office of PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT & ENGAGEMENT

Contact :

CDPH Internship Program

CDPHInternships@cdph.ca.gov

CDPH Internship Program

The California Department of Public Health (CDPH) offers paid internships for undergraduate and graduate students. Internships provide opportunities to work in a variety of different public health disciplines such as health education, epidemiology, health statistics, laboratory sciences, public policy, healthcare administration, human resources, information technology, data science, informatics, and communications. An internship with CDPH offers exposure to state-level public service and equips aspiring public health leaders with professional development opportunities to help prepare them for the workforce upon graduation.

Applications for the 2025 Fall Cohort are now being accepted!

The fall internship program is scheduled to begin on September 3, 2025. Submit your application through University Enterprises, Inc. by Friday, May 2, 2025. To learn more information about applying for the upcoming fall cohort, register for the virtual information session, happening on Tuesday, April 15, 10 to 11 a.m. Links for the internship application and virtual info session registration can be found below.

If you would like to receive recruitment updates about future cohorts, please complete the CDPH Internship Program Interest Form to be added to the mailing list.

Fall Internship Application

Find Your Public Health Path

Choose Your Future with CDPH

Internship Program Details

Paid internships are offered every spring and fall. (This program does not offer a paid summer cohort. Please see our Volunteer Internships page for summer internship opportunities.)
Remote, hybrid, and onsite internships are available. A majority of our hybrid and onsite placements will be hosted at our Richmond and Sacramento campuses.
Interns are paid an hourly wage and work 18 to 29 hours per week.
Starting rates of pay are pre-determined by placement location and the candidate’s level of education.

Eligibility Requirements

Applicants must meet the following requirements to be considered for a paid internship:

Reside in the state of California throughout the duration of the internship.
Applicants must be enrolled at a school listed on the Affiliated Colleges and Universities (PDF)
Students must be enrolled in at least: six-semester units or nine quarter units for undergraduate students; four-semester units or six quarter units for graduate students.
Students must be available to work between 18 to 29 hours per week during normal business hours (Monday-Friday, 7 a.m. to 6 p.m.) Interns are not permitted to work during evenings or weekends.
Paid interns must provide proof of eligibility to work in the United States. DACA and International students are eligible to apply.

Preferred Requirements

Students studying Public Health, Data and Informatics, Information Technologies, Communications, Health Education, and other supporting fields are encouraged to apply.
Priority is given to college seniors and juniors, masters candidates, and transferring junior college students.

Cohort	Timeline
Spring 2025	February 4 to May 16, 2025
Fall 2025 Submit your fall internship application on University Enterprises, Inc. by May 2, 2025.	September 3 to December 12, 2025
Spring 2026 Complete the CDPH Program Interest Form to receive future recruitment notifications.	February 3 to May 15, 2026