Wittenberg's Washington Semester is a 14-week program where students work at an internship four days a week, take two evening classes, and go on exciting field trips--for a total of 16 Wittenberg credits. A consortium of 13 small Lutheran schools called the Lutheran College Washington Semester (LCWS) operates the program. Students live in condos in Rosslyn, Va., where the program is located, and are given networking opportunities with Wittenberg and LCWS alumni.
Witt in Washington is open to all students regardless of major. Internships can be found that are relevant to any major and typically will count as credit towards their major (although this varies by department). Recently, students have interned with the White House and on Capitol Hill, with major news organizations (Fox, CNN, etc.), political parties, interest groups, various museums and embassies, Girl Scouts of America, the US Marshal Service, and the FBI. Students are encouraged to find an internship that gives them experiences furthering their career goals, and the LCWS staff assists with that process.
The program operates both fall and spring semesters, and is designed for juniors and seniors, although some second-semester sophomores may be eligible. The process for securing an internship in DC is competitive and a minimum 3.0 overall gpa is preferred. However, students with a 2.8 gpa and previous internship/work experience may be qualified. Interested students should first speak with Wittenberg’s campus representative, Dr. Catherine Waggoner (cwaggoner@wittenberg.edu).
Summer Program: While the program does not operate during the summer, students having an internship in DC may apply for housing in our condos. Finding an internship is the responsibility of the student, but the condos owned by the college are the most cost-effective way to live during the summer in DC.