What is the Military Extension Internship Program’s mission?
With the help of the Department of Defense and USDA the Military Extension Internship Program helps university students and recent graduates gain professional skills through unique internships that provide real-world work experience with military child and youth programs. These professional skills will help past interns competitively enter the workforce and have already done so for several past interns.

What is involved in the internship?
With the help of a mentor, interns work in child development centers, school age programs, or youth centers on military installations. Depending upon where interns are located, they complete different tasks related to child, youth, and family programs. Throughout their internship they enhance programmatic or childcare efforts, connect families with support systems, and engage new youth/families in programs.

Interns are also required to spend at least four hours each week on professional development and necessary recording tasks in the form of professional development hours. These hours give them time to complete internship requirements such as a journal of their experience and a capstone report. To gain a better understanding of the jobs the interns complete please see the Intern Profiles page or the Job Descriptions.

These internships will provide experiences and information that ultimately aid interns’ pursuits of professional careers and their ability to work in and advocate for additional childcare and youth programs in the U.S.

Interns will work with mentors/supervisors in their field throughout their experience and are highly encouraged to seek academic credit from their universities for the internship.

Where are interns placed?
Everywhere! There is no one specific place interns are normally assigned; interns have had assignments throughout the United States and several other countries. An applicant’s placement preferences are also taken into consideration when a placement location is chosen. Should you wish to know more specifically where placements have been, please see this Google map.

View Internship Placements in a larger map.

What are the time commitments for the internship and how will interns be compensated?
Fall and spring interns are asked to make at least a 15 week commitment to the program. Summer interns must commit to at least 10 weeks of work beginning in May. All interns work 40 hours a week. There may be some early morning, night, and weekend hours depending on the scheduled events and activities on the installation. 

Weekly internship hours depend on internship location and duties. Hours will be agreed upon by the intern and mentor. Interns are required to attend an orientation conference prior to the internship, the cost of which will be covered by the program.

Compensation varies by military branch. Interns will receive an hourly wage or weekly stipend to cover basic living expenses.  However, interns will not be compensation prior to the internship for any expenses related to their internship placement.  Compensation may not be immediate after starting the internship due to processing all the needed documents for payment. 

Am I eligible to apply?
To apply to the program you must:

• be a U.S. citizen or permanent resident
• have a GPA of at least 2.75/4.0
• have completed at least four semesters of college classes by the beginning of the internship
• be majoring in childcare, youth development, recreation, management, or a similar program
• plan to pursue a professional career similar to your major such as those within education, child or youth programs, or family services

How do I apply?
The application consists of five equally important components: two recommendation forms filled out by appropriate sources, an application form, your transcripts from any university or college where you have been a degree seeking student, and an essay less than 600 words long which describes your background and career goals, what you can bring to the program, and what you hope to gain from an internship. See more details about applying by clicking the Application tab at the top of the page or recommendations for filling out your application by clicking the Checklist tab at the top of the page.

Please think about the following when completing your application and preferencing your branch and placement locations:

What happens once I submit my application?
Once the Military Extension Internship Program office receives all of the components of your application you are sent an email. To see what happens to your application after you receive the email please view the Prezi presentation below.

Can I gain academic credit for this internship?
In most cases, yes. However, the Air Force and Army are more likely to provide academic credit than the Navy. Due to the nature of many academic requirements the specific military installations sign off on any academic agreements. It is your personal responsibility to provide BOTH your mentor and the Military Extension Internship Program with the specific requirements needed to receive academic credit for your institution.  Tuition/fees required by your institution for academic credit are also your personal responsibility.

What if I have additional questions?
Please reference the FAQ page or feel free to contact Jessica Wandless at jwandles@purdue.edu.