Doctoral Internships as Pathways for Professional Growth and Publicly Engaged Scholarship in the Humanities and Social Sciences

This article examines a longstanding university-sponsored summer internship program for doctoral students in the humanities and social sciences at the University of Michigan’s Rackham Graduate School. Four years of student reflection data suggest that an internship is an enriching experiential learning opportunity that contributes to both students’ career development and their trajectories as publicly engaged scholars. Specifically, students shared that summer doctoral internships helped them hone their career interests, make connections between their scholarship and the public good, and expand their professional networks. Internships have potential as a promising practice for a more student-centered doctoral education that prepares students for a range of career paths. Graduate schools and universities can inspire students to impact the greater public good over the course of their careers, both within and outside academe. Rather than being a distraction from doctoral training and research, internships may further hone doctoral students’ scholarly and career development.