Career guide · Updated October 23, 2026
How to get an economics internship
Economics opens several doors, and each recruits on its own schedule. Decide early which path you are testing, finance, consulting, policy or research, and follow that field’s timeline.
1. Know when economics internships recruit
- It depends on the pathHeaded to finance or consulting? Follow their earlier timelines — see Finance and Management.
- Junior fallConsulting, economic consulting and bank roles recruit.
- Winter–springGovernment, Federal Reserve and think-tank summer internships usually open.
- Senior fallResearch-assistant roles for after graduation, including at the Federal Reserve, typically open.
Typical timing — employers set their own dates, so check each one.
2. Build the skills employers check
- Statistics and econometrics
- Excel
- R, Stata or Python
- Writing
- Data collection
- Clear charts and summaries
3. Take certifications in the right order
None is required, but each shows a skill. Start at the top: the first ones need no background.
- Macroeconomics — Khan Academy. Free · about 20 hours
- Microeconomics — Khan Academy. Free · about 20 hours
- Finance and capital markets — Khan Academy. Free · about 20 hours
- Marginal Revolution University — MRU. Free · about 25 hours
- IMF free online courses — International Monetary Fund. Free · about 20 hours
The Finder shows the whole path for economics, three ways: fastest and free, balanced, and a stretch toward the most demanding credentials. See also every economics certification.
4. Aim at the right roles
- Research or economic analyst intern — Collects and analyzes data for research reports or policy work.
- Economic consulting intern — Supports analysis for legal and regulatory cases.
- Government or policy intern — Works in a public agency, central bank or think tank.
- Finance or banking intern — Follows the finance path — see finance internships.
5. Use the words recruiters look for
Put the ones that are true for you on your resume, in your own sentences.
econometricsregressionStataRdata analysisresearchpolicy analysisforecastingExcelreport writing
How to write a business internship resume
6. Practice the interview
- Behavioral interview questions, which every business interview asks
- Finance Internship Interview Questions
- Consulting Internship Interview Questions
Tips for economics internships
- If you are aiming for finance or consulting, start as early as finance and management students do; those timelines do not wait for economics majors.
- Learn a statistical tool, such as R, Stata or Python, and do one project with real data from a public source.
- Look for research assistant roles with professors; they build the analysis skills economic consulting and policy employers want.
Find economics internships near you →
More on this major: economics internships, with recent listings and the questions students ask.