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Academic Programs

Study in D.C.

Immersed, hands-on learning is integral to Wake Forest’s holistic approach to education.

To facilitate real-world engagement, the University has forged relationships with numerous agencies, organizations and individuals in the nation’s capital, many in close proximity to the Wake Washington Center. Through opportunities like internships, shadowing and mentorship, Wake Washington students experience real-time learning unique to on-the-job immersion.

To tie experiential learning with classroom instruction, students in the internship and study program also conduct independent research, making meaningful connections and providing cohesion to their inside- and outside-the-classroom experiences. Students intern Monday-Thursday full time and take classes in the evenings. Fridays are reserved for students to hear from alumni and parent speakers, special tours of museums, the Capitol, the Pentagon, etc., as well as networking with alumni and parents in their field of interest. Watch this video to hear what University leaders and D.C. area alumni have to say about Wake Washington.

Past Internship Providers

  • American Enterprise Institute
  • American Foreign Policy Council 
  • APCO Worldwide
  • Center for Strategic & International Studies
  • Chesapeake Climate Action Network
  • Cornerstone Government Affairs
  • The DC Bar Foundation
  • Forbes Tate Partners
  • Hudson Institute
  • Lawyers Without Borders
  • US Asia Institute
  • US Department of Defense
  • See Full List

Meet the Fall 2025 Students

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School of Law

The D.C. Summer Judicial Externship Program (“DCSJE”) is an exciting opportunity that places first-year and second-year law students into unpaid summer externships at some of the most vibrant and influential courts and federal agencies in Washington, D.C. Students spend at least eight weeks during the summer externing at a participating court or agency in Washington, D.C. They also attend a weekly, evening experiential course that is tailored to judicial clerking. The course is taught by Professor Abigail Perdue, a former federal law clerk and author of The All-Inclusive Guide to Judicial Clerking. DCSJE students hear from engaging guest speakers, have lunch with federal judges, and visit historical points of interest. Students are also paired with one or more Wake Forest University School of Law alumni living and working in the Washington, D.C. area, who mentor them throughout the summer.

School of Divinity

The Wake Forest University School of Divinity has hosted numerous events in partnership with the Wake Washington Center. These events included book launches, publication discussions, and the weeklong Environmental and Epistemic Justice Initiative Summer Institute in Summer 2025.

Additionally, the School of Divinity announced the appointment of Melissa Rogers as Distinguished Scholar in Residence in Faith, Law, and Public Policy. As announced in June 2025, Rogers “will provide critical leadership for the School of Divinity’s bold new initiative on Religion, Pluralism, and American Public Life.” She will be working out of the Wake Washington Center.