Research, Internships, and Jobs

How do I find out more about...research, internships, and jobs?

You have several paths to gain research and/or job experience while in college. The Statistics Department hosts a Student Opportunities Blog Links to an external site. listing a variety of opportunities for Statistics students including job, internship, and research opportunities and information on graduate programs nationwide.

Research

Many universities offer a Research Experience for Undergraduates, or REU, over the summer. These are competitive programs that typically entail a group of ~10 students from different universities working together on a project under faculty supervision.

• NEW! These PowerPoint slides Download PowerPoint slides, courtesy of CSU Monterey Bay, provide detailed advice for exploring and applying to summer research. The last slide includes several links to help you search for opportunities.
• The National Science Foundation is one of the key REU sponsors. You can search their REU site Links to an external site. for opportunities. You may be interested in several of the listed categories; statistics REUs are typically under Mathematical Sciences. 
  • The NSF has begun to streamline its information about research opportunities. Create a free account at their new website Links to an external site..
• This Google site Links to an external site. includes an extensive list of Summer 2024 REUs along with their application deadlines. The list focuses on math REUs rather than stat REUs, but many of the topics overlap stat majors' interests.
• The National Institutes of Health sponsor the Summer Institute in Biostatistics (SIBS) program. The SIBS website Links to an external site. includes links to the individual programs around the country. 
• Statistics students are also encouraged to assist faculty in their research endeavors. The Statistics Department maintains a list Links to an external site. of student research opportunities. Please contact the listed faculty member with questions regarding their project. 
• The Statistics Frost Summer Undergraduate Research Program (SURP) is a professional development program focused on helping undergraduate students learn and develop research skills through an intensive, summer research experience and hands-on engagement with faculty mentors. Students accepted into the program as Frost Research Fellows receive a stipend to participate in full-time summer research work. Applications are due in Winter quarter. Information about the projects and application process will be announced at the start of Winter quarter. Contact Dr. Kevin Ross (kjross@calpoly.edu) if you have any questions.

Internships

An internship refers to working at a company (or sometimes a university), typically over the summer. Some internships are paid positions, while some just get you work experience. Both can lead to a permanent job at that company once you graduate. 

• MustangJobs is Cal Poly's online job and internship listing service. You access MustangJobs through the Cal Poly portal; it's under My Apps on your home page.
• The American Statistical Association’s Internship page Links to an external site. provides many internship listings for Statistics students.
• The American Mathematical Society's opportunities page Links to an external site. regularly posts listings for internships, REUs, and even scholarships. (Use the Filter by Category and Filter by Audience tools on the left edge of the site to focus your search.)
• The U.S. Department of Energy sponsors Science Undergraduate Laboratory Internships Links to an external site..
• The Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education Links to an external site. also sponsors a large list of scientific internships.
• For internship-related questions, contact the Statistics Department’s internship faculty advisor, Dr. Bret Holladay, or make an appointment with Career Services.

Jobs

Take advantage of Cal Poly's amazing Career Services team! They offer services including

• • Career counseling
  • Job searches
  • Résumé-writing
  • Mock job interviews