If you are interested in careers in industry or national laboratories, internships are a great way to explore these options during graduate school.
Many students do internships in the summer following their first, second, or third year. The internship needs to be discussed and approved with your field or research advisor. The SEAS stipend is suspended during the internship. The dates of your internship should be communicated to the Office of Academic Programs when you file your RA Agreement form.
For students interested in internships during the fall or spring semester, the situation is more complicated. The administration determines whether or not your internship requires a Leave of Absence (LOA) from GSAS, or if the internship’s parameters will allow you to register normally for that semester.
Factors that impact this decision include: location, dates, relevance of internship to academic progress, and source of pay (i.e., directly from the internship company or invoiced by SEAS). For example, if the internship is outside of the Boston area, it may be possible to register as a Traveling Scholar. For the difference between Traveling Scholar and LOA status, please see the GSAS websites:
https://www.gsas.harvard.edu/current_students/non-resident_status.php
In addition, there are strict deadlines to follow for completing the LOA process that are detailed here:
https://www.gsas.harvard.edu/current_students/timeline_of_non-resident_process.php
If you are required to go on leave of absence (LOA), your health insurance with HUHS is no longer covered during the entire period of your LOA. In terms of the Student Health Plan, the LOA remains in effect from Aug 1 – Jan 31 for the fall term and Feb 1 – July 31 for the spring term even if your internship does not last the entirety of these durations. You will be financially responsible for your health insurance for those 6 month spans. If your insurance is not covered by your internship host and you remain in Massachusetts, this site provides information:
https://betterhealthconnector.com/
To maintain card access and library access, the facility fee (~$1,400 / semester in 2015) needs to be paid by your advisor while you are on LOA. The determination of LOA requirement is done on a case-by-case basis according to both SEAS and GSAS employment policies, so it is advised to ask questions to the Office of Academic Programs early on if you are considering an internship during the academic term.
For international students, being employed more than your visa expects and/or being on Leave of Absence each complicates your visa status, so you will need to consult with the Harvard International Office as well.
