​​​Interns and Co-ops

Every day at MITRE will be a new adventure. You'll meet people filled with passion for their work, you'll encounter the latest advances in research and technology, and you'll discover career opportunities you may not have known about.

And you'll make new friends! Compare notes and swap stories with your fellow interns and co-ops at MITRE-sponsored social events, networking functions, and project expos.

Whether you're an intern pursuing a summer work experience or a cooperative education student pursuing work related to your major or career goal, you'll work side by side with senior staff on crucial sponsor programs. Since intern and co-op assignments can lead to full-time positions following graduation, MITRE will give you the chance to prove what you can do.

Each summer, in addition to a meaningful work experience, our 500+ new and returning interns have the opportunity to build new skills by participating in our premier Learning Track Program. Students will also attend technical talks, network with each other, participate in mentorship programs with MITRE staff, and make connections that last.

View our current list of opportunities.

At MITRE, we are looking for students with sustained academic excellence who demonstrate that they're curious, constant learners and who have a demonstrated interest in serving the public.

We hire a lot of computer science-related majors and electrical and computer engineers. We have an increasing need for cybersecurity student experts and those with an analytics and data science education and/or experience. Additionally, we're starting to complement our intern population with critical thinkers studying the behavioral sciences and humanities—individuals who bring a different perspective for the challenges ahead. We also value students with an interdisciplinary education or experience.

Most of our interns are rising college juniors or seniors, but we hire exceptional students at every level, even in high school. Many work for MITRE for multiple years. Graduate students make up about 15% of our population; many of them help mentor our more junior students.

Many intern and new grad positions are located in either Bedford, MA or McLean, VA.  But we have an increasing presence at our newly developed Innovation Hubs.  These are regionally based hubs designed to expand MITRE’s reach, enable us to engage with new and diverse talent, create new strategic partnerships, leverage new markets and contribute to the socio-economic strength of the surrounding communities.  We also have over 50 other sites across the nation.  We will try to find the best location for you. View all of MITRE's locations.

Our internships last 10-12 weeks. You will work with your manager to identify one of three starting dates in late May or early June (high school students may start later) and one of three end dates in late July or early August.

Most internships don't require a clearance. But when you graduate, we want you to start your career with MITRE, and for many positions you would need a clearance.  There are some positions available for individuals that are authorized to work permanently in the U.S.

Due to the nature of our work, MITRE does not hire students who will need sponsorship to work in the U.S. either now or in the future.

If you will not be considered for an internship this year, we will let you know by early November. If you do not hear back from us by November, please know that we continue hiring through spring. So those students under consideration will remain in the pool for hiring managers to review until then. MITRE has a very competitive program--If you don’t make it into the program this summer, keep learning and gaining skills and apply again.

Students scheduled to graduate within 12 months after their internship may receive an offer for full-time employment. MITRE converts over half of our interns to full-time employees.