Finding Science Internships

International Students Internships

International students on non-immigrant visas may or may not be able to accept paid employment off campus. For Department of Homeland Security (DHS) purposes, any work or research for which a student receives a salary, stipend, or other compensation (including room and board) is considered employment. Policies and requirements vary according to the student's visa status, her program of study at Mount Holyoke, and the nature of the work.

Most international students at Mount Holyoke are on the F-1 or J-1 visa, and DHS regulations do allow for a limited amount of work off-campus for these students, under certain conditions. Students must meet specific requirements regarding their status with INS and at Mount Holyoke, the work must be related to their major at Mount Holyoke, and they must apply in advance for permission to accept employment. In some cases, it can take two months or more to obtain permission to work, so students should plan well ahead. For information about Curricular Practical Training for F-1 students, click here.

In the case of work within the Five Colleges, the Twelve College Exchange, and certain other institutions with which Mount Holyoke is affiliated, employment regulations may be different; please contact the McCullogh Center for Global Initiatives for specific information.

Students on non-immigrant visas other than F-1 or J-1 may or may not be able to accept paid employment, either on campus or off, depending on the type of visa.

Students who are considering applying for internships or other work off campus should check with their school's International Students office for details about their eligibility to work and the procedures to apply for permission.

Many companies also hire non-US citizens in internships.

- The German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) - offers summer internships in Germany for American and Canadian undergraduate students in the fields of biology, chemistry, physics, earth sciences and engineering. MHC Biology majors can obtain more information at the Biology department office and website for other fields.

- Pfizer Global Research & Development - Requires OPT

- Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory (CSHL) Summer Undergraduate Research Program (SURP)

- Notre Dame university, Physics REU - For more information contact Rebecca Barlow: rjbarlow at mtholyoke.edu.

- Cerro Tololo Inter-American Observatory (CTIO), Spring REU in Chile - Accepts international students, assuming your country supports their research. The countries I can name off the top of my head: the Aussies, USA, Brazil, Chile, Mexico, Great Britian, Germany, Italy, Canada, Denmark, Holland, South Africa, Russia... For more information contact Rebecca Barlow: rjbarlow at mtholyoke.edu.

For Mount Holyoke Students:

The Howard Hughes Grant to the Mount Holyoke College offers summer internships to MHC students (international students are elligible).

Summer Research in Chemistry at Mount Holyoke College has funds for MHC students who are not US citizens.

Any scientist with a research grant has the possibility of hiring non-US citizens in an internship. Although the REU grants are only for US citizens, departments with this type of grant often have other funds for internships for non-US citizens. You should apply to many places and use contacts vigorously.

International MHC Student Internship Testimonials:

Melissa Hector, ‘06
Stanford Summer Research Program
How she secured internship: I visited the website, downloaded the application and applied Recommended: HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!
Comments: Its great reserach, great people, nice setting and they provide lots of activities on the weekends, workshops and grad school application help.

Tsering Lama, ‘07
Howard Hughes Research Program at MHC
How she secured internship: Information from biology department
Recommend: Yes
Comments: It is great for an international student because you get to experience first hand research with professors here and also get paid without having to use OPT. The application process can be competing but i recommend it.

A Zin Oo, ‘06
Genzyme Coporation.
How she secured internship: Through attending BSCP (Harvard Biomedical Science Career Program).
Recommend: Yes
Comments: The internship was a good experience except that you have to find your own housing and transportation. Good pay.

Sonja Zujo, ‘06
La Selva Biological Statio, Costa Rica
How she secured internship: An MHC alum who is doing her masters degree sent an e-mail to the biology department.
Recommend: Yes
Comments: The internship was next to the Braulio Carrillo National Park, and it is the most amazing place I have ever seen in my life! Everything around you is so fascinating, and there are plenty of scientists to tell you about the million species of plants and animals you see every day.

Piya Sircar, ‘06
Mayo Clinic, Rochester MN (SURF program)
How she secured internship: Heard through other MHC students and applied (info can be found online)
Recommend: Highly, highly
Comments: I know of a number of other MHC international students who have been participated or been accepted into this program. Its pays $4000 for a period of 10 weeks and they are very accommodating of international students.