAC 4/138C (arich@ccny.cuny.edu).

• Congress:

  Members of Congress have internships for college students during the summer and during the school year. Many of these internships are unpaid; some are paid. In deciding which offices to consider on Capitol Hill, you should consult the websites of the members of Congress that interest you. Many members of Congress list details about their internship programs on their website. Your best chance for a congressional internship is often with the member of Congress that represents the area where you live or go to school. (Representative Charles Rangel represents that area that includes CCNY.) You might also apply to members who have congressional committee assignments that coincide with your particular policy interests or you might apply to members whose policy positions are closely aligned to your own.

  To investigate members of the House of Representatives, go to: http://www.house.gov.

  To investigate members of the Senate, go to: http://www.senate.gov.

• The White House and Executive Branch:

  The White House provides a number of internships for college students, with a regular application process. For details, go to: http://www.whitehouse.gov/government/wh-intern.html. Students interested in a White House internship should probably usually be supportive of the president in office.

  Executive Branch agencies - e.g., the State Department, Justice Department, Energy Department - also provide a number of internships for college students. Internships with these agencies might be good options to consider if you have an interest in a particular policy area. Strong support for the policies of current office holders is not essential to participate in and enjoy these types of internships. For a list of government departments and agencies, with links to each of their sites, go to:

  http://www.whitehouse.gov/government/cabinet.html, or

  http://www.whitehouse.gov/government/independent-agencies.html.

• Advocacy Organizations and Interest Groups:

  In addition to opportunities to work directly in government, a range of internships are available with groups and organizations that seek to affect government decision-making. There is a vast community of interest groups at work in Washington on all variety of issues, representing all kinds of constituencies.

  For information about progressive advocacy groups, based in Washington and elsewhere around the country, go to:

  http://movingideas.org/ and select the link for "Our Members" - which provides details about each organization and links to their websites.

  For information about professional lobbyists in Washington, many of which represent corporate clients, go to:

  http://www.opensecrets.org/pubs/lobby00/index.asp.

• Think Tanks and Policy Research Organizations:

  If you have a particular interest in policy research - and the ways that it can be influential in Washington - you might want to consider an internship with a Washington-based think tank. Think tanks are organizations that produce and promote policy research relevant that is often relevant to decision-making in Washington. Some of these organizations have clear ideological predilections; others are less ideological. Here is a selection of groups active in Washington:

  American Enterprise Institute: Focuses on a broad range of domestic social and economic policies as well as foreign policy, generally from a conservative, free-market perspective.

  Brookings Institution: Focuses on a broad range of domestic social and economic policies as well as foreign defense and trade policy.

  Cato Institute: Focuses on economic and social issues from a libertarian, free-market perspective. Especially involved in Social Security privatization and deregulation.

  Center on Budget and Policy Priorities: Focuses on social policies from the perspective of how they affect low and middle-income Americans.

  Economic Policy Institute: Focuses on domestic social and economic issues, generally from a perspective of how they affect middle-class working Americans.

  Urban Institute: Produces evaluation and technical research about domestic social and economic policies.