Doctoral Student Internship Program
Information for Concordia units
A study of Concordia University doctoral graduates over a ten-year period (2009-2019) found that 49% of our PhD graduates were working in higher education in a wide variety of research, teaching and administrative roles.
The School of Graduate Studies recognizes that the professional trajectory for PhD graduates is changing and has created the doctoral student internship program to provide valuable work experience in higher education administration. The doctoral internship program pairs current doctoral students with part-time internship positions in Concordia administrative offices.
By hiring doctoral students for internships within your unit, you are directly contributing to Concordia's strategic directions for a next-generation university through providing experiential learning opportunities. Internships within your unit provide students with the opportunity to enhance their professional skill set, gain a better understanding of their career options and be career-ready upon graduation. Your unit will be able to advance strategic projects that require advanced research, analysis and communication skills, found in doctoral students.
What to expect
Through the DSIP the School of Graduate Studies is facilitating the hiring of graduate students by:
- Coordinating two annual calls for internship opportunities in August & December
- Promoting available doctoral internship positions to current doctoral students in September & January, for a stronger applicant pool
- Collecting applications and guiding units in the hiring of an intern
- Facilitating student professional development though experiential learning and complementary training
The units are responsible for:
- Communicating available internships to the School of Graduate Studies
- Financing the intern's salary (minimum of 125 hours at a doctoral student rate)
- Choosing an intern from the applicant pool (shortlist applications, conduct interviews, check references)
- Identifying an internship supervisor who will assign work, approve timesheets and provide feedback (complete a mid and final internship evaluation)
- Providing a professional workplace and work assignments that support the doctoral intern’s professional growth
How it works
Eligible work for a DSIP internship must be project oriented. It should lead to the delivery of at least one outcome that utilizes some of the advanced skills developed at the graduate level. Some examples include a report, benchmarking study, data dashboard, training or event. A DSIP internship is a minimum of 125 hours, worked part-time (maximum of 20 hours per week). The student is hired temporarily as a casual-professional employee and is paid by the unit.
We are currently accepting internship projects from Concordia University units that are hiring in fall 2024.
