Graduate Internship

The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York offers a limited number of unpaid graduate-level internships during the spring, summer, and fall semesters for current graduate and advanced undergraduate students. Our graduate intern program exposes students to the daily operations of a premiere federal agency, located in one of the nation’s most influential cities.

Our Office offers graduate-level positions in the Special Agent Program, in both our Digital Forensics Unit and our all-source analysis CASE Team. This internship is appropriate for students in the New York City area pursuing degrees in fields such as criminal investigations, criminal justice, law, forensics, cybersecurity, intelligence, homeland security, international affairs, and accounting.   

More information about the work of these teams is included below. In addition to their work in their assigned team, interns also participate in “brown-bag lunches” where they will learn about various aspects of the Office’s work.

How To Apply

A full application includes an application form and resume. Please submit your application materials in PDF format by email to usanys.grad.intern@usdoj.gov. Your GPA (minimum 3.0) and graduation date must be clearly indicated on your resume. Applications may be submitted for summer positions from Feb 1-15 only; for fall positions from May 1-31 only; and for spring positions from September 1-30 only. Applications will be accepted until 11:59pm EST on the final day of the application window.

Internship Commitment

All internships are in-person.  Opportunities are generally located at an offsite law enforcement location near our Manhattan office.  Summer interns are required to work, at a minimum, 40 hours per week for a total of 8 weeks beginning June through August. Students wishing to participate in the spring graduate internship program will work a minimum of 16 hours per week from January through April. Students wishing to participate in the fall graduate internship program will work from September through December, a minimum of 16 hours per week.

What We Look For

Our Office seeks high-achieving graduate and advanced undergraduate students with an interest in public service and a desire to support our agency’s important work.  Applicants should be eager to learn, exercise good judgment, and possess good time management skills.  Interns do not need to have prior experience in the work of the Division or Unit they are interested in as they will receive on the job training.  However, to the extent a candidate does have prior relevant experience, they should highlight that in their application materials.

In addition, there are certain requirements for all interns.  Interns must be matriculating college students. Interns must be U.S. Citizens; students with dual citizenship are eligible to apply. Interns must complete a background questionnaire and obtain a DOJ security approval. Please note that, among other items included in the background check, illegal drug use during the prior twelve months makes it unlikely that a student could join as an intern.

More Information About Available Opportunities

Our Investigative CASE Team uses analytical tools to develop and visualize evidence that will be used in court. Interns will learn how to identify relevant digital evidence obtained from sources such as seized phone data, social media platforms, and Cloud-based systems. Skills may include creating pivot tables, learning how to read bank records, and using software such as Cellebrite and Penlink PLX.

Our Digital Forensics Unit conducts forensic analysis of original digital evidence, as well as network intrusion analysis in cybercrime investigations. Interns will learn the basics of digital forensic analysis and cyber investigations, as well as the rules, procedures, and processes associated with the handling of original evidence. Interns will learn how to manipulate forensic tools such as Cellebrite, Axiom, and Grey Key. Interns will interact with law enforcement officers from a myriad of Local, State and Federal agencies.

The United States Government does not discriminate in employment on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, political affiliation, sexual orientation, marital status, status as a parent, genetic information, disability, age, membership or nonmembership in an employee organization, or on the basis of personal favoritism.