Summer 2024 PhD Internship Cohort

This summer, a wide variety of offices, programs, and centers at Boston University will sponsor internships for PhD students across various disciplines. To help our students get the most out of these valuable experiences, PDPA will be facilitating a PhD Internship Cohort/learning community. The benefits of the team-based learning model are illustrated by considerable research, which demonstrates that peer learning and the support systems it provides can significantly enhance students’ experiential learning opportunities. The Summer 2024 PhD Internship Cohort will utilize both synchronous and asynchronous components.

While any BU doctoral students participating in summer internships may register for the cohort, participation is required for all interns with the Center for the Humanities, Center for Innovation in Social Science, Graduate School of Arts & Sciences, and Professional Development & Postdoctoral Affairs.

PhD Progression Internship Preparation Pathway

PhD Progression is an online micro-credentialing platform designed specifically for doctoral students at BU. Through short learning modules, students can explore and develop skills to supplement their doctoral education. We have created the Internship Preparation pathway to provide summer interns with scaffolded learning modules to support them in and prepare them for their internships.

This pathway has four steps: Career Planning, Preparing for the Work Environment, Professional Growth, and Collaboration Tools. Interns should complete the individual modules in these steps before or early on in their internships. 

Cohort Meetings

During the spring semester, PDPA will host two meetings of the entire cohort prior to the start of their internships. These meetings will give interns a chance to meet each other, share expectations for their internship experiences, and set goals for professional and personal growth over the course of the summer. 

While interns are engaged in their work during the summer months, PDPA will host informal, coffee chats at varying times every two weeks. These meetings, which will be offered both in person and via Zoom, will provide interns an opportunity to connect with colleagues about the positive aspects of their work, challenges they are facing, and shared experiences in their internship placements. Interns will be required to attend at least one drop-in session during the summer.

Closing Reception

At the end of the summer, mentors and host sites will be invited to a reception at Boston University to meet each other and hear about the work their interns have conducted over the summer. Interns will be required to present lightning talks on their internship experiences. More information on these talks closer to the reception date.