As America’s Innovation Agency, the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) is a forward-looking organization of more than 14,000 dedicated employees who are as diverse as the public we serve. To further our mission, we are constantly looking for more top talent to join us. From real-world experience to real-world application, our student programs also have the future of innovation in mind. We provide talented students—who are attending high school, college, graduate school, or law school—with exciting opportunities to develop valuable skills and gain professional experience.
Learn more about paid internships, extern programs, law intern programs, and Patent Trial and Appeal Board (PTAB) Law Clerk Program.
Paid internship opportunities
As part of the USPTO Intern Program, you will work on projects that make a real impact, while learning about the agency and its mission, networking with peers and our employees, and hearing directly from leadership about their career paths. Our internship programs also offer invaluable exposure to the world of intellectual property (IP) and a chance to jumpstart a unique career in protecting American innovation. If you have a passion for public service and you are ready to launch your career, join us.
USPTO Law Internship
If you are a law student with an interest in intellectual property, the USPTO Law Internship is tailored for you. The program allows students to experience work at the USPTO, interact with intellectual property experts, support USPTO legal matters, explore opportunities, and enhance their personal and professional skills. You may work with attorneys in the Office of the Commissioner of Patents, Office of the Commissioner of Trademarks, Office of Policy and International Affairs, Patent Trial and Appeal Board, Trademark Trial and Appeal Board, or Office of General Counsel.
This internship lasts up to 12 weeks during the summer. Look for the announcement of the application period for the summer internship program on USAJOBS toward the beginning of the year. Selections are generally made in the spring, and the program begins in the early summer.
Additional internship positions may also become available throughout the year. Announcements for internships during the school year will be submitted to local law schools for posting.
Extern program
Our unpaid, volunteer USPTO extern program provides talented high school, college, and law students with unique opportunities to gain valuable skills and professional experience. Through this program, externs learn more about various career paths at the USPTO, network with our employees and their peers, and hear first-hand from our leadership about their own career paths.