Graduate / Fellowships & InternshipsThe Crown Family Internship
This elective program permits doctoral candidates to gain practical experience in industry or at national laboratories in areas closely related to their research. These internships can provide impetus for the intern’s thesis and may provide future employment. McCormick requires funded students to register for Crown Family any time they are away from their program to pursue an internship. TGS 512 is not a permissible alternative registration.
Students accepted to this program register for CRDV 510, a non-credit, non-tuition-bearing course. This registration allows health benefits to be maintained, permits loans to be deferred, and provides evidence of the internship on transcripts. Up to three quarters of CRDV 510 are allowed throughout a student’s PhD program, but no more than two quarters may be consecutive.
About the Internship
Eligible internships can be three- or six-month full-time positions and must be paid. Crown Internship eligibility is determined by the student’s PhD adviser and the Director of PhD Program Administration. Internship experiences cannot inhibit progress towards degree and are not grounds for milestone extensions.
Students only qualify for the Crown Internship after having successfully passed their qualifying exams. Exception requests must be directed to the Director of PhD Program Administration.
Internship performance will be evaluated by the student’s internship supervisor and must be submitted at the end of each quarter. Evaluations should be 3-5 sentences in length and are required to receive a grade for CRDV 510. Internship supervisors should send evaluations to mccormick-gradprograms@northwestern.edu; evaluations will be shared with the student’s PI and McCormick’s Director of PhD Program Administration.
We recognize that internship dates do not always line up with the quarter. If you have an internship for half (or more) of an academic quarter, we advise you to register for CRDV 510 and work with your department to resume funding upon your return.
Who Should Apply?
The program is open to McCormick PhD students who have passed their qualifying exams and are in good academic standing.
International students participating in this program must apply for Curricular Practical Training (CPT) authorization. For more information on applying for CPT, please visit the International Office’s website.
Application Process
To apply for the Crown Family Internship, please complete the application form and include your resume, offer letter, and unofficial transcript. This form will be sent to your advisor and McCormick’s Office of Graduate Studies for approval. If approved, you will receive a permission number to register for the given quarter.
You must apply every quarter you wish to register, even if you continue on the same internship. Permission numbers do not carry over and registration is dependent on this approval process.