Civil/Structural Engineering Internships: Summer 2025!

Introduction

The Wisconsin Department of Transportation (WisDOT) is currently recruiting for Engineering Internships and Co-Op opportunities for the summer of 2025. These production-oriented positions offer excellent "real world" work experience for future engineering graduates.

Engineering interns may be headquartered in our regional offices: Superior, Eau Claire, Rhinelander, Wisconsin Rapids, Green Bay, La Crosse, Madison, Waukesha/Milwaukee or our Central Office located in Madison.

There’s no one word or image to describe the many opportunities you’ll find interning with WisDOT’s highway and bridge programs. Students are encouraged to explore the possibilities through this interactive web site.

WisDOT is a great place to work! In addition to meaningful and rewarding work, we provide:

• A casual office atmosphere, flexible work schedules, and telework options depending on the position’s requirements
• A free and confidential employee assistance program that offers employees and their immediate family dependents a variety of tools, resources, and professional consultation services to support their health, goals and overall well-being

LTE positions assist in the development of your skills and experience and offer growth potential via opportunities to join our team in a permanent role! For more information on WisDOT you can visit our website by clicking here.

The Wisconsin Department of Transportation is an organization dedicated to creating transportation solutions through innovation and exceptional service. We are committed to fostering an environment rooted in Integrity, Diversity, Excellence, and Accountability.  Click here to learn more about how we apply these values in our work.

Every day, WisDOT’s Division of Transportation System Development plays the leading role in the upkeep and improvement of nearly 12,000 miles of state highways and bridges used by millions of people. You’ll find that behind every barrel is a dedicated team from a wide array of backgrounds including engineering, planning, environmental services, public outreach, real estate, finance and many more. It can be a challenging job, but we think you’ll find it’s an awfully rewarding one, too.

We’re looking for detail-oriented critical thinkers to help deliver a quality program to build, improve and maintain transportation infrastructure throughout the state. We encourage anyone at any point in any career to take a look at WisDOT opportunities and give some thought to how your skills and resume line up. Having a good attitude, a willingness to learn and a passion for creating lasting, impactful work will go a long way here. It’s a big system with lots of opportunity and responsibilities.  

Are you up for it? At WisDOT, you can Build the Future – NOW.

Position Summary

Civil Internships/Co-Op

Engineering interns are responsible for performing technical and/or engineering support duties related to the functions of the multi-modal transportation systems, in such areas as project development, construction, design, traffic, systems planning and operations, hydraulics, structures, highway maintenance, materials, environmental, geotechnical and related programs.  The range of duties provides an opportunity to apply basic engineering principles in a work environment!

Internship positions are for the full summer and some may have the opportunity to extend through the school year.  Selected students are expected to be available during the full summer months.

Examples of duties one may perform include, but are not limited to:

• Providing assistance on construction projects including maintain project records and documentation, assisting in the preparation and completion of reports, project exhibits, plans, specifications and contract documents; and inspecting structures, paving, grading, and roadway drainage.
• Providing assistance on design projects including assisting with plan preparation, data collection, design field review, and writing reports.
• Assisting with land use and access studies, and other transportation studies including the appropriate public involvement, environmental documentation, agency coordination, and preliminary highway design.
• Assisting in the preparation of initial designs for traffic signals engineers.
• Assisting in the inspection, maintenance and inventory of highway structures.
• Assisting with various materials sampling and testing.

Structural Internships (Madison and Regional Offices)

The Bureau of Structures is responsible for the design, analysis, inspection, maintenance assistance and oversight, repair, and management of all the bridges in the state of Wisconsin. The Bureau of Structures is looking to hire several interns in 2025!

For some of its positions at WisDOT Central Office in Madison, the Bureau of Structures is seeking candidates who have completed minimum coursework. These positions include:

• Structural Analysis and Design: Minimum coursework in statics, plus preferred coursework in structural analysis, reinforced concrete design, steel design, and/or other structural engineering emphasis.
• Hydrology & Hydraulics: Minimum coursework in fluid mechanics, plus preferred coursework in hydroscience, watershed engineering, and/or hydrology.

If you would like to be considered for one of these Bureau of Structures positions in Madison and have completed the minimum coursework, please include Madison as your first location preference and answer “Yes” to the application question indicating interest.

The Structures Maintenance positions are located in all of the regional offices and the central office in Madison. These positions include days in the office and field. Duties include gathering inspection and condition information about the structures, completing waterway surveys and analyzing survey data, working with engineers and skilled specialists completing/managing structure repairs and maintenance, and other engineering tasks needed to keep structures operational and open to traffic.  

If you would like to be considered for one of the Structures Maintenance positions with the Bureau of Structures, please answer “Yes” to the application question indicating interest.

Salary Information

Pay for engineering internship positions is based on experience and year in school as a masters or doctoral program student.

• $21.50/hour - no prior engineering internship experience
• $22.25/hour - 1 year engineering internship/co-op experience
• $23.00/hour - 2 year engineering internship/co-op experience
• $23.75/hour - 3+ year engineering internship/co-op experience
• $23.75/hour - Master's/Doctorate Programs

Job Details

WisDOT does not sponsor work visas.  Any appointment made will be contingent on the applicant being able to prove valid status to work in the United States. WisDOT is not an E-verify employer.

Prior to any appointments for position(s) filled from this announcement, candidates may be subject to a comprehensive criminal background check which may include FBI fingerprinting.

This is a Limited Term Employment (LTE) position and limited to 1,039 hours in 26 consecutive pay periods (1 year).

Limited Term Employment (LTE) positions are not civil service classified positions, do not give any rights to permanent civil service classified positions and do not lead to permanent status. 

Certain positions within this Department may allow remote/work from home flexibility for a portion of their work schedule, depending on the needs of the position and the work unit. This topic and any remote work flexibility that may be available will be discussed in more detail in the interview process. For permanent positions that allow remote work flexibility, it is not anticipated that working outside of Wisconsin (or bordering cities) will be allowed because positions may need to report to office locations in Wisconsin on short notice.

Qualifications

Eligible students must meet the following requirements to be considered for a WisDOT Engineering Internship:

• Student must be enrolled in an engineering related program 
• Student must carry a minimum of 6 credits during their Fall 2024 semester 
• Student must have a good academic standing
• Student must be enrolled in a 4 year degree program with a freshman, Sophomore, Junior, Senior, Masters or Doctorate status as of Fall 2024.
• Students who have already graduated or will be graduating from a college/university program in May 2025 are not eligible for an internship

How To Apply

We are only accepting applications submitted via Wiscjobs! 

To apply, click “Apply for Job” to start the application process.  Then, you will access your existing account or to create a new account if you don’t have an account. Once you are logged in, click “Apply for Job.” Follow the steps outlined in the application process and submit your application.

Attachments required - Resume and an unofficial transcript. If you are a first year student and do not have an unofficial transcript, a class schedule will be accepted. You will not be eligible if you do not submit both documents.

If you wish to submit a letter of qualification, please upload the document in the “Supporting Documentation” section. 

You must answer all the questions in the application. 

Submitted materials will be evaluated and eligible applicants will be invited to participate in the next step of the selection process, which may include a phone interview. Questions can be directed to Sonam Lhanze at sonam1.lhanze@dot.wi.gov or 608-264-7230. 

Deadline to Apply

Applications must be received by midnight the day before to be included in the review.

• 1st application review will take place on Friday, August 30th 2024. 
• 2nd application review will take place on Monday, September 30th 2024. 
• 3rd application review will take place on Thursday, October 31st 2024.
• 4th application review will take place on Friday, November 29th 2024.
• Additional application review dates will be added if needed.