Internships

text says: Career, Ready, Set, GO

An internship is still one of the best ways to land a full-time job. 

Practicum, field placement, internship—no matter what you call it, work-based learning is a critical part of any student’s career preparation. Not only do these experiences introduce students to their chosen careers and help confirm or rule out job choices, they are the surest path to a full-time job. “Employers are more likely to convert interns to new hires than any other kind of positions,” says Saskia Campbell, executive director of University Career Services (UCS) at George Mason University. “That’s their recruitment strategy. That’s their pipeline.” And Campbell says George Mason students are in demand.

Beyond George Mason's job search platform, Handshake, students find internships by leveraging their personal connections and relationships with faculty who have close ties to federal agencies, government contractors, and nonprofit organizations in the Washington, D.C., area.

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Hear from George Mason students about their experiences

“When one door closes, open another”: This Costello student is making his way in the music industry

Learn about Cody's summer internship experience running social media for Capitol Dystrikt Music

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Featured Stories

George Mason University Student Internships

  • June 2, 2026
    Aayush Yadav co-authored a paper that received a Distinguished Paper Award from the IEEE Symposium on Security and Privacy, one of the industry’s premier conferences in the security field.
  • May 15, 2026
    Senior information technology major Crystal Forson likes to joke that her parents have been in school with her the whole time—"just without the studying.” Their support, she said, has been constant, from eighth grade when she joined the George Mason University’s Early Identification Program (EIP), all the way through graduation this May.
  • May 12, 2026
    In May 2026, Duong Thuy Nguyen is graduating with a 4.0 GPA, an Academic Excellence Award from her department, and a Capstone team leadership under her belt. In the fall, she’ll be back as a graduate student in George Mason’s accelerated bachelor’s-to-master’s program.
  • May 12, 2026
    When George Mason University senior Avery Butler was 16, his family traveled to Cambodia to visit the Killing Fields, the massacre sites associated with the country’s brutal Khmer Rouge era. The experience would change Butler’s perspective on life and inspire him to pursue a professional career in peacebuilding.
  • May 12, 2026
    For Honors College student and University Scholar Monica Amaya, the journey to a degree isn’t just about the final walk across the stage—it’s about a promise she made to her family and herself years ago.
  • May 7, 2026
    There are few George Mason University students as busy as senior Rakibul Alam. A senior majoring in business and concentrating on management and marketing, Alam has become one of the most visible student leaders in the Costello College of Business, where he works as a marketing and communications intern. Recently he was among the speakers welcoming the community at Fuse’s grand celebration in September at Mason Square.
  • May 1, 2026
    Recently, the College of Education and Human Development (CEHD) at George Mason University marked the 20th anniversary of the Mason LIFE program. To celebrate, a luncheon was held at the Center for the Arts that brought together alumni, families, faculty, and community partners in a powerful show of community and commitment. 
  • April 10, 2026
    George Mason University’s Commonwealth Cyber Initiative (CCI) Northern Virginia (NoVa) Node recently received a $150,793 grant from the Virginia Innovation Partnership Authority for “CCI Scholars – High School Experiential Learning Program FY26,” a seven-week high school summer internship program for rising seniors and recent graduates of Northern Virginia public high schools.
  • April 3, 2026
    For George Mason University baseball player Evan Blanchard, success isn’t just measured in hits and RBIs. During his internship with Mason Athletics’ marketing department, the third baseman helped design a promotional campaign that brought hundreds of fans—and a surge in attendance—to a men’s basketball rivalry game.
  • April 1, 2026
    Gabriella Grabovska came to the United States in 2022 just after Russia invaded her homeland of Ukraine. The Kyiv native’s first visit to the United States was as a George Mason University student in the Schar School of Policy and Government. Now, four years later, she’s leaving with ambition, experience, and a clear mission.
  • March 31, 2026
    In spring 2024, during his internship with MHCR, Jonathan Fang and his supervisor, Rowda Olad, a mental health and psychosocial support expert and associate director of the MHCR, came upon the idea of developing a series of student-focused conversations on difficult, but relevant topics to students and inviting different cultural and ethnic student groups to participate.
  • March 2, 2026
    This academic year, George Mason University graduate student Samantha “Chevi” Chung has had a research opportunity that few have had by participating in a yearlong workshop at the Folger Shakespeare Library.
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Handshake is Mason's job search site, where you can find on-campus, part-time, work-study, internships, and full-time jobs related to your major, interests, and skills. Log in with your Mason credentials and get started by completing your profile.

 

 

Internship doesn’t pay? Mason’s got you covered 

 

Learn more about the Scholarship for Unpaid Internships > 


“Employers are more likely to convert interns to new hires than any other kind of positions.

 

~ Saskia Campbell, executive director, George Mason University Career Services