Thesis and Internship Funding

Opportunities through Campus Partners: UChicagoGRAD, the Institute of Politics, and the International Innovation Corps all offer opportunities for internships which can be self-designed or secured through competitive application processes.

CIR Internship and Summer Research Funding: CIR offers internal funding on a competitive basis for students who have secured internships relevant to their future career goals that are unpaid or require significant out-of-pocket expense. This fund also covers summer travel related to master’s thesis research and can also be used to help defray costs associated with the pursuit of extracurricular career training or preparation programs, such as language or data science programs.

Self-designed and competitive opportunities will be given priority over opt-in fee-based programs. All funding requests should be submitted as a single pdf document to the Director of Career Services.  The early deadline for funding requests is March 15, and the regular deadline is May 15.  Students may submit multiple applications for funding and request up to USD 4,000.

Supporting materials for internship funding:

  • A professional resume
  • Job/project/program description (250 words max)
  • Statement of interest (500 words max). Demonstrate why your background, experience, work in CIR, and career goals align with the scope of the opportunity. Be as specific as you can and state clearly how much money you are requesting.
  • Letter of Intent from the host or partner organization.  The letter should detail start and end date, number of hours, location, and pay, if any. 

Supporting materials for MA thesis research funding:

  • An academic CV
  • A project abstract (250 words max)
  • A project narrative (2,000 words max). Outline the research question(s), research design, importance of the item(s) for which you seek funding, and qualifications to execute the project with success
  • An annotated budget with estimates of spending
  • Contact information for a faculty sponsor, most likely your MA thesis faculty reader. No letter of recommendation is required, but students must identify a member of the faculty who is familiar with the work and can speak to the feasibility and promise of the proposed project.

Supporting materials for funding of extra-curricular activities:

  • An academic CV or professional resume
  • Project/program description (250 words max.)
  • Statement of interest (500 words max). Demonstrate why your background, experience, work in CIR, and career goals align with the scope of the opportunity. Be as specific as you can and state clearly how much money you are requesting.
  • Proof of employment or enrollment
  • Contact information for an employer or program administrator.