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Graduate student internship education requirements

Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read

There are several educational requirements to become a graduate student internship. Graduate student interns usually study psychology, communication disorders sciences, or speech-language pathology. 72% of graduate student interns hold a bachelor's degree, and 24% hold an master's degree. We analyzed 3,446 real graduate student internship resumes to see exactly what graduate student internship education sections show.

The most common colleges for graduate student interns are the University of California, Santa Barbara and the University of California, Santa Barbara.

There are also many online graduate student internship courses to help get the education required to be a graduate student internship.

What education do you need to become a graduate student internship?

What degree do you need to be a graduate student internship?

The most common degree for graduate student interns is bachelor's degree, with 72% of graduate student interns earning that degree. The second and third most common degree levels are master's degree degree at 24% and master's degree degree at 3%.
  • Bachelor's, 72%
  • Master's, 24%
  • Associate, 3%
  • Doctorate, 1%
  • Other Degrees, 0%

What should I major in to become a graduate student internship?

You should major in psychology to become a graduate student internship. 20% of graduate student interns major in psychology. Other common majors for a graduate student internship include communication disorders sciences and speech-language pathology.

Most common colleges for graduate student interns

Graduate student interns often get their degrees at University of California, Santa Barbara, University of California - Davis, and New York University. Here are the most common colleges for graduate student interns in the US based on their resumes.
Graduate student internship common collegePercentages
University of California, Santa Barbara9.48%
University of California - Davis7.34%
New York University6.73%
University of Central Florida6.73%
Ball State University5.81%

Best majors for graduate student interns

Best colleges for graduate student interns

The best colleges for graduate student interns are Washington University in St Louis, Boston University, and Columbia University in the City of New York.

A graduate student internship with advanced education typically earns a higher salary and has access to better jobs. That's why Zippia looked into the best colleges for graduate student interns. We based this list on several metrics: admissions rate, retention rate, mean earnings of graduates, the ratio of working vs. non-working students ten years after admission, the average cost of attendance, and median debt for graduates who become graduate student interns.

1. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Chapel Hill, NC • Private

In-state tuition

$8,987

Enrollment

18,946

2. Columbia University in the City of New York

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$59,430

Enrollment

8,216

3. Washington University in St Louis

Saint Louis, MO • Private

In-state tuition

$53,399

Enrollment

7,356

4. University of Texas at Austin

Austin, TX • Private

In-state tuition

$10,610

Enrollment

40,329

5. California State University - Long Beach

Long Beach, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,798

Enrollment

31,503

6. San Diego State University

San Diego, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$7,488

Enrollment

30,018

7. Case Western Reserve University

Cleveland, OH • Private

In-state tuition

$49,042

Enrollment

5,131

8. Florida State University

Tallahassee, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$5,656

Enrollment

32,072

9. University of Wisconsin - Madison

Madison, WI • Private

In-state tuition

$10,555

Enrollment

30,360

10. Hunter College of the City University of New York

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$7,182

Enrollment

16,205

20 best online courses for graduate student interns

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5. Health for All Through Primary Health Care

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Top 10 most affordable universities for graduate student interns

The most affordable schools for graduate student interns are Hunter College of the City University of New York, california state university - long beach, and brigham young university.

If the best universities for graduate student interns are out of your price range, check out these affordable schools. After factoring in in-state tuition and fees, the average cost of attendance, admissions rate, average net price, and mean earnings after six years, we found that these are the most affordable schools for graduate student interns.

1. Hunter College of the City University of New York

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$7,182

Cost of attendance

13,998

2. California State University - Long Beach

Long Beach, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,798

Cost of attendance

18,306

3. Brigham Young University

Provo, UT • Private

In-state tuition

$5,620

Cost of attendance

18,136

4. Florida International University

Miami, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,556

Cost of attendance

19,434

5. California State University - Los Angeles

Los Angeles, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,749

Cost of attendance

14,823

6. Florida State University

Tallahassee, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$5,656

Cost of attendance

21,623

7. Minot State University

Minot, ND • Private

In-state tuition

$7,064

Cost of attendance

15,576

8. California State University - Fullerton

Fullerton, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,886

Cost of attendance

17,645

9. Lehman College of the City University of New York

Bronx, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$7,210

Cost of attendance

14,359

10. Florida Atlantic University

Boca Raton, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$4,831

Cost of attendance

19,559

Top 10 hardest universities to get into for graduate student interns

The hardest universities for graduate student interns to get into are Washington University in St Louis, Boston University, and Columbia University in the City of New York.

Some great schools for graduate student interns are hard to get into, but they also set your career up for greater success. The list below shows the most challenging universities to get into for graduate student interns based on an institution's admissions rates, average SAT scores accepted, median ACT scores accepted, and mean earnings of students six years after admission.

1. Washington University in St Louis

Saint Louis, MO • Private

Admissions rate

15%

SAT average

1,506

2. Boston University

Boston, MA • Private

Admissions rate

22%

SAT average

1,420

3. Columbia University in the City of New York

New York, NY • Private

Admissions rate

6%

SAT average

1,512

4. Case Western Reserve University

Cleveland, OH • Private

Admissions rate

29%

SAT average

1,443

5. New York University

New York, NY • Private

Admissions rate

20%

SAT average

1,419

6. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Chapel Hill, NC • Private

Admissions rate

23%

SAT average

1,398

7. Syracuse University

Syracuse, NY • Private

Admissions rate

50%

SAT average

1,284

8. Northwestern University

Evanston, IL • Private

Admissions rate

8%

SAT average

1,508

9. SUNY Stony Brook

Stony Brook, NY • Private

Admissions rate

42%

SAT average

1,326

10. Baylor University

Waco, TX • Private

Admissions rate

39%

SAT average

1,307

Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for graduate student interns

The easiest schools for graduate student interns to get into are Our Lady of the Lake University, college of new rochelle, the, and texas woman's university.

Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as a graduate student internship without much hassle, check out the list of schools where you will be accepted in no time. We compiled admissions rates, average SAT scores, average ACT scores, and average salary of students six years after graduation to uncover which were the easiest schools to get into for graduate student interns.

1. Our Lady of the Lake University

San Antonio, TX • Private

Admissions rate

93%

SAT average

1,002

2. College of New Rochelle, The

New Rochelle, NY • Private

Admissions rate

83%

SAT average

982

3. Texas Woman's University

Denton, TX • Private

Admissions rate

87%

SAT average

1,059

4. Nyack College

New York, NY • Private

Admissions rate

98%

SAT average

999

5. San Francisco State University

San Francisco, CA • Private

Admissions rate

72%

SAT average

1,054

6. Mount Saint Mary's University

Los Angeles, CA • Private

Admissions rate

84%

SAT average

1,031

7. Iona College

New Rochelle, NY • Private

Admissions rate

88%

SAT average

1,089

8. Texas A&M University - Kingsville

Kingsville, TX • Private

Admissions rate

89%

SAT average

1,035

9. Barry University

Miami, FL • Private

Admissions rate

91%

SAT average

1,006

10. California University of Pennsylvania

California, PA • Private

Admissions rate

97%

SAT average

1,007

Average graduate student internship salary by education level

Graduate student interns with a Doctorate degree earn more than those without, at $42,165 annually. With a Master's degree, graduate student interns earn a median annual income of $40,754 compared to $35,956 for graduate student interns with an Bachelor's degree.
Graduate student internship education levelGraduate student internship salary
Master's Degree$40,754
High School Diploma or Less$33,776
Bachelor's Degree$35,956
Doctorate Degree$42,165
Some College/ Associate Degree$34,445

Graduate student internship education FAQs

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Updated January 8, 2025

Zippia Research Team
Zippia Team

Editorial Staff

The Zippia Research Team has spent countless hours reviewing resumes, job postings, and government data to determine what goes into getting a job in each phase of life. Professional writers and data scientists comprise the Zippia Research Team.

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