Student Programs at the SEC

• College and Graduate Students
  • Student Temporary Employment Program
  • Summer Honors College Program (Undergraduate Students)
  • Summer Honors Business Program (Graduate Students)
• Law Students
  • Summer Honors Law Program
  • Law Student Observer Program
  • Advanced Commitment Program

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.

Summer Honors College Program

The 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 application for the 2013 Summer Honors College Program will open on or about December 1, 2012.

Summer Honors Business Program

The 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 application for the 2013 Summer Honors Business Program will open on or about December 1, 2012.

Summer Honors Law Program

The 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 application for the 2013 Summer Honors 1L Program application will open on or about December 1, 2012.

Law Student Observer Program

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

The 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.

Advanced Commitment Program

The 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. The application for the Advanced Commitment Program is currently closed.

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