About The Washington Center for Internships and Academic Seminars

The Washington Center for Internships and Academic Seminars (www.twc.edu) is an independent, non-profit educational institution founded in 1975, dedicated to bring students and young professionals to Washington D.C. for internships and academic training.

When The Washington Center opened its doors in 1975, its founder and first president, William M. Burke, had the vision of training students for lives of achievement and civic engagement through experiential learning. At the time, universities and their faculty were skeptical that any kind of learning worth academic credit could be achieved outside the classroom. However, Bill Burke believed that the advancement of individuals through interactive methods of training would enable them to advance in their chosen professions.

Rather than opening an institution similar to the existing ones, Bill Burke decided to create something new. He established a non-profit organization dedicated to advancing students' knowledge through experiential, civic and leadership training with the ultimate goal of improving society. Bill Burke challenged the notion that learning-by-doing could not be a systematic process worth academic credit. He believed that in order to grasp and fully understand a scholastic concept, students needed hands-on experience in the field. Following its vision, the staff of The Washington Center firmly believes that the best professionals are not necessarily the students with the highest academic grades, nor the street-smart professionals, but a combination of the two.

Today, we receive more than 2,000 participants throughout the U.S. and abroad, and we have close to 40,000 alumni. All domestic students and most international students receive academic credits for their participation in our programs. 1,000 colleges and universities have sent students to The Washington Center since 1975.

After 33 years of training students and young professionals, The Washington Center has become a major international experiential learning center. Its founding principles are demonstrated in the diversity of our students, faculty, and staff, our commitment to the common good and our international character. The Washington Center is a pioneer in experiential learning, with the latest advancements in designing learning outcomes and assessment mechanisms.

In recent years, The Washington Center has won a greater number of federal grants and has received more funds from private companies than ever before. This is due in large measure to the efforts of its staff and its focus on innovation and the program quality. In all, we have fourteen programs including a postgraduate professional development program and two programs abroad in Monterrey, Mexico and London, U.K.

We base our operations on three fundamental pillars: professional achievement, civic engagement and leadership. During the semester, participants complete internships in different organizations, private companies and government agencies and attend academic sessions in their area of interest. This experience allows them to learn about a broad range of social, economic and political issues directly from world leaders and industry experts. Our programs not only provide a unique learning experience in the areas of business, public policy, law, non-profit management and international affairs but also provide participants with the opportunity to gain invaluable knowledge and the skills to become young leaders.

The Washington Center is a nonpartisan, non-profit, educational organization. The views expressed by TWC interns do not necessarily reflect those of The Washington Center.