Internships are a fantastic way to get hands-on experience while you’re still in school. These opportunities can include pay or college credit, mentorship, and unique learning experiences. They could even lead to a full-time job with the company! Did you know that Microsoft has several internship programs dedicated to helping students enter the tech space and the company?
Flickr User: Queen’s University
From high school to PhD, there are quite a few options you’ll want to consider if you’d enjoy working on Microsoft. In this article, we’ll cover Microsoft’s three main internship programs available in the United States to high school and college students in addition to their PhD programs. If you live outside of the United States, the company has several international internships available as well!
Microsoft Internship Programs
1. Microsoft High School Discovery Program
The Microsoft High School Discovery program, or Discovery program for short, is a four-week project designed for graduating high school students who are entering their first year of college. In addition, students need to:
- Be at least 16 years old
- Have a legal right to work in the United States
- Live within 50 miles of Redmond, Washington, and be enrolled in a school in Western Washington
- Have an interest in technology
- Have completed a pre-calculus or similar course
- Are a part of Microsoft-sponsored organizations
The paid 4-week program takes place in July and August. Students who participate will learn programming fundamentals, career readiness skills, and more directly from current Microsoft employees. Applications for the next cycle open in February.
2. Explore Microsoft
Explore Microsoft is for college students who are in their second or third year of college and plan on pursuing a career as a software developer. A 12-week summer internship, students will be able to work in a number of different software engineering positions within the company. Other opportunities during the program include mentoring, community building, and networking. Students can expect formal training, group project experience, and experiential learning.
To apply, students must also have completed a course that serves an introduction to computer science. Many of these internship positions are in Redmond and Bellevue, Washington, and the program includes pay, training, relocation, and more.
3. University Internship
Microsoft’s University Internship is designed for students who are pursuing their bachelor’s, master’s, or doctoral degrees. Paid and with relocation benefits, these positions are available in Redmond, WA, Bay Area, CA, Cambridge, MA, and Vancouver, BC, Canada.
Students who are interested in applying must have at least a quarter, semester, or term remaining in their education and be majoring in an applicable field. The company offers internships in a lot of roles, including:
- Engineering
- IT operations
- Marketing
- UX Design
- Hardware Engineering
- Sales
- Services
- Data and Applied Science
- And more
4. PhD Internships
For students pursuing their PhD, Microsoft has two separate programs: Microsoft Product Teams and Microsoft Research (MSR).
Interns in the product teams apply research, build products, ship features, and more, and participants can choose from a wide variety of teams, working with managers, engineers, researchers, and more. Some product lines and technologies that are available to work with include artificial intelligence, computer vision, and natural language processing. The Microsoft Product Teams program lasts 12 weeks in either the spring or summer.
The Microsoft Research internship is also a 12-week program, but students will be focusing on research with a mentor. Programs are available in all research areas, and, if you apply, Microsoft will work with you to find a position that aligns with your interests and passions.
How to Apply to Microsoft Internship Programs
Students in the United States who are interested in Microsoft’s internship programs can learn more about the above opportunities on the company’s website. Students and recent graduates can also explore international internships, full time jobs, veteran opportunities, and other programs on the Students and Graduate webpage.
Every program has different deadlines and openings, so be sure to check back regularly to see when spots are available!
If you are interested in working at Microsoft, one of these internship programs can be the perfect opportunity to get your foot in the door! Internships bring a number of benefits including pay, the potential to lead to a full-time job, hands-on learning, working with a mentor, and more. For those entering technology, Microsoft can offer a wealth of learning and career opportunities to college students.
One of the possible benefits of interning is the pay, which can help you pay for college or living expenses. Another way to pay for your education? Scholarships! There are thousands of awards available to students, and plenty are dedicated to those interested in entering a technology-based career. We make it easy to find these awards through our Scholarship Search tool. Use it for free here!
