Student Programs at the SEC

Student Temporary Employment Program

The Student Temporary Employment Program (STEP) provides an opportunity for current undergraduate and graduate students to work part- or full-time while in school.

The applications for STEP are now open. Applications must be submitted by 11:59 pm on October 31, 2008. Applications will be referred during the course of this announcement and announced quarterly throughout the school year. You can access more information about the programs and link to the applications by clicking here.

Summer Honors Law Program

The Securities and Exchange Commission’s Summer Honors Law Program gives law and JD/MBA students the opportunity to become acquainted with the regulation of the securities markets and careers within the Commission. Students have the opportunity to work for ten weeks during the summer at the Commission’s Washington, DC headquarters or in one of its 11 regional offices nationwide including: New York, Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Denver, Fort Worth, Los Angeles, Miami, Philadelphia, Salt Lake City, and San Francisco.

Please click here to apply to the Summer Honors Program — 2L. Applications to the 2L Summer Honors Law Program will be accepted until October 15, 2008 (DC Offices) and December 3, 2008 (Regional Offices). The 2009 Summer Honors Law Program application for 1Ls will open in December.

Law Student Observer Program

Volunteer or for-credit positions offered to current law students during the academic year.

SEC's Law Student Observer Program provides exposure to the workings of the Commission and to the regulation of securities and securities markets.

The one-semester volunteer program is open to first-, second-, or third-year law students, or JD/MBA students and L.L.M. students selected by representatives of the SEC. Participants are assigned to one of the Divisions or Offices of the SEC at its headquarters in Washington, D.C., or one of its Regional or District Offices Nationwide. In addition to working 15-20 hours a week (local students) or 40-hour weeks (out-of-state students), the students attend seminars as described below. In selecting students, preference will be given to students with excellent academic backgrounds and with courses in corporate and securities law. You may arrange academic credit for this program if offered by your law school.

Student observers are assigned to work with SEC staff members on projects covering a broad range of the Commission's work. Projects in the past have included the investigation of industry and issuer practices, litigation of civil enforcement actions and the drafting of proposed statutes and rules. Students are expected to establish a working schedule with their supervisors.

Observers participate in a seminar program conducted by the Commission's senior staff and including prominent members of the private bar. The topics for discussion at these seminars are generally chosen to complement rather than duplicate the materials covered in the basic securities regulation courses offered at the participating law schools.

Although students are not employees of the SEC, they are required to abide by the rules of the Commission's Conduct Regulations pertaining to, among other things, securities transactions, conflicts of interest and the confidential nature of information obtained in their work at the SEC. All offers will be contingent on the students disclosing any affiliations outside the classroom that they will have during their internship (including jobs, research assistantships, and other internships) and on a review of the disclosures. For example, it is highly unlikely that a student would be permitted to participate in the intern program at the same time she or he works for an entity regulated by the Commission or for a law or accounting firm that has a securities practice. Students who think their situation may cause a conflict are encouraged to describe their affiliation in their cover letter to avoid any last-minute issues.

For more information, see the 2008-2009 Law Student Observer Program flyer.

Summer Honors College Program

The Securities and Exchange Commission’s Summer Honors College Program introduces undergraduate students pursuing degrees in such areas as accounting, economics, finance, human resource management and information technology/information security, among others, to the regulation of the securities markets and the work of the Commission. Students have the opportunity to work for ten weeks during the summer at the Commission’s Washington, DC headquarters or in one of its 11 regional offices nationwide.

The 2009 Summer Honors College Program application will open in December. Please come back to this site at that time for more information about applying to our program.

Summer Honors Business Program

The Securities and Exchange Commission’s Summer Honors Business Program introduces students pursuing MBAs and other graduate degrees in such areas as accounting, economics, finance, human resource management and information technology/information security, among others, to the regulation of the securities markets and the work of the Commission. Students have the opportunity to work for ten weeks during the summer at the Commission’s Washington, DC headquarters or in one of its 11 regional offices nationwide.

The 2009 Summer Honors Business Program application will open in December. Please come back to this site at this time for more information about applying to our program.

Advanced Commitment Program

The SEC's Advanced Commitment Program allows lawyers to begin work as law clerks after graduation and before they pass the bar. The program is designed for third-year law students, LLM and JD/MBA graduates and judicial law clerks. SEC offices that have hired entry level attorneys through the Advanced Commitment Program in the past are Boston, Chicago, Denver, Fort Worth, Los Angeles, Miami, New York, and Washington, DC.

Please click here to apply to the Advanced Commitment Program. This application will remain open until December 3, 2008.

http://www.sec.gov/jobs/jobs_students.shtml