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!

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 2.75 may apply for the internship 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 2023 internship program (January 24 – April 28, 2023) is October 12, 2022 and the regular deadline is November 2, 2022.  The early deadline for the Summer 2023 internship program (June 6 to August 4, 2023) is February 15, 2023 and the regular deadline is March 15, 2023.  The early deadline for the Fall 2023 internship program (August 29 to December 1, 2023) is March 29, 2023 and the regular deadline is April 26, 2023.

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 TWC residential facility in Washington DC 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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