Spring 2026
Application Deadline
Feb 1, 2025 0 Months
4 Weeks
2 Days
The Department of Government offers a domestic study program in the Greater Washington metropolitan region.
This program offers students the experience of interning in a political office or organization in combination with a course of study designed to place the individual's internship experience in a general academic perspective. The course work consists of two regularly scheduled seminars (Government 94 and 95) and a weekly journal evaluation of the internship experience. Students and the professor reside and take courses at an apartment complex situated nearby in Virginia.
The main courses offered in the program generally cover contemporary political affairs, public policy, and political institutions. The precise content of the courses varies depending on the academic specialty of the Dartmouth faculty in residence.
A guest speaker series, which includes people from all around the Washington metropolitan area, is an important feature that occurs weekly, as well as outings related to the course material.
Participation is open to all students, although the majority of participants in the past have been government majors.
This is a rigorous program that involves working at an internship four days a week, taking two regular Dartmouth seminars, and an independent study focused on connecting the internship experience with the academic study. In addition to working Monday through Thursday, students take classes 2-3 times a week in the evenings. Fridays are reserved for outings, visits to meet with guest speakers, and meetings with the professor.
Students are expected to take the initiative to develop their own internship prospects based on their specific interests prior to submitting applications. The internships need to be connected to politics in some way. Past internships have included working in Congress, executive branch offices, courts, NGOs and nonprofit organizations, lobbying organizations, political consultants, mass media, and development agencies. The faculty director will help identify potential internships based on the list of employers who have taken program students in the past. The faculty director will provide students with a letter describing the program and guide students in writing resumes and cover letters.
Students applying for internships need to tell prospective employers that they are available to work an eight-hour day Monday through Thursday from the end of March to the beginning of June.
Please note: International students in F-1 status must select an internship that directly relates to their major, as listed on the Form I-20 at the time of DSP participation, in order to be eligible for Curricular Practical Training (CPT*) work authorization. F-1 students should contact OVIS with any questions.
*CPT work authorization will be required for students on F-1 Visas who participate in GOVT 93.
About 14 students are selected for the program. Students also apply directly to internships.
For more information about applying for this program, see our webpage on How to Apply & our FAQs under section 2 (How to Apply: Application)
GOVT | 94
American Social Movements
GOVT | 95
Human Rights and Foreign Policy in the United States
For more course information please see the department website.
One introductory course in Government or public policy or related field will qualify students to apply.
*CPT work authorization will be required for students on F-1 Visas who participate in GOVT 93.
GOVT | 94
American Social Movements
GOVT | 95
Human Rights and Foreign Policy in the United States
For more course information please see the department website.
One introductory course in Government or public policy or related field will qualify students to apply.
*CPT work authorization will be required for students on F-1 Visas who participate in GOVT 93.
Students live in shared, self-catered apartments/flats equipped with kitchen facilities for preparing meals. Students should expect to share a bedroom and bathroom with other students. The apartment complex is situated nearby DC in Virginia. All students committed to this program will complete a housing preference form for shared housing and roommate placements.
For more information, please see the department website.
The fees charged by the College for a Dartmouth-sponsored off-campus term of study include regular tuition charges for a term at Dartmouth, service fees, as well as the specific costs established for each off-campus study locale. In many programs, the room and board costs tend to be higher than for a term in Hanover. You can view a budget sheet for each program by clicking on the appropriate term under "Financing Your Program". The cost of transportation to and from the site is the responsibility of the student.
In order that all qualified Dartmouth undergraduate students may have the opportunity to take part in off-campus programs, the College endeavors to adjust its normal financial aid awards for students already receiving aid. Tuition and expected family contribution for Dartmouth's off-campus programs are the same as for an on-campus term.
Students are responsible for purchasing their own plane tickets and, in many cases, meals. Often, families find that they owe less for billable items for study away terms but will instead use more of their expected family contribution towards indirect costs such as the flight and meals. For help sorting out who pays what and how, contacting the Financial Aid office is often advisable.
Financing your program | Financial Aid | Scholarships | Budgeting & Costs