Paid Internships with the National Consortium for the Study of Terrorism and Responses to Terrorism (START)

Applications must be submitted via START's website here. Applications submitted via Handshake will NOT be considered.

START offers paid internships year round on a variety of research projects and teams. During the course of their internship, participants are exposed to the most up-to-date theories, methods and information related to the study of terrorism. They are versed in the critical questions tackled by homeland security practitioners, policy makers and researchers, and are mentored in a professional environment geared toward student success. The program is designed to prepare the next generation of homeland security scholars and practitioners through real-world research experience.

START’s internship program is open to undergraduate and graduate students (as well as some recent graduates) in any related discipline from any institution. Each internship lasts for one term. Participants work at least 10 hours/week during the fall and spring semesters and 20 hours/week during the summer. Our internships can be undertaken for academic credit, and this is highly encouraged. Interns participate in a program of enrichment and career development opportunities. All interns are required to work onsite with their research project staff. Because interns work directly with our researchers and staff on current research projects, the internship positions vary depending on our research portfolio.

Intern projects for the fall semester include:

Please read through the project descriptions for each topic linked above.

START is headquartered at the University of Maryland, College Park, and will be offering its internship program in-person for the fall 2022 semester.

Orientation Date: Thursday, August 25, 2022. All interns are required to attend orientation. You may be required to attend an additional day of orientation on Friday, August 26, 2022. Your supervisor will inform you if you are required to attend both days.

Internship Duration: Thursday, August 25, 2022 to Friday, December 2, 2022. All interns must be able to commit to the duration of the whole program.

Work Hours: All interns must work at least 10 hours per week during the fall 2022 program. Work hours are scheduled from Monday to Friday, 9:00am-5:00pm. Interns may not work longer than 8-hour or shorter than 2 hour shifts.

How to Apply for START Internships:

START is currently accepting applications for the fall 2022 semester. Please make sure you check the dates for the project you’re interested in to make sure they’re available during the semester you intend to apply. The priority application deadline, for best consideration, for the fall 2022 semester is Sunday, May 29, 2022. Interested candidates may submit an application after this date, however we cannot guarantee that applications submitted after the priority deadline will be considered. The fall 2022 application will close on Sunday, June 12th. Applications submitted after June 12th, incomplete applications, or applications not submitted correctly will not be considered. To access the application: click here.

Notes:

If you have difficulty submitting your application or have questions about your application status, please contact us at internships@start.umd.edu. 

The University of Maryland is committed to creating and maintaining a welcoming and inclusive educational, working, and living environment for people of all abilities. The University of Maryland is also committed to the principle that no qualified individual with a disability shall, on the basis of disability, be excluded from participation in or be denied the benefits of the services, programs, or activities of the University, or be subjected to discrimination. The University of Maryland provides reasonable accommodations to qualified individuals. Reasonable accommodations shall be made in a timely manner and on an individualized and flexible basis. If invited for an interview and you would like to request accommodations, please email escoll@umd.edu.

Discrimination against individuals on the grounds of disability is prohibited. The University also strictly prohibits retaliation against persons arising in connection with the assertion of rights under this Policy.

Application Materials:

All internship applicants must submit all materials in one .pdf file using the file name format:

LastName, FirstName_InternCandidate.pdf or .doc.

 

The internship application packet should include the following documents in the following order:

Note for International Students:

START welcomes applications from international students for all of our internships where US citizenship is not a requirement (see the qualifications listed for each project for details).

It is, however, the responsibility of the applicant to ensure that their visa or immigration status permits them to undertake an unpaid internship. It is also the responsibility of the applicant to ensure that all proper paperwork, like documented approval from your home institution, is available and processed in time for the start of the internship. Failure to comply with these stipulations, or provide the paperwork required to verify your status, will result in your internship offer being rescinded without further consideration. START is unable to sponsor visas for non-US Citizens due to the short timeline of our program and the lengthy processing time for visas. Unfortunately, this largely limits our ability to accept anything other than F-1 visas on regular, not OPT, status.