Module 2: Offers

Preparing for Offers


Offer letters reflect the expectations, guarantees, and benefits of employment, and these can vary greatly between positions, organizations, and industries. Doctoral internship offer letters can include any of the following components:

  • Offer of employment
  • Title of employment
  • Mode of employment (in-person, hybrid, remote)
  • Start date or duration of employment (ex: September 1, 2024 or September–December 2024)
    • You may be able to negotiate a different timeline based on your academic requirements or commitments. See below for negotiation support.
  • Compensation information (salary, stipend, etc)
  • Contingencies (ex: employment is contingent upon completing a background check)
  • Confidentiality agreement (different types of legally binding agreements that protect the privacy of specific information)

If you have questions about reviewing or negotiating an internship offer letter that you receive, you can contact U-M staff for assistance:

For Rackham Doctoral Intern Fellowship Program offers: contact the RDIFP team at Rack-Intern@umich.edu

For all other internship offers: schedule a consult with one of the Rackham-UCC graduate career counselors on Handshake. Links to an external site.