U.S. State Dept., Questions and Answers about Internships Archive Site for State Department information prior to January 20, 2001. This site is not updated. A. Interns may be assigned to do research on political, economic, environmental or other issues. Some may help to organize a conference or visit of high-level officials.
Some interns write news stories, work on web pages or help produce electronic journals.
Others may be involved in educational and cultural exchange activities. Interns also help in the recruiting of U.S. speakers and specialists for overseas programs. The Department is looking for students with a broad range of majors, such as Business or Public Administration, Social Work, Economics, Information Management, Journalism, and the Biological and Physical Sciences, as well as those majors more traditionally identified with international affairs. It is important to remember that those who manage the Department's considerable resources and provide consular services are also diplomats and other professionals with skills that are critical to the conduct of foreign relations. Interns selected for internships abroad must provide proof of medical insurance coverage, to include medical evacuation and repatriation of remains, to the Intern Office or bureau coordinator prior to departure.