Assistantships and Internships

In addition to working on independent research through a senior thesis, you will have several opportunities to work on faculty-led research projects as a research assistant or intern. While working alongside faculty on their projects, you have access to one-on-one mentorship, gain exposure to cutting-edge research methods, and contribute to advancing economic knowledge. We strongly recommend that students interested in graduate programs in economics work as research assistants or interns.

Research internships

Many of our students are summer research interns via the Poverty Research Fellows program, which provides you with the opportunity to work on poverty-related research projects with faculty members at Notre Dame. Past research interns have been placed in the economics department, the Wilson Sheehan Lab for Economic Opportunities (LEO), the Building Inclusive Growth (BIG) Lab, the Strengthening Families Research Initiative, and Notre Dame Population Analytics.

Externally, many students find summer research internships at the Federal Reserve Board in Washington, D.C., and the Federal Reserve regional banks. Economists at the Fed conduct research in a variety of areas, including both macroeconomic and microeconomic topics. For information on current internship opportunities at the Fed, visit our internships and opportunities page.

Research assistantships

You can also work on faculty-led research during the semester as a research assistant (RA). You must have completed econometrics in order to be eligible to work as an RA. For more information, please contact an advisor.

International economics students and economics students interested in international development can also work on faculty-led research through the Kellogg Developing Researchers Program and the Kellogg International Scholars Program.