Open your firm doors to the UPenn Weitzman School of Design Externship Program students
September 10, 2026
Invitation to participate in the Weitzman School of Design Externship Program @ Penn! Register by September 21st
Professional Development & Career Resources
Join us for the Weitzman School of Design Externship Program!
Maria Jose (March’24) meets with KieranTimberlake architectural staff during an Externship session.
Dear Friends,
We would like to invite you and your colleagues to join us for the 2027 Weitzman School of Design Externship Program session for architecture, city planning, historic preservation, and landscape architecture students. Thank you sincerely if you have participated in this program in previous years!
An externship is similar to an internship in terms of the scope of the work and the expectations of the student. The main difference is the length of time spent working. Typically, externships last from 1-2 weeks for graduate students and 1-2 days for undergraduate students. Weitzman’s Externship Program allows students to expand their range of skills while connecting with working professionals. The sponsoring firm gains an opportunity to engage with the constantly evolving pedagogy of academia while also cutting back on recruiting time, as the externship can act as a precursory interview for a summer internship.
We are asking firms/organizations to host students during our winter break (any time between December 28, 2026 – January 18, 2027) and/or spring break (March 8 – March 12, 2027).Winter externs typically start during the first week of January.
Participating firms will choose one of the following options:
OPTION #1: A One- or Two-Week Paid Externship for Graduate Students:
Set goals and tasks for the externship.
An extern’s duties can range from building models to helping prepare presentation boards, sketches, research projects, scans, and renderings. See the Externship Information Sheet for examples of what several firms expect during the externship session.
You can read articles including testimonials about the program here! (Scroll to the bottom of the page.)
OPTION #2: A One or Two-Day Unpaid “Shadow” Externship for Undergraduate Students:
A shadow externship experience can include activities such as meeting with employees (including alumni who work at the firm), sitting in on client meetings, showing work for a portfolio review, and attending site visits. Undergraduate students (juniors and seniors) are from our Bachelor of Arts in Architecture program.
A few graduate students may be interested in this option as well.
If you would like to participate, please REGISTER by September 21st, 2026. The registration form takes about 5 minutes to complete. You’ll be asked to provide 2 – 3 sentences on the expectations for your extern.
