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Summer Internships in China

The 2013 Interns Have Been Selected

A new cohort of interns have been selected and received their placements in China. Starting in June, the interns will spend 2-3 months working and living in China alongside Chinese planners.

Click here to read their profiles and see where they are headed!

Learn About the 2012 Interns

Shavon Caldwell and Colin Rowan worked with planners at the China Academy of Urban Planning & Design (CAUPD) headquarters in Beijing, Iren Taran worked with the Urban Planning & Design Institute of Shenzhen (UPDIS), and Derek Dauphin and Jennifer Koch worked with planners at the Western Branch of CAUPD in Chongqing. 

Over the 2012-2013 academic year, the interns gave presentations, published reports, and continued blogging about their experiences, work, and research. These materials can be found below.

Click here to read the 2012 Summer Intern reports. 

Click here to see find the interns' presenations at the China Seminar series.

Click here to read the interns' reflections on their Transplanet blog.

Application Period for Summer 2013 is Now Closed 

Interns are placed with planning institutes throughout China to work on projects alongside Chinese planners. Host institutions in China cover all in-country living expenses, work-related travel, food, and lodging in addition to a healthy salary. While students are required to arrange travel to and from China, past interns have received significant support through travel grants to cover these expenses.

The China summer internship program is specifically for MURP students (those enrolled in the Master of Urban & Regional Planning program) who are seeking an internship overseas, and who are open to new experiences and adventure. Any area of specialization will be considered. We look forward to applicants who are open and adaptable to new and unfamiliar environments. Chinese language ability is not required. CAUPD staff speak English and seek English speakers to work with.

The application cycle for Summer 2013 is now closed. Materials were due by 5pm on February 15. Check back in January 2014 and attend China Seminars to prepare for next year's program.

Click here to view answers to frequently asked questions from applicants to the program.

Top Reasons to Consider the Summer Internship Program


(1) Exciting Work

This is a unique opportunity to work on large and interesting projects not available through most internships in the US. 2012 interns worked on a central city long-range plan, metropolitan greenspace framework, and regional land use projects, among many others.

(2) Build Your Network, Get Jobs

Network with firms in the international planning community who are interested in hiring American planners. Each summer interns receive job offers to work in Asia. Alternatively, use your experience working on large projects to find jobs with US firms doing similar projects in North America or doing work in Asia. Past interns have borrowed extensively from their projects in China to build their portfolio and secure jobs at Portland area firms and agencies.

(3) Internship Credits

Take care of all your internship credits during a single summer break. Interns in China work full-time for 8 or more weeks satisfying all 400 hours of internship credits required by the program. This is particularly important for those working at GRAs which typically do not count towards these credits.

(4) Earn Up To Six Elective Credits

Combine it with a field area project and you can get up to 6 credits in addition to your internship credit and undertake some truly exciting research on the fastest growing cities and regions in the world. We'll work with each intern on pre-internship preparations including establishing contacts at Chinese universities to ensure you are prepared to carry out your project upon arrival.

(5) Get Paid To Travel And Live In China For Two Months

In the past, interns received $1000 grants for flights, and our Chinese partners pay generous salaries and cover lunches, transit, and housing during the internship. Many interns have been sent on all expenses paid work trips to other cities. Click here to view more funding opportunities available to MURPs.