PAID Life Science Internships in MA for all majors: Bio, BMB, Chem, Math, Micro, Psychology & Engineering, Econ, Marketing, Business, Finance

The Massachusetts Life Sciences Center (MLSC) Internship Challenge creates hundreds of new internship opportunities each year for college students interested in pursuing careers in the life sciences industry. The program connects employers with students through an online platform and provides funding to enable small companies to hire paid interns. Offered year-round, this workforce development program seeks to enhance and build a robust talent pipeline for Massachusetts companies engaged in life sciences. 

How the Program Works

• Internships can be part or full time and can take place any time during the program year, from May 1 through April 30.

• Students submit an online application, which includes their resume and cover letter. The application period for each new program year opens in Jan. There is no application deadline.  For a summer internship, it is best to apply between Jan 1 - 31.  Employers start selecting their summer interns beginning Feb 1.

• Companies interested in hosting interns register online, review applications and hire candidates with the qualifications that are most suited to their needs.

• MLSC reimburses eligible companies for intern wages of up to $17 per hour, for a total reimbursement of up to $8,160 per intern (based on 12 weeks of full-time work). Interns must be paid no less than $15 per hour.

Eligibility Requirements

Interns must be Massachusetts residents and/or students or enrolled in an HBCU. 4-year college/university students must be completing at least their freshman year prior to the start of the internship. All 2-year/community college/certificate students, Master’s degree students, and recent graduates that completed their degree/certificate within the past year are eligible.

Host companies must be located in Massachusetts and engaged in life sciences. Companies must have 100 or fewer employees in MA (up to 250 worldwide) to be eligible for the subsidy. Larger companies are also encouraged to participate, but cannot be reimbursed for intern wages. Companies are expected to provide a hands-on learning experience and at least one mentor that directly oversees the internship. As of 2022, research institutions are eligible to host interns that are students or recent graduates from 2- year/community college or certificate programs.