Westat, a private employee-owned social science research firm in Rockville, Maryland, is seeking individuals who are interested in getting experience and learning about social science research as applied in the "real world." Our internship program is for individuals who hold a bachelor’s degree and are already in a master’s or doctoral degree program or who plan to attend graduate school. The internship is for the following disciplines: child welfare, criminal justice, education, human factors, psychology, public health, substance abuse prevention and treatment, and transportation. It is strongly recommended that the applicant has taken courses in statistics and research methods.
Successful candidates will work with existing project teams and participate in tasks such as conducting focus groups, analyzing qualitative and quantitative data, writing findings, planning steps in a research project, writing proposals, conducting interviews, and other project-related activities. Each intern will also have a professional-level staff member serve as his or her mentor to oversee the experience. Mentors and interns will meet on a regular basis to explore the experience, examine various issues that have arisen, and discuss their professional development. Another component of the internship program is a weekly seminar series that includes a description of Westat’s research areas and projects, and topics related to the fundamentals of working in a research environment such as knowing about contracts, grants, and research ethics.
Time Frame: The internship program runs for 10 weeks, from the first week of June through mid-August. Applications will be accepted now through February 28.
Compensation: $17 per hour
Qualifications:
- BA or BS in child welfare, criminal justice, education, human factors, psychology, public health, substance abuse prevention and treatment, or transportation
- Enrolled in or plans to attend a related master’s or doctoral program
- Research experience
- Course work in research methods
- Course work in and working knowledge of basic statistics
- Facility in MS Windows, SPSS and/or SAS, Excel, and Word
*Although not listed, ECON students are encouraged to apply
Application Procedure: To apply, go to www.westat.com/jobs and enter the Job ID 7802BR in the space provided.
