Internships can be the stepping stone to a successful career. They are the best medium to gain experience in a field and take a career in the right direction while developing a professional network. This is the main reason a lot of students are happy to work for unpaid internships.
But not all internships are unpaid. As a matter of fact, there are several high paying internships. These internships are highly-coveted and competitive.
In this list, I'll share with you the Top 25 Highest Paying Internships for graduate and undergraduate students. Most of these internships pay more than twice the national average intern salary. All data provided here is from Glassdoor, for internships with more than one reported salary.
Just one disclaimer: Glassdoor salary data is anonymous and self-reported, so subject to the same set of reliability concerns that any anonymous, self-reported data would be. People like to boast about their wage, and nothing keeps them from reporting higher wages than they actually earned. So, read this list with that caveat in mind.
1. Pharmacy
Highest Monthly Salary: $11,833 to $15,416 / Month
Coming in first place is a Pharmacy Internship. A Pharmacy Intern's role is to work in a hospital or retail store under the supervision of licensed pharmacists. This training is important for gaining practical experience working in a real hospital or healthcare setting.
The internship may last a year or two. Pharmacy Interns are expected to learn and practice basic customer service skills in addition to:
- Verifying prescriptions
- Recording each prescription you fill
- Packaging drugs
- Collecting payment
You may also need to mix compounds for prescriptions.
Companies offering the highest pay for Pharmacy internships
Ultimate Care
2. Dentist
Highest Monthly Salary: $13,194 / Month
Dentist Interns are responsible for assisting dentists during treatment, which may include mixing bonding agents and impression material, suctioning, preparing bleach, treating some patients without oversight, taking computer images, preparing case discussions, taking mouth x-rays, and starting temporary crowns for patients.
Dentist Interns will also do the following during the course of their internship:
- Shadow dentists and receive training with routine cleanings, extractions, suctioning, and abscesses
- Work with endodontists to learn about using x-rays and preparing files
- Work with oral surgeons to prepare scalpels, sutures, suctioning, and retraction
- Assist orthodontists in mixing cement and light curing
- Help periodontists prepare sutures, scalpels, suction, and mix packing gum.
Companies offering the highest pay for Dentist internships
Jefferson Dental Clinics
3. Summer Associate
Highest Monthly Salary: $11,000 to $15,000 / Month
Summer Associate Interns work in diverse industries, such as transportation, healthcare, finance, electronics, energy, or nonprofit.
Summer Associates will:
- Gain practical experience by working with companies of different sizes across industry verticals
- Get exceptional training, coaching, and mentoring from seniors or full-time consultants
- Working directly with a team in all forms of client engagement and make recommendations in collaboration with the team
Companies offering the highest pay for Summer Associate internships
Gibson Dunn & Crutcher
McKinsey & Company
Norton Rose Fulbright
Bain & Company
4. Senior Associate
Highest Monthly Salary: $10,000 to $12,000 / Month
Senior Associate Interns get the opportunity to apply academic and work experience to help clients solve challenging business problems.
Responsibilities for a Senior Associate Intern include:
- Applying academic and work knowledge in team environments
- Working to solve client problems across numerous industries and verticals
- Creating advanced reports and preparing presentations
- Working on international projects and consequently receiving international leadership experience
Companies offering the highest pay for Senior Associate internships
PwC
5. Geophysicist
Highest Monthly Salary: $10,425 / Month
Consistently one of the highest paying internships, duties of a Geophysicist Intern include:
- Collaborating with geophysicists to process and interpret micro, seismic, geological and geophysical data
- Working on field surveys
- Working with data and analytics
Companies offering the highest pay for Geophysicist internships
ExxonMobil
6. Trading
Highest Monthly Salary: $8,916 / Month
Trading Interns are responsible for:
- Putting together market updates
- Learning about the world's financial markets
- Understanding how to trade equities
- Working with experienced traders to analyze hedge risk
- Assisting seniors in making arbitrage strategies
Companies offering the highest pay for Trading internships
Jane Street
7. Quantitative Analyst
Highest Monthly Salary: $9,765 / Month
Quantitative Analyst Interns are responsible for:
- Performing analysis of financial models
- Validating models performed by teams in the development of statistical and analytical testing and benchmark methodologies
- Producing clear and detailed test results
- Providing written communication of findings
- Presenting results to management
Companies offering the highest pay for Quantitative Analyst internships
D. E. Shaw & Co.
8. Software Engineer
Highest Monthly Salary: $9,000 to $10,000 / Month
Software Engineer Interns have the opportunity to work with some of the newest programming languages and frameworks. You are responsible for:
- Using front-end and back-end programming languages to create end-to-end, scalable apps that improve the performance of products
- Improving code and testing
- Helping improve the reliability of customer-facing products
Companies offering the highest pay for Software Engineering internships
Citadel
Snapchat
Lyft
Airbnb
Facebook
Google
9. Research Engineer
Highest Monthly Salary: $9,000 / Month
Research Engineer Internsgain practical experience in product development.
Responsibilities include:
- Assisting scientists or seniors in executing and reporting experiments
- Supporting the application team in product development for product demonstrations, technical presentations, or client visits
- Aiding in the sensory evaluation of products
Companies offering the highest pay for Research Engineer internships
ExxonMobil
10. Investment Banking
Highest Monthly Salary: $8,000 to $10,000 / Month
Investment Banking Interns work with professionals and analysts to gain the necessary knowledge to become integral members of investment banking teams.
Responsibilities for the intern may include:
- Shadowing and learning from Senior Investment Bankers
- Assisting teams with investment research and analysis
- Participating in social events and meeting industry experts with colleagues
Companies offering the highest pay for Investment Banking internships
Barclays
Citi
Wells Fargo
11. Product Manager
Highest Monthly Salary: $8,000 to $9,000 / Month
Product Manager Interns are groomed to be future Product Managers. As part of the product management team, you are responsible for:
- Spearheading transformation of company products
- Joining a team of catalysts whose role is to innovate and develop products
- Bridging technical and business worlds with innovative products and acumen
- Breaking complex problems down into steps to drive product development
Companies offering the highest pay for Product Manager internships
Amazon
EBay
12. Manager Intern
Highest Monthly Salary: $8,888 / Month
Manager Interns work on real projects to gain actual insight into the professional life of a manager. Working alongside committed professionals, interns will gain both formal and informal training to hone their managerial skills.
Companies offering the highest pay for Manager internships
EY
13. MBA Summer
Highest Monthly Salary: $8,000 to $9,000 / Month
An MBA Summer Intern works closely with key business stakeholders in a collaborative environment. Their responsibilities as interns include:
- Ideating and implementing strategies with a focus on company growth
- Analyzing and interpreting data
- Assisting senior management in building financial models and making effective decisions
- Managing time effectively and analyzing competitor performance and trends
Companies offering the highest pay for MBA Summer internships
Google
VMware
14. Product Marketing
Highest Monthly Salary: $8,000 to $9,000 / Month
Product Marketing Interns are expected to spread the word about company products in a highly competitive market. You will learn how to persuade customers and help expand company reach while driving sales.
Companies offering the highest pay for Product Marketing internships
Google
VMware
15. Retail General Manager
Highest Monthly Salary: $8,000 to $9,000 / Month
Retail General Manager Interns work closely with a company's leadership teams. You will report to a Department Manager and receive guidance and assistance on assigned projects. While working as a retail general manager intern, you will get a glimpse into full-time opportunities within the company. In addition, you will have the opportunity to develop professional and social networks within the retail industry.
Companies offering the highest pay for Retail General Manager internships
Amazon
16. Marketing Manager
Highest Monthly Salary: $7,000 to $10,000 / Month
A Marketing Manager Intern's role is to reach out to potential partners and engage in negotiations. You are expected to contribute to the overall marketing strategy and work with cross-functional teams and external stakeholders to develop partnerships.
Companies offering the highest pay for Marketing Manager internships
American Express
17. Petroleum Engineer
Highest Monthly Salary: $7,000 to $10,000 / Month
One of the highest paid internships in the petroleum sector, Petroleum Engineer Interns, collaborate with experienced mentors to identify investment and cost-saving opportunities. You are responsible for ideating and putting ideas into action.
Companies offering the highest pay for Petroleum Engineer internships
Apache
18. Legal
Highest Monthly salary: $8,000 to $9,000 / Month
Legal Interns interact with practicing lawyers as well as legal academics. As a Legal Intern, you are responsible for:
- Conducting research on current issues of law and policy
- Aiding legal teams in researching, writing, and drafting reports
- Collaborating with teams on a dynamic mix of policy, regulatory, legal, and advocacy actions
Companies offering the highest pay for Legal internships
Microsoft
19. Data Scientist
Highest Monthly Salary: $8,000 to $9,000 / Month
Data Scientist Interns gain hands-on experience in both data and software development fields. A Data Scientist Intern is responsible for:
- Analyzing data using software tools
- Applying statistics and math to draw insights from data
- Developing cutting edge apps to resolve complex and challenging issues in the big data space
Companies offering the highest pay for Data Scientist internships
Walmart
20. Graduate Research
Highest Monthly Salary: $8,000 / Month
A Graduate Research Intern is an active member of a company's engineering team. As an intern, you are responsible for:
- Contributing to solving a range of technical problems across platforms using large data sets
- Building solutions to challenging problems
- Assisting the future development of existing software products in the company
- Helping develop highly scalable apps using cutting-edge techniques in operations research, machine learning, and distributed computing
- Collaborating with teams to build innovative algorithms to drive automated decisions within the company
Companies offering the highest pay for Graduate Research internships
Intel
Adobe
Microsoft
21. Financial Technology
Highest Monthly Salary: $8,406 / Month
Financial Technology Associate Interns have a range of responsibilities. As an associate, you collaborate with a team that analyzes basic data requirements. You are responsible for:
- Assisting your team in defining project plans and schedules, and analyzing/estimating feasibility
- Understanding the context in which data is used
- Supporting technology teams in data analysis, with a focus on ensuring compliance
- Developing and programming code
- Conducting unit testing to check whether coding meets the requirements of the application system
- Collaborating with team to analyze the impact of proposed solution on the organization
- Addressing data quality issues and building understanding of data issues
Companies offering the highest pay for Financial Technology Associate internships
Citadel
22. Operations Manager
Highest Monthly Salary: $8,378 / Month
Working in operations is a challenge. Operations Manager Interns, work on a dynamic team and are responsible for making decisions to resolve challenges facing clients. An intern is expected to work on real projects across the company to address the strategic needs of clients. You will act as the primary information center for your team and maintain compliance while taking corrective action when appropriate.
Companies offering the highest pay for Operations Manager internships
Amazon
23. Summer Analyst
Highest Monthly Salary: $7,000 to $9,000/ Month
Summer Analyst Interns are responsible for collaborating and interacting with employees at all levels. You will also be expected to identify opportunities for improvement in key areas of business.
Companies offering the highest pay for Summer Analyst internships
AQR Capital Management
24. Business Development
Highest Monthly salary: $7,000 to $9,000 / Month
Business Development Interns are responsible for:
- Identifying new business opportunities
- Analyzing and optimizing data
- Making data-driven decisions
- Keeping track of routine tasks on a given project
- Collaborating with team managers on different aspects to boost growth
Companies offering the highest pay for Business Development internships
Yahoo!
25. Consulting
Highest Monthly Salary: $5,000 to $11,000 / Month
Consulting Interns are expected to help clients solve business problems using their academic and work experience. As an intern, you are responsible for:
- Performing industry-wide research
- Working in client-facing roles under the supervision of Senior Consultants
- Creating sections of client presentations and demonstrating leadership skills
Companies offering the highest pay for Consulting internships
PwC
These are the highest paying internship programs for graduate and undergraduate students looking for internships.
Think you're a good fit for one of them?
Be sure to check out my post on how to land one of this highly coveted internships and jobs.
