Program Overview
Graduate Career Exploration Internships (GCEI) in University Administration are professional development internships designed for PhD students to explore career pathways beyond academia, specifically within the university sector. These internships offer students the opportunity to apply and expand their transferable skills in a work-integrated learning environment, gaining hands-on experience in areas such as administration, policy development, data exploration, student services, communications, and more.
GCEIs are intentionally structured to be distinct from a student’s academic research or thesis work. Instead, they focus on broadening career awareness and building competencies that are valuable across a range of professional roles in higher education institutions. These internships are ideal for graduate students who are curious about non-faculty careers in universities and who wish to contribute meaningfully to institutional projects while developing their own professional identity.
The Graduate Career Exploration Internships (GCEI) program provides graduate students with structured, short-term internship opportunities within university settings, aimed at exploring professional roles beyond academia. These internships are designed to help students identify and develop transferable skills, gain exposure to institutional operations, and build networks across diverse university departments.
GCEIs are not research-based and are not directly tied to a student’s dissertation work. Instead, they offer meaningful, project-based experiences in areas such as administration, student services, communications, policy, and strategic planning. The program supports graduate students in envisioning career paths within higher education institutions that do not involve faculty roles.
Internships are 12 weeks in length and are available in line with academic semesters, for a total of 120 hours. The rate of compensation is $35.85/hour.
Student Learning Outcomes:
- Interns will gain practical experience and a deeper understanding of administrative career pathways in post-secondary.
- Interns will be able to connect research and knowledge from doctoral studies to practical administrative opportunities.
- Interns will build professional skills and competencies to complement their academic progress
- Interns will network and collaborate with administrative professionals within the university
- Interns will reflect on experiences and build their portfolio to expand their CV and career opportunities
Students wishing to partake in the program must be a registered student in a PhD program within the defined length of their program at Brock University. They must be in good academic standing and must have completed their candidacy requirements.
*Reminder* any graduate student working more than 240 hours per academic term (to a maximum of 520 hours per academic year), must submit the extra hours form.
Fall Internships:
- Available roles posted – early August
- Deadline to submit application – August 14
- Invitation to interview by: August 21
- Interviews with host units: Week of August 24
- Positions begin – Week of September 14
- Positions conclude – Week of November 30
Winter Internships:
- Available roles posted – early November
- Deadline to submit application – November 13
- Invitation to interview by: November 20
- Interviews with host units: Week of November 23
- Positions begin – Week of January 11
- Positions conclude – Week of March 29
Students interested in participating in the GCEI program should review available job postings. You can apply for one or more internships but will only be able to participate in one internship.
Students should prepare a resume/CV and cover letter (a separate cover letter for each desired position is recommended) and submit using the application link below.