Most MIT students intern during the summer, but there is also interest to do short micro-internships during the winter break known as the Independent Activities Period (IAP). Typically departments do not offer academic credit for internships, and any requests to do so should be sent to the appropriate department’s academic administrator. Employers are encouraged to post internships in Handshake and consider these other programs and offices at MIT for recruiting interns.
- Hire a MIT Micro-intern
- MIT Internship Programs run outside of CAPD
- Department Recruiting Contacts
- UROP (MIT Undergraduate Research Opportunity Program)
- Student Financial Services (for part-time or seasonal jobs during the fall or spring semester)
To learn where MIT students have interned, their salaries and more please review our post-graduate and summer outcomes.
Unpaid Internships
To support all students at MIT, equity of access to internships is of great importance to CAPD. Employers seeking to benefit from a having a diverse workforce must consider compensation in order to be successful in recruiting talent, building your office culture around diversity, and retaining excellent workers. At MIT we seek that a student’s internship experience should be of no cost to them. If a salary or stipend is a challenge for your organization, consider how you might be able to provide housing, travel to the workplace location, supplies to work remotely if needed, etc.
In addition to supporting equitable hiring practices, all employers should abide by the standards set forth under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA), a federal law that establishes minimum wages for work performed. In accordance with this law, the U.S. Department of Labor has developed seven criteria for differentiating between an employee and/or intern entitled to minimum wage or more, and an employee and/or intern who may be legally unpaid. In addition, MIT supports the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE) position on unpaid internships, and will not approve unpaid positions posted that are not in accordance with the FLSA and NACE guidelines.
International Internships
Employers seeking to offer internships outside of the United States have the following resources available to them, in addition to posting the opportunities in Handshake.
- MIT International Science and Technology Initiatives (MISTI) is MIT’s hub for global experiences, providing immersive international programs that bring MIT’s one-of-a-kind learning model to life in countries around the world. MISTI empowers students to build cultural connections, make an impact in the world, and gain valuable perspectives that inform their education, career, and worldview. Working closely with a network of premier corporations, universities, and research institutes, MISTI matches hundreds of students each year with global Internships that provide real-world work experience through fully funded professional and research placements in more than 40 countries. Learn more about how your company can participate.
- The Asian Career Fair is a spring semester recruiting event run by the MIT Asian Club to connect Asia-based employers and ambitious students at MIT, Harvard, and other universities in the Northeastern area.
- The European Career Fair is a spring semester recruiting event by the MIT European Club that brings together students from a number of colleges and universities and offers employers that have headquarters and/or significant operations in Europe, as well as European universities and governmental organizations, the opportunity to meet and recruit candidates from MIT and beyond.
