The Washington Center
Welcome to the UCA Liaison’s website for The Washington Center (TWC) for Internships and Academic Seminars. If you are interested in completing a professional internship in your field of study, the Academic Internship Program may be for you!
The Washington Center also sponsors Academic Seminars, including the Inside Washington 2022 seminar on January 2-10, 2022. This one-week seminar will give you a behind-the-scenes look at the nation’s capital. Combining lectures, site visits, tours and special events, it is one of the best ways to see the impact of the political process and learn how national leaders address important issues.
Academic Internship Program
The internship program consists of three components for which students earn UCA credit hours: (1) Internship – three to six credit hours; (2) Academic Course – three credit hours; and (3) Career Readiness – three credit hours. All students approved for the internship program must participate in all three component regardless of the term. See Program Components for more information.
Application Process
All UCA students, including international students, citizens, and permanent residents, who are at least sophomores (30 or more credit hours) with a minimum GPA of 2.50 may apply for the internship program (students with a GPA of less than 2.75 must include a letter of recommendation in their applications for the program). Prior to applying for the internship program, UCA students are required to meet with at least one of their academic advisors (major and minor) in order to determine whether or not the program fits into their academic degree plan. UCA students may also discuss the internship program with a department internship coordinator. An academic advisor or a department internship coordinator is required to complete and sign a student’s UCA Coursework Form before the application may be approved for the internship program. During the period of the internship program, participants from UCA must be full-time students enrolled in twelve UCA credit hours (fall/spring) or nine credit hours (summer) related to the program. See Application Procedures and Deadlines for more information.
Deadlines
The early deadline for applying for the Spring 2022 internship program (January 25 – April 29, 2022) is October 6, 2021 and the regular deadline is November 3, 2021. The early deadline for the Summer 2022 internship program (June 7 to August 5, 2022) is February 16, 2022 and the regular deadline is March 16, 2022. The early deadline for the Fall 2022 internship program (August 30 to December 2, 2022) is April 6, 2022 and the regular deadline is May 4, 2022.
Fees
There is a program fee for all students participating in the internship program. Students may choose to live in TWC’s residential facility in Washington DC or live at home in Arkansas. Students choosing to live in the residential facility also pay a housing fee. See Program and Housing Fees for more information. The State of Arkansas provides a limited number of scholarships to U.S. citizens and Arkansas residents participating in the internship program. Recipients must be Arkansas residents and enrolled at UCA to be considered for the $7,000 award. In addition, UCA students are not billed for UCA tuition and fees for the courses related to the internship program – twelve credit hours in the fall/spring and nine credit hours in the summer. Program and housing fees (if applicable) are paid directly by students to The Washington Center. For some UCA students, the tuition/fee waiver, scholarship, and financial aid, make it possible to participate in the internship program for a semester for approximately the same cost as a semester at UCA.
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For more information, please contact:
Dr. Mark Mullenbach, UCA Liaison
Department of Political Science
Irby Hall 217
markm@uca.edu
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